Bette was more than a little taken-aback herself. She watched as Angelica expressed poise and flexibility which she has never seen Angelica do before, which she had no idea Angelica had. She wondered what else she has been missing and she stared at her daughter.

“Oh my goodness.” Alice gave up on silence again. She tried to whisper. “Bette?”

“What?”

“Bette?”

“Yes Alice.”

 “Are you seeing this?”

Bette angrily frowned. “Yes Alice. I’m seeing it. I’m right here.”

 “She’s actually good.” 

Bette nodded, her eyes not leaving Angelica. “She is.”

“Nice.” Dana smiled proudly, she too trying to speak softly as she watched Angelica skillfully move around the pond. “How weird though if her mother loves visual arts and she grows up to love performance.”

“Well my sister always wanted creative and creative is creative.” Kit pitched in.

“I’m here for my daughter Kit and I will support her in whatever she does.”

“I know that. I know that Baby Sis.”

Bette shook her head. She wanted to quietly enjoy her daughter’s moment and she proudly looked on. Her eyes keenly followed Angelica with every step of Angelica’s routine through the Princess and The Frog.

 “Alice?” Dana leaned across to Alice.

“What?” Alice lowly answered, not wanting Bette to scream at her.

 “What is she playing?” Dana kept her voice low. “What’s she supposed to be?”

“Who?” Alice whispered.

“Angie.”

“Jesus Dana. She’s a flower. Can’t you see she’s a flower? A flower in the pond.”

“I know that. Duh. What kind a flower though?”

“Oh.” Alice looked back on stage. “I’m not sure.”

Dana turned around to ask Shane and Shane leaned forward to hear Dana.

“What kind a flower is she?”

“What? I don’t know.”

Dana chose not to bother Bette and Bette kept her eyes on Angelica though she had already overheard the question and knew the answer. She just wanted them to be quiet like everybody else but Alice smiled knowing she had thought about it and figured it out and she was proud to give the information to Dana.

“A lotus flower.”

“What?”

“Angelica is a lotus flower.”

“Oh.”

They quietly watched again and Bette kept her eyes on the stage trying not to think too much about it and not caring that Alice may realize just how symbolic it was for Angelica to be a lotus flower. The lotus flower grows out of the most challenging of situations and thrives to be beautiful in the most unsettled of environments….just like Angelica.