The Application He Changed

For six months, Darius had been keeping a secret from his father. While everyone at home believed he was only applying to engineering programs, he had quietly submitted an audition tape to a conservatory two states away.

Durante seis meses, Darius le había ocultado un secreto a su padre. Mientras todos en casa creían que solo estaba postulando a programas de ingeniería, él había enviado en secreto una audición grabada a un conservatorio a dos estados de distancia.

His father had studied mechanical engineering himself, and he had always assumed his son would follow the same path. His father had often said, in different words, that engineering was simply the safe choice for someone who wanted a stable life.

Su padre había estudiado ingeniería mecánica, y siempre había supuesto que su hijo seguiría el mismo camino. Su padre solía decir, de distintas maneras, que la ingeniería era simplemente la opción segura para alguien que quería una vida estable.

The letter arrived on a Tuesday, addressed to Darius but opened by his father before anyone noticed the return address. By the time Darius came home from school, his father was sitting at the kitchen table with the letter in his hands.

La carta llegó un martes, dirigida a Darius pero abierta por su padre antes de que nadie notara la dirección del remitente. Para cuando Darius llegó a casa después de la escuela, su padre estaba sentado a la mesa de la cocina con la carta en las manos.

"You were accepted into a conservatory," his father said flatly. "I didn't even know you'd applied."

«Te aceptaron en un conservatorio», dijo su padre con voz fría. «Ni siquiera sabía que habías postulado».

Darius froze in the doorway. He had planned to explain everything calmly, once he had an offer in hand and evidence that the decision was serious. Instead, the conversation was happening exactly the way he had hoped to avoid.

Darius se quedó paralizado en la puerta. Había planeado explicarlo todo con calma, una vez que tuviera una oferta en mano y pruebas de que la decisión era seria. En cambio, la conversación estaba ocurriendo exactamente de la manera que había esperado evitar.

"I should have told you before I sent it in," Darius admitted. "I was afraid you'd tell me not to bother."

«Debí haberte dicho antes de enviarla», admitió Darius. «Tenía miedo de que me dijeras que no me molestara».

If his father forbade it outright, Darius already knew he would apply again next year anyway. His father was quiet, turning the letter over as if it might explain itself. He had assumed, without ever really asking, that his son's plans matched his own.

Si su padre lo prohibía por completo, Darius ya sabía que volvería a postular el próximo año de todas formas. Su padre se quedó callado, dando vueltas a la carta como si esta pudiera explicarse sola. Había supuesto, sin preguntar realmente, que los planes de su hijo coincidían con los suyos.

"If you had told me from the start, I would have had questions," his father said slowly. "I still have questions. But that's different from telling you no."

«Si me lo hubieras dicho desde el principio, habría tenido preguntas», dijo su padre despacio. «Todavía tengo preguntas. Pero eso es distinto de decirte que no».

"I know composition doesn't sound practical," Darius said. "I'm not asking you to pretend it's an easy path."

«Sé que la composición no suena práctica», dijo Darius. «No te estoy pidiendo que finjas que es un camino fácil».

His father set the letter down on the table, facing Darius. "I'm not going to pretend I understand it yet. However, I'd rather hear about it from you than find it out by opening your mail."

Su padre dejó la carta sobre la mesa, de cara a Darius. «No voy a fingir que lo entiendo todavía. Sin embargo, prefiero escucharlo de ti que descubrirlo abriendo tu correo».

For the first time in months, Darius sat down across from his father and started explaining, from the beginning, what he actually wanted.

Por primera vez en meses, Darius se sentó frente a su padre y empezó a explicar, desde el principio, lo que realmente quería.