The women in the multicolored and glittering oriental dresses were clapping their hands – applauding to their teacher Soraya, as well as to each other and themselves. It was the last evening of the belly dancing course we had been attending for the last 6 months and we all were exited about the progress we had made. A little sad about this being the last evening, I glanced over to Melanie. We had become very close friends during the last weeks, and with each lesson that had made our bodies more flexible and sensual we had shared more secrets and dreams. By now we were the best of friends and I knew I would be missing those evenings. We all had decided to meet again after the summer break to continue the lessons though – and so the general atmosphere was not one of farewells but rather of "till next time."
While Soraya once again displayed her skillful dancing to the exotic flutes and strings from the tape to show what we should be expecting from the next course, I couldn't help looking at my friend again... Melanie looked just lovely in the gold and copper colored scarves and layers of veils. Her slim body was firm and well toned, and you could see she was a dancer as she, while watching Soraya, softly swayed her hips with the tantalizing rhythms that filled the room. Her shiny brown hair fell over her shoulders, and her eyes seemed to constantly have a mischievous sparkle that underlined her warm and caring personality.
I was ripped out of my musing when everyone applauded and then Soraya announced that, as she had already told us the last time, she had a surprise for us all... she had organized a oriental evening with her family and friends in her husband's restaurant (it was in a back room there, where we had taken our lessons) and we all were invited to show our newly acquired skills before an audience if we wanted – or just have some food and fun if we preferred. With a lot of cheering we gathered our street cloths, and remaining dressed in the fancy and mostly hand made costumes we walked over to the restaurant... to just find ourselves facing the empty guest room. Now – that for sure was not the party we had been expecting. With puzzled looks and a few nervous giggles we were staring at each other, when a clap of hands drew our attention... with a secretive smile Soraya motioned us towards the back door. The next thing that could be heard were the surprised gasps of those stepping through the door.
As Melanie and I walked out, we too just couldn't refrain from taking a deep breath. Before us unfolded a fairy tale display from 1001 Nights. The garden was decorated with multicolored tents and everywhere were small tables set with flowers and candles. The scenery was bathed in the hues of the magnificent sun set – and from the people already sitting, walking and talking in the garden there were the sounds of conversations and laughter in the sweet evening air. Immediately I was in what I call a "Champagne mood," almost bubbling over with the sheer pure joy of living, and I could tell Mel was too, by the way she smiled at me.
It was quite a while later – and the sunset had made room for a velvety night sky with the stars like shining diamonds pinned to it. Melanie and I were enjoying ourselves tremendously... we were dancing like whirlwinds – she in her copper and golden dress an incarnation of fire and earth, whereas my blue and silver tones were more like waves of water and air washing around my body – we were captives of the exotic music and of the warm night air caressing our bare shoulders and bellies... and too soon the end of the marvelous evening was approaching as due to the neighbors living so close Soraya had to put an early end to the celebration. With a lot of hugging and kissing we all said good-bye and giggling and chatting Melanie and I called a cab to take us to my little house in the suburb area. Since it was quite a drive for Melanie who lived out of town and it had been announced that there would be some kind of celebrating we had agreed on Melanie staying with me over night.
We were both in a silly and lighthearted – and somewhat dizzy – state of mind. The evening had been perfect and neither of us felt any desire to go to bed yet, so we decided to open a bottle of wine and chat a little, knowing it probably would be a while before we would be having a chance to one of those intimate talks. The little gem stones and shining decorations on our dresses sparkled in the soft light of the candles I had lit on the small table, and Melanie to me looked like a fairy out of another world – I thought that must have been the way the sultan had looked at Sheherazade in the spicy desert nights under a yellow moon. I put in one of the tapes that we had bought during the course and soon we were both drifting off into our dream world again, bare feet dancing in the grass, carried on the soft chimes of little bells and cymbals... daring to use the most sensual and erotic steps and movements we had learned, while our veils were flame and water, earth and air once again.
