At age six, Nina Thorndike was a cute, petite girl, her long, blonde hair a tangle of
golden curls, with big blue eyes, and a sweet smile. At age six, Nina was quite the
little ballet dancer, and she lived for the times when her father would dance with her
after he came home from work. This is how it was the day Nina first heard Ballerina
Girl, by the great Lionel Richie. Nina was sitting on a white wicker rocker, situated
in the family's living room, wearing her leotard and matching pink tutu, when her
father came home from work. When Lucas saw her sitting there, he dropped his briefcase
and folders, flipped on the radio, and placed Nina on his feet. Slowly he moved along
the floor, gripping her hand in his, as the song began. It was a lovely tune. A
slow-paced, sweet song that Nina could relate to, and as always is the case when she
was dancing, she went along with the rhythm, and followed her father's steps. Lucas
picked her up, hugged her, and placed her on the floor. He then took hold of her hand
and spun her around and around, until she felt like the Sugar Plum Fairy in the
Nutcracker. As she spun around, her leotard and tutu sparkled from the light of the
crystal chandelier. Nina's mother came in from the kitchen, and dried her hands which
were wet from washing dishes, and watched the two identical smiling faces as they spun
by her. She leaned against the frame of the door and smiled, waiting to see the steps
she knew were coming. Lucas picked Nina up and twirled her in the air. Then he threw
her up high and caught her. Nina giggled and laughed the higher and higher she went.
Nina squealed with delight when Lucas swung her around in a wide circle. As Lionel
Richie slowed down and began to come to an end, Lucas placed Nina on his shoes again,
and waltzed her around the room, slowly, gracefully, while Nina held on to her father's
fingers. He dipped her once, and they continued to dance until the song was finally
over.

One week later, Lucas walked out the door and never came back. Everyday, Nina sat in
the white wicker rocker, wearing her pink leotard and tutu, waiting for her beloved
father to come walking through the door, ready to dance with her again.

Now 15 years old and way too big for the ballet clothes, they hang in the back of her
closet, collecting dust and turning brown with age. Nina knew her father would never
return. She no longer held that dream. That three minute dance with her father had
taken place only nine years earlier. But to Nina, it seemed like a lifetime ago, and
she remembered and treasured every moment of it. She knew the song by heart, and sang
it whenever she thought of her father, and of her last dance with him.