Trafika Europe 9/10 - UK in Europe

All the voices

crowd glumly. I was glum because I liked dancing and felt it was very much a part of the real me. But I didn’t want it tainted; didn’t want to do it to their tune. So, I started dancing when nobody was about or when nobody was looking at least because they weren’t expecting me to dance then because there was no nice music to dance to. The secret dancing meant such a lot to me and I think it was the start of coming to feel I could only truly be myself when no one else could see me. I was fond of doing this nice flowy- windy jiggle of a dance round the garden at home, making sure to keep out of sight behind the tall hedge. That’s where the trees started too, so I was doubly safe. In fact it was

the trees which inspired me. I saw myself as a leaf fluttering down. I imagined it as autumn, although it wasn’t, it was bright summer. But I pictured being free of the tree at last – this summed up for me the way the falling leaf wouldbefeeling.Therewas one particular Saturday I remember. Dad had gone to get his car sorted out and Mum was busy in the kitchen cleaning things or cooking, but very busy anyway and had told me not to keep bothering her when I went in asking for a coke or some orange juice because it was hot. So, in other words, it was a perfect time for doing the dancing. And I think that’s half why I’d kept on going into the kitchen and asking for things. I knew Mum would get tired of it and would want me to go

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