JABBALOVE

Yes, We Know How to Dance

Joe's eyebrows knotted as six pairs of questioning eyes looked his way. "What?"

"A girl, you mean, like a little bitty person who wears scrunches and reads romance novels, gave you this?" Rynan, the manly man that he was, asked, studying the white bandages on Joe's arm.

"Well, technically, in my defense, she wasn't wearing a scrunchy that day, and I have no idea if she reads romance novels." Joe shrugged, feeling like a human specimen as six adult people crowded aroung him. "Look, guys, this is nothing, all right? You guys remind me of my mom. Phi, seriously stop it."

Phi, almost startled, took his hands off Joe's arm. "Can we see?"

"No." Joe seized his own arm protectively. The rehearsal hadn't even started yet and Joe had had enough of his friends' fussiness.

"It looks serious, man." Kevin, the only chocolate-skinned man in the room, said. "Did you see a doctor?"

Joe scoffed. "I didn't have to. All I had to do, wash the blood away and wrap these white things around it. And of course, maintain Betadyne application."

"I can't believe it, dude. You got nailed by a woman, if only for the weirdest of reasons." Ben, who was already sneaking through Joe's bag, said.

"I know, right? Wonder what made her think you're a kidnapper?" Chris wondered loudly. "Is it the hair?"

"It's definitely the hair." Rynan agreed, fingering Joe's fuzz.

"Stop it. There's nothing wrong with my hair." Joe said defensively, pushing Rynan's hand away.

"So are you gonna be able to dance with it?"

"Of course. Do you see me strutting with my arm? No."

"Ooh cookies!!!" Ben said somewhere from behind them. "See, I knew Joe would bring us something."

All six people dashed around Ben and feasted on Joe's food. Great. This was the problem of having six full-grown men who ate like pigs as friends. "Hey, leave something for me!" Joe whined, left with an empty plastic container. "Thank you."

"You werr-um." Phi said with his mouth full, the shameless bastard.

"This is good stuff, dude." Phil was eating his share like there was no tomorrow, and the others were more than happy to agree with him.

"Well, I'll never know, will I?"

"What are you sulking about, Mr. Ratatouille?" Ben asked, stuffing his mouth with cookies, Joe's lemon grass. Argh. "You can bake these babies any time you want, and now, we, on the other hand, can't."

"Does Joe have magic cooking fingers or what?" Chris crooned.

"I didn't bake those."

"No?"

"The knife-attacker went by the house to apologize today, and brought those with her as peace-offering." Joe explained, "...and you ungrateful jerks finished all of them, I have been salivating for these, you know, and thanks to you, they're all gone."

Ben licked the last piece and handed it out to Joe. "You want this?"

Joe shook his head in disbelief and gave Ben the finger.

"Ooh, that's harsh, Larot."

"So, she came to see you today and brought these yummy cookies, huh?" What else did she bring with her, a chain saw?" Philasked, high-fiving with Rynan.

"HA-HA-HA. Funny but not. She didn't, although if she did, I'd gladly feed it to you."

Phil simply shrugged and left to set up the stereo.

"And just for the record," Joe began, "Just because she did this to me, it doesn't mean that she's a weirdo, or an evil person like most of you may think. I've gotten the chance to talk to her today, and I'm glad to say she's perfectly nice." And she really was, Joe thought.

"Aww.. That is nice to hear, Joe." Chris said overdramatically. "Maybe you can invite us to one of your knife-fights so we can clap and cheer when she takes you down."

"Why is everyone mean to me today?" Joe sulked.

"Oh, I'm not." Ben said, wrapping an arm around his shoulder and making smooching sounds. "You know, what happened to you is an experience you will never forget."

Being mistaken for a kidnapper of your own daughter and having a woman assault you with a knife? Hell yeah that's an experience to remember.

"Speaking of experience..." Rynan broke the ice, brushing the cookie crumbs off his sweat shirt.

"What?" They asked in unison.

"I think someone has something to tell us." Phil had that serious look on his face, seemingly informed of the news, too, whatever it was. "Kev, why don't you do the honor?"

All of them turned in Kevin's direction, who blushed at the sudden attention. He cleared his throat and said, "Cher and I are expecting."

Then like a time bomb, the ''wow's", "happy for you's", and "that's great's" exploded into the air. Each of them took turns in hugging Kevin, because wow, if this wasn't an emotional moment in their lives. In five years of marriage, Kevin and his wife Cher had tried doing all that they could to conceive a baby, but nothing worked... until now. Joe felt a pleasant flutter in his stomach as he wrapped his arms around Kevin.

"Couldn't be happier for you, man." Joe said, remembering the feeling when he found out he was gonna be a father for the first time. He was only twenty-one then, but the memory was still so fresh that it felt like it happened just a day ago.

"Well, that makes three of us!" Phil crowed celebratorily, who like Joe, was a father himself. Phil put one arm around Joe, and the other on Kevin. "Welcome to the club, Kev."

"Welcome to the club." Joe repeated. "But uh, please don't set Phil as an example of an ideal father."

"Shut up, Joe!" Phil slapped the back of Joe's head. "I have two babies, so that makes me twice of a father as you are. That being said, I think you're gonna be the coolest dad, Kev."

Everyone shared a hearty laugh at the sight of an almost teary Kevin.

"Well, enough about that, we can do our celebrating later." Kevin said. "Right now, I just wanna hustle."

The guys finally settled down and arranged themselves to their right positions. They had enough time to make the necessary adjustments before the music blasted through the gigantic sound boxes. Then seven men moved and danced to the music like cold water to a hot day.