TO KANSAS CITY

The newlywed bliss soon turned sour as the reality of having a small child and living with the elder Koertz's took their toll on both young adults. A violent argument ensued between Karl and his father and the couple left Chicago with their baby daughter. They boarded a train in the middle of the night, unsure of where they were going. They had enough money for tickets to Kansas City.

Karl Koertz got a job as a butcher. Alexandra stayed at home with Cassandra and taught voice lessons to bring in a bit of extra income. Her husband resented that he could not support his family without her income, and took his frustration out on his wife. Alexandra increasingly became absorbed in her daughter's life. Even at the age of 3 Alexandra recognized that Sandra had exceptional musical talents. When the owner of the shop where Karl worked developed a sickness requiring him to move to Arizona, the Koertz's moved into the small apartment above the butcher shop. Karl became distanced from the family, spending hours after the store closed drinking. He could hear his young daughter upstairs singing. Her beauty and talent became his enemy for her joy brought him nothing but misery.

Cassandra developed into a beautiful woman even as a young teen. At 14 her voice was magnificent, her presence enough to stop people in their tracks. Yet her father forbid her to sing in public or to be in any school dramatic productions. She dreamed of performing in the midst of this tremendous emotional and verbal abuse. And all the while, Alexandra was secretly scheming for a way for Sandra to escape in order to pursue her dreams.