She was dressed as Morticia Adams. Not a tall and regal Morticia, but a delightful one nevertheless. Like her character, her smiles were slight, almost sardonic; but the twinkle in her eyes hinted that there was a hidden mirth to her.
I saw that her glass was almost empty. From a passing waiter, I took another fruit punch, and made my way to her, presenting the glass while I bowed slightly.
"Milady."
She favored me with her slight smile, and accepted the glass, while handling the other one back to me. We exchanged glasses, and I managed to take her hand and lightly kissing her fingers, before leaving to search for some place where I could put the empty glass.
A slightly harried waiter accepted it, and I wanted to hurry back to engage in conversation, but I was pleased to notice that she was nearby. I smiled at her, and she said:
"Let me guess... Don Quixote?"
I bowed again, with a slight flourish. "The Knight of the Woeful Countenance, at your service, milady."
She laughed at that, and now I could see that the mirth was indeed there.
"Well, Sir Knight, why don't we repair to the balcony? It's a bit stuffy in here."
"Gladly, milady."
The big room was indeed stuffy, and packed. I was just an associate, high enough in the faculty pecking order to warrant an invitation to the party, but low enough that I had no further commitments, once I had greeted the host and my department head. I gladly escorted her to one of the balconies, where a few other revelers were getting some fresh air.
Soon, we were chatting as if we were old friends. I told her about moving there, and my enthusiasm for my new projects. She talked very little about herself, and I didn't press. At some point, she even asked me about that.
