It was my 60th birthday and despite being so broke that I had lost all hope of ever seeing the day when my bills were less than my income, I splurged for the first time in over 20 years.
I had dreamed my entire life of visiting the baseball hall of fame in Cooperstown, NY. Actually, my dream began as being inducted into the hall of fame after the most sparkling pitching career in the history of baseball but that is another story.
Anyhow, I took my two weeks of vacation. I went online and booked a flight from Mobile, AL to Cooperstown, NY. I made reservations at the Lake 'N Pines motel. I closed my checking account and got my boss to pay me in advance for the vacation since my last day of work was a pay day. I went over my credit card bills while at work and picked the two that still had over a $1000 credit remaining.
I closed the store at midnight and drove straight to Mobile since my flight was scheduled to take off at 2AM and it was almost a two hour drive to the airport in Mobile from my store.
I was completely exhausted but by 4PM on my first day of vacation I had rented a car, found the site of the hall of fame, purchased a two week visitors pass, and checked in to the motel.
I asked the clerk to give me a 6AM wake up call since the hall of fame opened it's doors at 7AM and I wanted to be there before they opened. I had the clerk call for a pizza to be delivered to my room.
I barely had time to unpack and take a shower before the pizza arrived and after paying the delivery girl, I got their number so I could call for my own deliveries.
It smelled fantastic but I decided to lay down a few minutes to let my muscles relax a bit from my long flight without rest or sleep. It still tasted great after I woke up just before the phone rang with my wake up call.
I took a quick shower, grabbed a thermos of coffee from the lounge, and ate the pizza on my way to the hall of fame.
I never in my life dreamed the place would be as great as it was. From the time it opened at 7AM until it closed at 7PM, I was completely immersed in the history of the sport I love so much. I soon began to realize that it would take closer to two months than two weeks to see everything it had to offer but I was determined to see as much as I possibly could.
For 5 straight days, I had followed the exact same routine. I got up at 6AM, showered, went to the hall of fame, stayed until it closed, ordered a pizza, ate, and fell asleep exhausted.
Then the 6th day as I waited for the elevator to take me to my room, I heard music coming from a set of double doors across from the elevators.
Smiling, I asked the clerk what was going on. She grinned and told me that every Saturday night they had a dance for the different dance classes to meet and practice what they had learned during the week.
I told her it had been almost 40 years since the last time I had done any dancing but that I loved ballroom dancing and then I asked her if it was a private dance or was it possible for me to watch the dancers.
She smiled and told me that I could not only watch but I could also dance if I wanted to join the crowd. After giggling, she had added that she was hoping her relief came in a bit early so she could get in a couple of dances before the dance ended at 2AM.
My eyes had barely adjusted to the dim lights before my jaw dropped and I stared at the most amazing dancer I had ever seen in my life. There was a circle around her and her partner and they were the only two dancing.
I remember thinking as the song the band was playing neared it's end that even if she had two left feet she was so beautiful she would have still been the center of attention.
She was at the very least 6 feet tall, her hair was the darkest black I had ever seen, and it was almost touching the dance floor when she was on her toes.
Despite her continuous spins and dips and gyrations, I never saw what was beneath her skimpy outfit but it left very little to the imagination. The best I could tell her skirt was a large transparent scarf tied at the hips and she wore no panties. Her top was a matching scarf that hung from a large necklace barely covering her pert breasts and was loosely tied between her shoulder blades. It was also obvious she wasn't wearing a bra.
She remained the center of attention as the band played song after song. One man after another danced with her and even on occasion another lady took a turn dancing with her. Occasionally her partner was adept enough to warrant a second dance and one man even had a third dance but even his skills paled in comparison to her looks and movements.
I had lost all track of time and was still mesmerized by her looks and talent when I realized as her most recent partner rejoined the circle that she was beckoning me to take his place.
To be honest, I had no idea that it was her picking her own partners until that moment and as the band played a fast paced Mamba it was all I could do to stumble from the circle and join her.
As I stood only a few feet from her, i was so awe struck by her beauty that the song was damn near half over before I remembered I was suppose to be dancing. I slowly closed my eyes and picked up the beat as my mind remembered the steps then I smiled and did my very best to keep up with her.
I saw her eyes look confused then fill with joy as she increased her movements and I matched her step for step. Her smile broadened and with barely a pause she spun into my arms as the Mamba ended and a Waltz began.
Most novices think that a Waltz and a Rumba are one and the same dance but they are actually two completely different dances using basically the same steps. A Waltz is choreographed movement between two partners that feed off each other's spins and gyrations while a Rumba is the same with the addition of much more contact between partners.
The second biggest difference is in the music itself. A Waltz has much more brass with a steady drum beat while a Rumba has just the opposite sound with the brass being steady while the drum beats are highlighted.
I began learning to ballroom dance when I was barely 6 years old and for almost 15 years I had gone to balls at least twice a week and quite often even 3 or 4 times a week. I had only stopped because I had been drafted and ballroom dancing wasn't an option in Viet Nam.
When I returned to civilian life, I had to work and just never had time to devote to my love for dance. I had been a damn good dancer and I knew I had been her best partner but I also knew I was really rusty with some of my steps and I had to think as I danced which wasn't easy as I stared at the most beautiful young lady I had ever danced with or even seen for that matter.
I loved to Rumba above all other dances because it was like making love on a dance floor. I grinned at the shock that filled her eyes when I spun her away from my body as the dance began and didn't release her hand as I would have if we had been doing a Waltz. She stumbled slightly, the very first mis-step I had seen her make then she nodded and smiled before cutting her spin short and returning to me with her back pressed against my chest.
She twisted her head so that it lay against my right shoulder and her lips brushed my right ear as she whispered, "My uncle is the conductor and I will have him change to my favorite Rumba song in a minute. You are a rare joy for me sir. It is so seldom that I find a partner that is as good as you seem to be. My name is jessica."
She quickly spun away then came straight back this time facing me as she twisted her head so that her own right ear was against my lips.
Somehow I managed to stammer, "Thank you for the compliment Miss Jessica. My name is Woody. I wish I weren't so rusty. It has been almost 40 years since I danced plus if you will forgive my frankness, I have never danced with anyone of your talent much less anyone so beautiful and sexy."
I saw her eyes sparkling as she spun away from me then she pointed at her Uncle and held her hand in a `V� before she spun back into my arms and whispered, "That just might be the best compliment I�ve ever had Woody."
As she spoke, the music stopped abruptly then I gasped when the band began playing my favorite Rumba music. I have never known it's name but I loved it because of two things. First, it was the fastest of all the Rumba's I knew and it took two highly skilled dancers to maintain it's rhythm. Second, it was the longest Rumba ever written and took almost a full 30 minutes from start to finish.