Finding Paris

Never Let Her Go

Author's Note: The following five chapters starting with this one are those which will form the prelude to the story and will touch five of their nine dance nights. Enjoy! Shoutout to destacia for this suggestion. Thank you very much!

“You’ve got to get out more,” said Lucy with concern on her eyes.

“I do. I teach Sienna, paint around town, eat out,” I said while I gathered up my things after a day’s session with her daughter, Sienna.

“Morgana, you know what I mean. Here.” She handed me a piece of pink flyer which I read out loud.

“Thursday Dance Nights. Bring your family, a friend, a loved one or even a stranger and dance away to the music every seven in the evening at the village park. See you there!”

Interesting, I thought. I then turned to her and asked, “Are you guys going too?”

“Not this week, no. We’ll be visiting Sienna’s grannies out of town. You’ll be fine. I’ve seen you dance.”

“We’ll see.” I waved good bye to Lucy and headed home. It was Wednesday yet a few people were already at the village park putting up decorations and a little stage. Around the wide open space across the swing set were poles set up and entangled with dim yellow round lights.

I walked on until I arrived home and slept throughout the night until Thursday came. I woke up late and rolled in bed, lazy to get up. The past week had been really busy for me as there were a lot of painting commissions I was given, mostly in small galleries and one at the village school. Maybe this dance would be a nice break for me, I told myself.

Getting up, I caught sight of the people walking towards the village park. I looked at the clock and was shocked to see that I really did sleep throughout the whole day. It was already six in the evening. I really was dead tired but the idea of the dance was quite enticing.

Without much thought, I scrambled to clean myself and got out to the village park. It was a bit embarrassing when I arrived as I saw people really made up; the women wearing nice light and flowing dresses, the men wearing crisp button-down shirts and slacks while I stood at the entrance gate wearing my drab blue checkered sweater on top of a gray shirt, my black jeans which hang loose on my hips and my purple sneakers.

“Welcome to Thursday Dance Nights,” a man at the entrance said. He was quite old but still looked dashing in his black polo with a little polka-dotted gray ribbon on his neck. He looked like my father.

I smiled back at him and walked on, not entertaining the memories triggered by the old man. At the corners of the makeshift dancing area were tall tables made for when you want to rest and drink or if you just want to stand unnoticeably at the corner and look at people while you cringe at what you’re wearing.

For a while, a lot of people were just talking to each other and greeting the old man who seemed to be the master mind of the village event. I saw familiar faces but stayed where I was because I really stood out with my very casual clothes. I wasn’t informed that the dance was going to be a bit formal.

A few moments passed, a few songs played which were mostly Sinatra and Fitzgerald before the people at the corners edged towards the center and danced. With the light the dim yellow round bulbs emitted, I saw the glow in each of the people’s faces. Everyone had their eyes shimmering. Everyone in the dancing area seemed to be afloat while their bodies mimicked the fluid movement of a calm and wondrous river.

It was enough for me, just looking at people from a distance. But when I turned around, I saw someone who dressed as drab and casual as me. He had his back turned but I still saw the glow of lights surrounding his head. Because of those lights, it looked as if he had a really subtle shade of brown hair and as if he just rolled out of bed. At least, I had the decency to wear pants which looked a bit formal. He was wearing sweat pants and a loose black shirt.

When the music ended, the people returned to their tables and the old man got to the stage with an old woman who was probably his wife and started to talk about Thursday Dance Nights.

“Thank you everyone for being here tonight,” he began. “This project is a dream that came true for me and my lovely wife.” He looked at his wife and winked at her. She nudged him then and he continued, “When we were still young, we had dances at our village park. Every once in a while, I’d see her and some of her friends but mostly it was just her. In a corner, she’d dance alone with the music while most people danced with partners. I was alone at the time too and just went to the dance because a few of my friends urged me to come.”

“In a moment where I felt the most confident and my courage all gathered up, I went slowly in her direction. She didn’t see me. Her eyes were closed, her face serene as she blended with the music.”

“Then I tapped her on the shoulder. Her face scrunched up with shock as she saw me standing across her.”

“He was quite a big man,” his wife piped in.

“Yeah, I was and then I held out my hand and we danced. That was the start of a wonderful relationship. So this dance commemorates that moment. We hope you build good relationships here too, not just romantic but humane, a relationship with the souls and with your inner being because that is the most wonderful and fulfilling emotion of all.”

“Again, welcome to Thursday Dance Nights and enjoy your night!”

With that they left the stage and the lights dimmed once again while the music started. It was Bread’s Never Let Her Go. I glanced around and saw that I was the only one standing there with no one to dance with. I could’ve danced alone like the wife of the old man who I heard was called Mr. Reynolds but the song was fit to be danced with a partner so I just stood there and watched the people slowly move their bodies to the melody.

I felt someone tap my back and saw the guy wearing the sweat pants in front of me. He held out his hands inviting me to dance. I just looked up at him deciding in my mind whether to take his hand or not.

Finally, he brought his hand down and said, “I’m sorry, I was eating a sausage. Would you like to dance?” And with that he held out his hands to me again.

“Sure.” And as we walked towards the dancing area with a multitude of people around us, with the lights casting shadows on our faces, I didn’t feel that time stopped. I only felt time vanish as we danced our first dance.