THE DANCE
In early May, Grant High School held what was considered the second biggest social event of the year, The School Dance. Only the Senior Prom was a bigger event.
All of the faculty would be in attendance. Spouses, significant others, girlfriends and boyfriends would be there. I went alone.
Jen sat at he VIP table. Peter Brant and his wife had come to the dance and were seated at Jen's table, as were Jen's secretary Marie and her husband Tony. . I was relegated to one of the lower teacher's tables; the ones who did not have spouses or dates.
My Water Rats had a table and were dressed to the nines. The four girls were in gowns of various tasteful colors and the guys were in tuxedos. Jamal and Tyler's tuxes were powder blue, Mitchell and Roberto's were red, Charles' was green and Maurice was in tails. They were a sight. They were MY Water Rats.
The evening was noisy. The music was loud and fast. The dancing was nothing I was interested in.
Some of the teachers were talking about Jen. One teacher, Morton Dilk, a Social Studies teacher was really ragging on Jen. He was arguing that Jen was a lesbian, because she never dates or never brings anyone to any event. In fact, she probably won't even dance with anyone tonight.
I pointed out that I didn't date anyone here, I never brought anyone to these things and I haven't danced...does that make me a lesbian? Everyone laughed. Needless to say Dilk was not happy with me.
Then Dilk played his trump card he told us that he had asked Dr. North out and she turned him down.
I responded, that only meant that Dr. North had good taste; again laughter. Then one of the young female teachers piped up, "Hey, Fitzy, why don't you ask North to dance, who could refuse you?"
Dilk picked up on that and really started to get on me. I tried to beg off saying I could never dance like those kids.
Dilk was going for the kill; he was going to make me pay, "I'll get them to play a waltz."
I laughed to myself, what did I have to loose?
I smiled at Dilk and said, "Let's see what I can do."
As I got up and walked toward the VIP table, the DJ announced at Mr. Dilk's request in honor of the principal, Dr. North, the next tune would be a waltz. All of the students moaned. Jen looked a bit confused.
I walked up to the table and asked Jen to dance. She laughed and said, "I don't see why not."
Peter Brant looked at me with a smile on his face and he shook his head. Marie gave me a withering look.
We walked to the dance floor and when we got there the DJ started the music. I took her hand in mine and place my other hand on her waist. Jen had her hand on my shoulder. We were a respectful distance apart.
We started to move with the music, in tune with the one, two, three of the waltz. At first we moved slowly and tentatively. Then as we once again became accustomed to the music and to each other we moved with more confidence. It only took a few moments before we were moving in unison, anticipating, knowing the others movements. Moving as one; completely coordinated, in sync with each other.
As we whirled around the dance floor, we no longer heard the music. We danced to the rhythm of our beating hearts: thump, thump, thump - the one, two, three of the waltz.
I no longer saw anything other than this beautiful woman in my arms. Her head was turned to the side and her eyes were closed. I pulled her slightly closer. I could feel her warmth, her excitement, all of the passion and love she had for me and me alone.
The music of our love played on and we danced. We danced the dance of our love, the dance of our devotion, the dance of our total commitment to each other. We danced on, stepping, turning, whirling, totally oblivious to anything outside this cocoon of love that we had created. I saw nothing, heard nothing, needed nothing other than this goddess in my arms.
On and on we went, as if dancing on clouds. Joined together, wrapped in the music of our love. We were moving in complete synchronization; the perfect union of music and movement that was choreographed by two people so completely in love that nothing else mattered.
We were no longer dancing but loving; holding on to each other never wanting to let go. Loving and dancing for eternity; forever embracing; melding our bodies and souls into a perfect union; becoming one, inseparable, silently making promises of eternity.
All too soon, the music ended and we stopped dancing and as we came out of our revere and realized that we were the only ones on the dance floor. It seemed that shortly after we started to dance, everyone else stepped to the side and allowed us to have the floor all to ourselves.
They all started to clap and cheer. Recovering quickly, I made a very extravagant bow and Jen curtsied. I made a show of holding her hand as I escorted her back to her table.
Getting back to her table she thanked me for a wonderful dance. I bowed and said, "The pleasure was all mine, Dr. North."
Peter Brant and his wife were laughing, she gave me a knowing smile and he winked. If looks could kill, Marie would have slain me on the spot.
I walked back to my table and upon arrival stated, "Well, I guess that Dr. North and I are no longer lesbians."
Dilk and the teacher, who had dared me to dance, were not happy. However, the rest of the teachers were ecstatic. Laughing and slapping me on the back. Everyone wanted to know where I learned to dance like that.
I told them that while I was working in France, my friend's family had adopted me and when Mama found that I couldn't dance took it upon herself to teach me. I learned the basics in their living room. At the first family event, Mama after dancing with Papa, pulled me up to the dance floor.
There I discovered that dancing the waltz on a dance floor, with all that room was so much easier. And not only did I like it but I became rather adept. By the end of the night I had probably danced with every one of Marcel's female relatives, and I had a great time.
So when Dilk said he would have a waltz played, what else could I do?
As I made my rounds of the tables, something all teachers were expected to do, I was greeted with laughter and cheers. Fitzy had danced with North.
Marissa didn't say anything when I got to the Water Rats table, but she was looking at me in a funny way. However, the rest of then didn't shut up, laughing at me and making fun.
The only drawback with the evening was that I couldn't get close to Jen again.
The dance ended about 10:30 pm. I drove alone to my apartment getting there at about 11:00 pm. Jen arrived shortly after.
When she came into my apartment, she ran to my arms and we kissed. She was laughing and hugging me saying that I was crazy to have danced with her like that. People were going to suspect and Peter was most certainly going to have to do something.
I made some drinks and we sat and talked. We had been putting this discussion off for some time.
The import business was taking on a life of its own, taking up more and more of my time. We were now at the point where we would have to choose, either teaching or the import business. Knowing full well that Peter would be transferring me in September, we decided that I would resign from teaching and go into the wine and food business full time.
Even though Jen agreed that it was best, she seemed to be really unhappy. When we made love it was with a quiet desperation, like something was going to change and the change would be for the worse.
As I loved her, I could feel the sadness in her, like she was loosing me. There even seemed to be sadness in our pleasure.
