Ain't No Mountain High Enough

"Dancing Queen"

The theater was decorated with Christmas wreaths, small Christmas trees with little ornaments, and tons of garland and fake snow. I always liked how much the college decorated for Christmas. I had barely felt the Christmas spirit at all within the last two weeks, but all of a sudden, being around my friends, the decorations, and how cold it was outside made it come crashing down on me. Christmas was tomorrow! For one moment, I smiled and was excited about it.

We gave our tickets to a man in a little booth, then headed into the auditorium. It was the same building they held the graduation ceremony in, so it was pretty large. The rows of chairs were slanted downwards, and we came in on the top part. I noticed right away that there would be no way for me to get one of the front seats, since the only way to get down to the front of the room was a little staircase.

"We'll have to come in a different door," Arjun said with a sigh.

"You'd think they'd have more accessibility here!" Veronica yelled loud enough to make people glance in our direction.

"It's fine, guys," I said, but I didn't really feel fine. The moment of being in the Christmas Spirit was already gone. "We can just sit up here." The stage was far away, but I could still see it pretty well with my glasses on.

"Hey, what about down there!" Keto pointed towards the middle of the auditorium, where there were large spaces in between seats. So they were accessible with the seating, just not with, you know, how we can actually get down there.

"There's still a few minutes before it starts," Ms. Harlow announced when she looked up from her phone. "Surely there's a ramp to get down there."

I just shrugged, then everyone was heading back out the door. I wasn't in the auditorium that much, so I didn't really know its layout. But sure enough, we found a ramp side-by-side with a staircase, and within a few minutes, we were back in the auditorium. Everyone took a seat, and I wheeled myself backwards to squeeze my wheelchair in-between Keto and Veronica's chairs.

"Success!" Veronica said, then clapped her hands. Her enthusiasm managed to rub off on me a little, and I laughed.

"With a couple minutes to spare," Keto said when he got on his phone. When I glanced at his phone, it was nearly seven o'clock. My heart started pounding. Valerie would be on the stage at any moment now.

Soon, the lights dimmed, and the conversations that had been buzzing around us quieted down. The large red curtains pulled apart to reveal the stage set with props for the ballet. There was a Christmas tree with fake presents, a fireplace with a large clock, and a red sofa in the center. The music picked up. It brought back memories of the previous Nutcracker ballets I came to see.

And then she was there.

Valerie had her hair in curls that cascaded down her back. Her costume sparkled. There were, of course, other dancers on the stage with her, but I couldn't take my eyes off of her. She was breathtaking.

I watched the entire play in awe. It was like this every year. I had seen it many times. But I never got tired of seeing Valerie dance. She was mesmerizing. She was a goddess. And I relished every moment of that ballet, because I knew I'd never see her perform in it again. At least not here. Either way, it would never be like this again.

The ballet was nearly two hours, but it felt like it blew by too fast. The music ended. Valerie and all the other dancers and actors bowed, and the curtain covered the stage again. The lights came back on, and the buzz of conversations and applause echoed in my ears, but I couldn't stop staring straight ahead. I didn't realize I probably had a stupid look on my face until Veronica tapped me on the shoulder.

"Randall?" she said. There was a small smirk on her lips. "You do want to go see Valerie, don't you?"

I had almost forgotten that the cast would be out in the foyer now. I nodded, then followed the others out of the auditorium, up the ramp, then into the foyer. It was crowded with people now, and I couldn't see past most of them. I craned my neck and searched for Valerie, but had no luck.

"Oh, there she is!" Veronica said with a squeal. "Valerie, over here!"

The crowd parted a little, and I caught a glimpse of her in the sparkling tutu she was wearing. She smiled at me, and I swore I saw her blush. It made me blush, too.

"I've missed you guys!" Valerie said as she came over and pulled Veronica into a hug. Keto was next, then Arjun and Ms. Harlow. When she turned to me, I could feel the blush get warmer.

"Hi, Valerie," I said. My voice came out too quiet and got lost in the din of too many voices talking at once. I tried again. "You were wonderful, as always!"

"Thank you!" Valerie called back. She glanced around nervously, and I realized Stephen was nowhere to be found.

Veronica asked before I could. "Where's your boyfriend?"

A flash of annoyance went through Valerie's eyes. "He had to train tonight!" She gave me a helpless shrug. "I'm glad I got to see you guys, at least!"

I was glad for that too, but I couldn't believe Stephen couldn't at least take one day off to see his own girlfriend perform? He couldn't spend time with her on Christmas Eve?! I clenched my hands into fists, but I made myself take a deep breath to calm down. This was Valerie's night, and I wouldn't ruin it for her by losing my temper. I had already done that too many times.

"We better get going soon," Arjun spoke up. "If we want to get Keto and Veronica home on time, of course."

Valerie nodded. "Yes, I should go and change so I can get home, too," she said, smiling. She took my hand and gave it a light squeeze. "It was nice to see you again, Randall." We locked eyes for a few seconds, and she held my hand that entire time. But it was too brief. She let go, gave the others hugs again, then turned to leave.

Just as I thought, the mess of feelings in my heart was a wreck again.

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Thanks for reading!

Listen to "Dancing Queen" by ABBA!

Peace✌️~ A.J.