A Founded Place

Stasia picked up her guitar, and strummed.

The smooth melodic tune she played made her smile. The manual had read 'How To Play The Guitar In Six Weeks', but it had taken Stasia a little longer than six months. The six years of starting and stopping had been worth it though. The callous fingertips, the broken nails, the ability to play beautiful sounds whenever she felt she wanted to hear them.

She breathed in as she smelt the strong smell of coffee wisp by as there was a knock on her dressing room door.

'Coffee ma'am?' The lady asked. Stasia, smiled and declined. Hot drinks, right now were not on the agenda.

She had five minutes before she had to be on stage. She was slightly nervous, it had been a while.

She winced as she pulled the wrong note, the sound seemed to reverberate around her room. Stasia began to panic. What if she couldn't do this? What if she played the wrong note? What if her voice went out of key and she made a stupid move?

She threw the guitar on her couch and opened her door running after the lady that had just entered.

'Excuse me, Miss?' Stasia called after her.

Back in her dressing room she sipped the warm brew and breathed a sigh of relief. She felt better, ready for the next step. Ready to take on whatever else may come.

Stasia had faced many disappointments in life. In retrospect, she would read the news and observe the calamities that were occurring world wide. Natural disasters, people killing one another in aimless, endless wars, famine in third world countries. She knew that she was better off than most.

She remembered getting on her hands and knees and crying out, 'Lord, what is my purpose?' She would often only hear silence. In her dreams, she would see a man with a kind smile and warm eyes, and he would simply tell her, 'you will know when the time has come'.

Stasia put all she had in to simply doing what she loved to do, always asking along the way, 'What is my purpose?'. In staying focused on what she loved to do, she had in fact prepared herself to enter into a place that was always hers to be.

She could hear the applauds and the sounds of the crowds clapping. Shouts and whistles. Roars of 'Ana-stasia! Ana-stasia! Ana-stasia! Ana-stasia!'.

Stasia knew it was time to go on. It was time to face the crowd and give all she could.

She moved from the couch and sat in front of her dresser mirror. She looked at her reflection and smiled as she reflected upon memories.

'You'll never make it' her mother had said. 'You are a good for nothing, a nobody and you need to know your place'.

Those were the words that defined and propelled Stasia to make sure that she would certainly make it. No matter what those closest to her said.

Tired of living up to the status quo. Tired of being a poor little girl living less than ordinary. Tired of being la belled a statistic rather than being called by her name. But she hadn't stayed down when she fell down, instead she chose to get up.

Her drive to succeed was because she knew what it was to fail, to feel rejection and scorn.

"Ma'am, you're on in five'. A burly man in security uniform knocked and opened her door to inform her of the agenda. Stasia smiled and nodded. The man seemed to hesitate, then came into her room and stood by her.

'Ma'am, if you don't mind, he stuttered. He was in awe being in her presence. 'I felt I had to let you know something, something that you have wanted to hear'. Stasia, took a closer look. He had a kind smile, and warm eyes. He was the man from her dreams.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and squeezed softly. 'Your time has come'. He smiled down at her. Stasia closed her eyes, and remembered her journey from nowhere. Stumbling, falling tripping, running along numerous wrong roads, and was grateful for the place that she was at.

She opened her eyes to thank the man, but he had gone. She hadn't even heard the door open and close for him to exit.

She stood, smoothed her hair, straightened out her clothes and picked up her guitar taking long confident strides, opened her door. Two security guards immediately came at either side of her, as she walked the short way.

'Ladies and gentleman' a voice called out. 'Please give the biggest welcome to the one and only, Anastasia!'.

She stepped out, and immediately embraced her role. She looked out to the crowd and she was overwhelmed by the sight. All welcoming and embracing.

She stepped out and sang a note. The crowd went wild.

Stasia smiled. She knew right then, that she had finally, at last, found her place.