Parallel Me

Parallel Me Part 20

The week went surprisingly quickly, and I soon found myself saying goodbye to the hospital staff, and was home with Alice before twelve noon. I didn't see Alice on Saturday morning, and as we were washing up the tea dishes on Sunday Roger looked up and asked.

"Did you find out about Saturday Alice," and a smiling Alice turned to me and asked.

"It's the annual city and guilds dinner and dance this Saturday, Roger's got access to a spare ticket. Would you like to come with us JJ, Sandra and Robin will be there, to give us their spear keys to the villa and car in the garage." Alice said holding my hand, and giving me that sweet sister looks, I hadn't the time to answer before Roger almost begged me to accept.

"Go on JJ it's normally a good night, and you can have my shear of the dancing." Good old Roger, the two-left-footed Fred Astaire of Wellington, when he and Alice danced, it was like a gazelle and an elephant dancing.

"I'll just look in my social diary to see if I'm free, o my, it appears I have nothing on at all, of course, I'll come," I said dodging Alice's attempt to punch me and watched Rogers apparent relief because he really didn't like dancing. Alice loved it and we danced, sometimes when I went around to see her and Josephine. She had a gramophone she liked to play her favourite dance records on.

It was an hour and a half drive to Bristol, and as the dinner dance didn't finish until midnight. We wouldn't be home until maybe two in the morning, so I was going to sleep in their spear bedroom. We arrived at the venue at seven-fifteen, where I was introduced to Robin and Sandra. A very nice looking woman, ten years older than Alice. Alice had told me about them in the car, on the way to Bristol. Robin had a daughter and son by a privies marriage, that was aged seventeen and sixteen, and was at college.

Why she had told me about them, in the car I didn't know, although when I met Sandra, I wouldn't have guessed she was thirty-five. If I was to guess her age I would have said twenty-five to thirty, but Robin did look the forty-five she told me he was. He did look distinguished, with his white tuxedo and grey streaks on the side s of his hair.

They were already seated at our table, two places off the dance floor. Sandra gave me a very sweet smile, as she looked me up and down, and commutating on how handsome I looked in my uniform, and insisting I sit beside her. The meal was good, and Alice had a large glass of wine with hers. The large dance band started playing at eight and played like Glenn Miller's band. Alice and I danced to tuxedo junction, then in the mood. Then we sat one out, so Alice could drink more wine. Then she dragged poor Roger up for a dance, and Sandra engaged me in conversation. I was sitting in my chair sideways, so I could look at the dancers behind me.

"You two dance very well together, you should do it professionally," she said leaning towards me, and giving me a good view of her cleavage.

"I don't think so Sandra, she is far too busy to do the rehearsing we would need, and I'm still in the Navy, so we wouldn't get together that often," I said smiling at her, as she also sat sideways looking at me.

"You're very close though aren't you, Alice's is always talking about you when we meet. I know all about you being a boxer, and a frogman as well is there anything you can't do." She said with a look that meant a lot more than what she actually said. I think the conversion would have continued, but the music had stopped, and Roger was leading Alice off the dance floor, she was a pace from the edge when the band started playing. She stopped dead in her tracks, and her right arm rose in the air, she leaned to the right, her left leg moved out, as her left hand pulled her dress up exposing her calf. With her head tilted slightly, she looked at me coming to her with a sultry look, and as Roger past me, he said,

"You will have to do this one JJ." The band had started playing, the unmistakable opening bars of one of Alice's favourites, we had danced to it many times in her bedroom, and as I took her in my arms, I sang. ("When the marimba rhythms start to play. Dance with me, make me sway. Like a lazy ocean hug, the shore holds me close, sway me more. Like a flower bending in the breeze. Bend with me, sway with ease. When we dance you have a way with me. Stay with me, sway with me.")