Dancing with a Stranger

1103 words

   Was He a Ghost?

“Hurry, Andorra we’re going to be late.”

“I’m going as fast as I can. Could you zip me up, please?”

“If we don’t hurry, we will miss the opening. I liked that part when everyone was playing and singing for the bells to break into the New Year.  They throw up the lights that are so pretty when they sparkle against the dark sky and it looks so beautiful. Then music plays for everyone to dance.”

“I know Amber. Please, you are making me nervous. I just need to fix my hair.”

“You look pretty enough. You’ve been frigging with your hair for the past hour.”

“How do you like it?” Andorra asked as she turned around.

“It’s lovely and I love your beautiful dress and how it laps over your legs to the floor. I always loved velvet blue with that bright white trim to the bottom it makes it so pretty. Mom ordered one for me but it never came in time.”

“Yours is beautiful too. Your green eyes match it well. I like your dark brown hair and how you curled and combed it. You should go in for a hairdressing job.”

“I know my dress is pretty, but I wanted one like yours so we could be dressed alike.”

“You look just fine. Mom ordered mine a month ago,” Andorra patted her dress as she looked down at herself.

“You look so active with your long black wavy hair and your blue eyes stand out from the colour of your dress. You will sure find a man tonight.”

“What? That’s just wishful thinking and I’m not going there looking for one. It never happens.”

“Andorra, don’t sound so hopeless. You have as good of a chance as anyone else there. You would have been lucky last year but you were too fussy.” 

“I just can’t take any guy that comes along, Amber.”

“You will when the right one comes.”

“Yeah, if that ever happens.”

“Are you ready? Finally.” 

Andorra rolled her eyes as she followed her out the door.

“It’s a nice evening. Not too cold,” Andorra commented as they were driving in the driveway of the Houston Sunset Hall. 

“Look at the cars. It’s a good thing it’s a large building or it wouldn’t hold them all. It’s not even midnight yet and already there is a crowd.”

“Then you were worried we’d be late.”

“Andorra you are so slow and I was afraid we wouldn’t make it.”

“You’re funny,” She giggled. “I’m always waiting for you.”

“No way,” Amber disagreed.

“Oh yes,” Andorra argued while getting out of the car.

When they got inside there were so many people, they could barely hear each other speak. 

“Wow! What a crowd,” Amber stressed.

“You can say that again.”

As they worked their way through the crowd to go to the bar for a drink Andorra tapped Amber on the shoulder and whispered.

“Did you see what just walked in?”

“No.”

“Over there. You can’t miss him.”

“You mean that handsome guy in a uniform?”

“Yes, Him!”

“You always liked soldiers and now there’s your chance,” Amber smiled.

“Amber, I’m not going over there to talk to him if you think I should.”

“Why not?”

“He’ll think I’m crazy.”

“I think he just spotted you,” Amber laughed because Andorra’s face turned bright pink. “See, I knew you would find someone you like.”

“I don’t even know him. I never saw him before.”

“Give it time. He’s staring again.”

“Okay let’s leave,” Andorra said nervously.  “It must be time for the fireworks. Let’s follow the crowd.” as Andorra motioned. Amber followed her as she followed behind everyone. 

For an hour fireworks blasted the sky. Andorra kept looking around not paying any attention to the fireworks.

“Look how beautiful they are. I love them,” Amber was so excited she could barely content herself. “I know you haven’t noticed you’re too taken up over that soldier. He’ll be inside when we go back in.”

Amber was taken up with the fireworks but Andorra had her mind on the soldier.

When they got inside, sure enough, the soldier was still there and when he spotted them, he worked his way through the dancing crowd toward their table. When he got to their table he nodded at Amber, as he put out his hand to Andorra, and without stating his name he asked, “Would you care to dance?”

Andorra looked at Amber. 

“That’s what you’ve been waiting for,” she said lowly with a grin. 

Andorra rose from where she sat, not believing what was happening. Her heart was pounding out of an erratic rhythm because of the joy she felt, and as he drew her close to him, she was sure he could hear her heart going out of control. If it wasn’t for the music and the noise of the people, she knew he would have heard it. 

Who is this man? she thought. He never introduced himself and he hadn’t even dressed for the New Year’s Ball. He smelled of a dry dusty odor and as though he had just come from work in a distant field. Now and then she could smell shell powder. She didn’t care. She understood a soldier’s life. Maybe he just got off work and had no time to clean up. His body was so muscled, feeling large, strong, and protective. Andorra felt like she was in Heaven and she never wanted it to end. They danced to several tunes, some slow and some fast. She wanted him to kiss her when he smiled at her with his beautiful smile and full set of lips. As the music slowed to a stop when the band thanked everyone for coming, the soldier reached down, raising her face to his he slowly kissed her. What a feeling, she thought and he smiled and told her he’d be back for another dance later. She tried to see where he went, but the crowd was too thick.. She waited until they played a couple of last songs but he never returned. She decided to go look out the door where he had come in at the first of the night and when she had, all she could see was a steep hill with crosses all inline. It was a graveyard, a soldier’s grave.

“Oh no,’” she said to herself, placing her hand to her lips.

“Anything wrong?” an old lady asked, noticing her tears.

“I’m not sure,” she told her. Then turning to look outside again she thought, Did I dance with a ghost?