The Bagman's Direction

Chapter 37

Did you ever watch the movie 'Big Fish'? It had Ewan McGregor as Edward Bloom, not to mention the other stars that featured including a cheeky Steve Buscemi as a crazy minor character. Steve Buscemi was in everything. Anyway, in the movie it was constantly altering between the story of Edward when he was younger and the older Edward retelling the story of his life as well as where he came to be, which was horribly ill and dying. In the movie the elder version was constantly telling his tales to his son and peers. Unfortunately his son tires of it, as it's the same stories his heard most of his life.

There was one story, that surely Edward's son could never tire of and it's when Edward meets the son's mother for the first time, the first time he meets the love of his life. In the movie he said "They say when you meet the love of your life time stops and that's true". We then are presented with three minutes of wonderful cinematography when Edward recalled it via a flashback at the circus and everything stands still. Everybody was frozen in time except young Edward as his eyes transfixed on this marvel of a woman across the room.

Edward moved toward her, pushing past the statue-like humans, walking through a hoola-hoop, brushing popcorn out of the air to get to this woman who later became his wife. It didn't last long until time sped up to return to its natural order and the woman disappeared but Edward's heart remained set on her.

The reason I came back to this movie was not because I met the love of my life at the dance. Although it was quite possible, the paper lanterns and fairy lights that hung above our heads illuminated the room a pale pink colour because they bounced off the balloons, which did set a romantic tone. As did the fruity punch that rested in a glass bowl placed on a frilly table cloth which held many other treats and beverages. Not to mention the way everybody looked so happy as they danced amongst eachother and chatted and laughed, dressed in their nicest most formal attire.

I could've laid eyes on someone and instantly had known. Considering there were people here I had never met before that Liam assured me were on our side, that they were members of One Direction from different bases, who knew we had more people or bases? So it was more than possible to fall for one. I could forget about Sparrow and Harry and let myself fall.

Yet I recalled Big Fish because when the dance was over and I was helping Fetch clean up I noticed somebody I had already met and time stood still. Fetch stayed hunched over picking up empty paper cups with a clump of used streamers in their spare hand, Liam stood still at the opening of the hallway and Harry... Harry posed on the porch, back to me with fingers tracing his lips and not a curl flickered.

I manoeuvred through frozen time to clamber out onto the porch  and stand behind him. I took deep breaths, tears lining my eyes. I knew it was his motorcycle, I knew he was back.

I stayed still as if the silence had taken me too, beside a wooden table with a boombox proudly sitting on it. I saw this as an opportunity and found a track I liked. When the music started to play so did everything else.

Time brought itself back up to speed and I found Harry turning around to see why 'Disarm' by The Smashing Pumpkins had began to sing its tune.

I can't claim that I was like Edward Bloom in Big Fish because when time stopped for me it wasn't the first time I had seen the love of my life. I guess why it stopped was because I was seeing the love of my life as the love of my life for the first time and that was close enough.

"You missed the dance so I thought I'd bring the dance to you" I lovingly said.

His face lightened as I walked over to him. When I was close enough he hungrily grabbed the flesh of hips and yanked me towards his body. We collided and I draped my arms around his neck as he squeezed my waist and licked his lips. He gazed over my features, double, triple, quadruple times, checking every inch of my face like he was scared he'd forget even just a pore if he looked away. My breaths were shaky as we started to sway to the rhythm. I was dancing with Harry Styles again.