The Last Dance

The man stood alone on the balcony in the darkness and gazed broodingly at the moonlit ocean. Every year, on this day, he reflected on a specific event from his past.

He was a man who had lived most of his life outside the law. He had managed to succeed and thrive in his chosen line of work and he was a man well respected by his business associates and employees.

With his business, he had had to make difficult choices, many with unpleasant consequences. Those choices did not tend to bother him and he rarely gave them a thought.

There was, however, one choice in his life he deeply regretted and it was this his mind had turned to on this moonlit night.

He leaned on the railing and then raised the glass and took a deep drink of the whiskey inside. The ice clinked as he set the glass back down.

The man thought back to that night, seven years ago, when he first saw her. It had been at a small club at one of the many oceanside resorts in the area. It was that time of year when the city was devoid of the hectic crowds of tourists usually present in the winter months.

She had been with a group of girlfriends. With her tumble of red hair, she had stood out. Obviously a gringa. He had been instantly struck by her beauty and found himself watching her as she danced first with her friends and then with men bold enough to approach her.

Finally, he could contain himself no longer and he deliberately cut in while she was dancing with one of the locals. A man who knew him well and hastily surrendered her with no argument.

He recalled her looking briefly surprised but she had quickly recovered and proceeded to dance with him. She had gazed up at him challengingly with her gold-flecked green eyes and asked him if he was always so rude.

He had been amused.

And then they had danced together the rest of the night, one song after another, focused intently on each other.

He had never been so powerfully attracted to a woman. They had talked as they danced. About what, he could not recall precisely.

He remembered the sound of her voice more than any specific words. He remembered her laugh and the way she had felt in his arms as they danced.

He had sensed she was equally attracted to him and later in the evening, he had managed to maneuver her to a more private spot outside on the terrace. There, he had pulled her into his arms and kissed her demandingly and passionately.

She had responded to him so heatedly it had taken his breath away but then she had suddenly stopped and pushed him away.

She had gone on to explain that she was involved with someone else. She was in love with this other man. She apologized if he felt she had led him on and admitted she found him very attractive but did not want to betray this other man.

It had been a blow but he could see she was not a woman who would be won by forceful tactics. Hiding his disappointment, he had gone on to say lightly that if she changed her mind, he would be at the resort on the anniversary of their meeting.

She had appeared flattered and told him if things didn’t work out, she would be there. She had smiled wistfully and given him one last lingering kiss before walking away.

And that was the last time he saw her. 

In the days after, he had some of his guys ask around town to see if there was a trace of her, but there wasn’t. She was gone.

He had thought about trying to find her and with his resources, he probably could have. He didn’t have a lot to go on, just a first name and her appearance.

However, he felt trying to find her would be to disrespect her choice, so he did nothing, even though being passive was not in his nature.

The man had told himself it was one meeting and a few kisses, he would forget her eventually and move on.

But he was wrong. She rarely left his thoughts as the days passed.

He immersed himself in his business and that helped keep him occupied, but it did not stop the longing.

The days continued to pass and then finally it had been a full year since they first met.

Feeling like a fool, but hopeful, he had gone to the club on the anniversary of their meeting. He had stayed until closing, drinking and watching the crowd and smoking, but she had never appeared.

Oftentimes, he wondered if he was crazy, to be so affected by a chance encounter.

He had heard about those sick individuals who became obsessed with celebrities or perfect strangers and stalked them.

It embarrassed his proud nature to think he could be like one of those deranged people.

He was a ruthless and respected businessman and practical in every aspect of his life but this one thing.

He wished he could just forget her and move on. God knows, he’d tried with other women.

It didn’t help. He usually ended up treating the women cruelly as a result of his disappointment.

One night, while drinking with an associate, the man had been talking about a failed romance and had been surprisingly emotional.

He had been tempted to share his own story but realized he would probably just sound loco. It was something he had never shared with anyone.

The years continued to pass and each year he told himself he would not go to the resort.  Despite that, without fail, he would show up on the anniversary and watch and wait and end up drinking too much and smoking too many cigarettes.

Eventually, he met a lovely woman with a sweet nature and married her. But he never really loved her and perhaps that was the reason the marriage failed after a short time.

There were no children and after giving her a generous settlement, she moved on with her life.

He was always surprised at how clear his memories were of that night seven years ago. He would have expected them to fade by now. But they didn’t.

Memories of his childhood were hazy and people in his past and different events were difficult to recall. But the memory of her remained incredibly clear.

He remembered the way she had moved, her smile, her eyes, the way her hair had looked. The dress she had been wearing. He could remember the feel of her in his arms, the feel of her lips when he’d kissed her.

He still dreamed about her often.

Those were the mornings he hated to wake up.

The man pulled a cigarette from the pack and lit it, inhaling deeply on the first drag. He continued looking at the ocean and smoked and remembered.

Tonight’s the night, he thought. The anniversary of another year. He told himself he wouldn’t go. Why should he? She was never there. She never had been and most likely never would be.

It was probably time to give it up.

Even the year he was married, he had gone. He had never stopped to ask himself at the time what would happen if she had been there.

Seven years. Even if she was there, she probably wouldn’t live up to his memories of her.

Despite that, the man couldn’t stop the hope that came every year at this time.

He told himself that he would stop going after ten years had passed as he put out his cigarette and left the balcony.

A short time later, the man parked his car in the parking lot of the resort club. The parking lot was almost full. The night was warm and people lingered outside. He could hear upbeat music playing from within the club.

He leaned against his car and lit up a cigarette, watching as people entered the club. He took his time smoking and then slowly ground the butt out on the asphalt under his boot.

He climbed the steps deliberately and then opened the door. He paused in the doorway and then went to his usual spot at the far end of the U-shaped bar.

He ordered a whiskey and settled himself on a barstool. The dance floor was full of couples dancing to a lively tune. People were gathered around the bar, talking and laughing, and drinking.

The man looked around and then stopped. Sitting directly across the bar from him, there she was.

Sitting alone, with a tall drink in front of her, she looked as beautiful as the last time he’d seen her.

She’d seen him. She looked at him boldly and raised her glass with a small smile.

The man stood up, stunned, in disbelief, that the moment he’d been hoping for had finally arrived.

His heart racing with excitement and joy he hadn’t felt in years, he made his way through the crowd over to her.

“Would you like to dance?” he asked.