Ms. Nancy Volpe, this Woman, she is my Hero

Cigarettes are burned into my memory. I only know the scent of one brand, but I love the smell of its smoke. The dry air can surround me all it wants, I'll only think of her.
How do I explain her? Would you understand me if I told you she was the one who fostered in me a love for sweat? Would you love her as I do becasue she taught me never, even through blood and blisters, to give up on a perfect releve en pointe? No, you wouldn't understand that, it's a dance thing, but maybe you'd love her too if you knew her as I do.
She taught ballet. One repremand or correction after another, our class grew as dancers. I was never to follow in her foot steps. I was headed toward Ailey to study modern and choreography. The rest were looking to be ballerinas. I couldn't connect that way. However, there was this one story, it hooked me to her class, and eventaully kept her in my heart. That particular story, well, it was about the devil. How she met him, face to face one day in a soda shop down South...
The bus had stopped for lunch and all the dancers got off. Still dressed in their warm ups, black tights and leos, they went into the store. A bell rang softly overhead, announcing a very unwelcome arrival. From behind the counter a woman's shrill scream echoed: MY LORD, GET THESE SINNERS OUT OF MY STORE! GET THEIR BLACK LEGS AND THEIR LILY FACES AWAY FROM HERE! IF I EVER DREAMED OF THIS, MY GOD YOU COULD'VE TAKEN ME AWAY LAST TUESDAY! GET THE HEAVENS OUT OF HERE, AND NEVER EVER COME BACK! THERE'LL BE LYNCHINGS IF YUH DON'T SKIDADDLE! Faster than they'd ever bourreed they ran from there. If they weren't too worried about the events that just played out maybe someone would have realized the bell forgot to sound. That brass bell took years to get replaced, but finally hope started ringing. It was a distant sound at first, but it made it's way across the land. The sound of the bell, I heard it once. Ms. Volpe whispered it into my soul. I understand nothing can make us all great dancers. Not everyone has talent. But we are all born with a chance to do something great. Maybe I can be somebody's hero one day.