Charleston

   It was a beautiful, warm sunny day when Samantha Carlisle stepped off the bus from Durham NC, to Charleston SC, ready to start her life anew. As a line dance instructor, Charleston seemed the perfect place to settle down. There were plenty of people who were interested in dancing to the "Watermelon Crawl" or "Boot Scootin Boogie." She would be working at "Miss Deb's Dance Studio. Debra "Deb” Brooks, owner of "Miss Deb's," smiled when Samantha walked into the studio. "You must be Samantha Carlisle," she said.

   "Yes," Samantha said, "It's good to be here."

   "Welcome to Charleston,” Deb said, “It's so good to meet you."

She greeted Samantha with a hug. Samantha looked up with a warm smile.

    "Thank you,” Samantha answered, “I'm looking forward to working with you."

    "Hey y'all, come meet Samantha Carlisle, our new line dance instructor," said Deb.

    All at once, there were three other women buzzing around her, and she couldn't help but smile at the warm reception they were giving her. She had come three hours south of her home in Durham, NC, which was the line dancing capital of the U.S.A. since the year 2014; and she wasn't sure if she would be accepted, or perhaps envied because of her experience. After all, she had worked with some of the top names in the country music industry. Later that afternoon, she decided to take a relaxing run on the beach. A three mile run was just what she needed right now to clear her head. She had left Durham so quickly, she had barely had time to think.

    The sun was setting as she neared the end of her run. The sky, with it's hues of pinks and blues, took her breath away for a moment. I could get used to this, she thought, as a seagull swooped overhead. She took a big gulp of water, relaxed her pace, and started thinking about dinner. She picked up a chef salad, then headed for her new home, a furnished studio apartment across from the boat marina. It was indeed small, with a living room, a pull out couch, and a small kitchenette with an 800 watt microwave, a mini fridge and a cooktop. Plus, an even smaller bathroom with a shower just big enough for the likes of her. It wasn't much, but it was hers, and she was determined to make it work. She went to work at "Miss Deb's Dance Studio" the following Monday morning. She was met with a smile. "Good morning Samantha," Deb said.

    "Good morning, Deb," she said. After Deb gave her a quick tour of the place, Samantha logged onto the computer to check her schedule for the day. Line dancing was a new offering at the studio, so she would have to build a clientele. She was familiar with the computer system, so she worked for the next few hours on advertising for her class through their website. Samantha also worked on getting to know her co-workers. After a few days, Samantha came up with kind descriptions for each of the four women. Besides debutante Deb, the owner and ballroom instructor, there was tall and elegant Emily, who taught ballet and contemporary; sassy but classy Meghan, who taught hip hop; and organization queen Caroline, who taught jazz and tap. I like it here, she thought. The next few weeks zipped by so fast, she hardly had time to blink. When she let her guard down, her thoughts were consumed with Brian. She missed him so much. He was her rock, her best friend, her twin brother. He had died six months ago in an horrific accident on the job, working for a North Carolina electric company as an apprentice. It was a fairly dry day...slow showers off and on. He was working downtown on a power pole when out of the blue, lightning struck the pole and he died instantly. If only she had been able to say goodbye. That's why she couldn't bear one more day in her hometown. Too many memories, too much sadness. In fact, up until now she wasn't sure if she'd ever feel happiness again. She remembered his laugh when they would play as children. Oh, how she longed for another day with him.

*************************

     Samantha jogged into work one morning, as the other women looked on. "Don't you have a driver's license?" asked Caroline.

    "I left my car at my parents house in Durham,"she explained. "It's an old, seafoam green 2001 Ford with over 200,000 miles on it, and it was becoming almost impossible to maintain. I figure my father will probably sell it for parts when he gets tired of it taking up space in his driveway, she laughed. As for now, my only transportation is my own two feet, and the city bus."

   " A bicycle", said Meghan, "⁷you definitely need a bike."

    "Great idea," said Samantha. A short time later she visited Mulligan's Bicycle Shop, where she found herself a shiny red bicycle, complete with both balloon tires and street tires; an upright seat, and racing stripes. The balloon tires would allow her to ride on the beach when desired. Now, she thought, she was ready to take Charleston by storm.

    It was Saturday, and Samantha took her new bike for a spin along the beach. The cool breeze coming off the water was refreshing. She had ridden about ten miles, when she decided to stop for a bite to eat. She found a small seafood joint called "The Shrimp Skewer." She was famished. Half way through her meal, the manager stopped at her table, inquiring about her satisfaction with the food. "It is delicious," she said.

    "Great to hear," he said. "Come see us again." She smiled up at him and rose to leave. 

    "You'll definitely see me again," Samantha said. 

    As she started off on her ten mile trip back home, she smiled to herself; yes, he will definitely see me again. Along the way, Samantha encountered some kids playing on the beach. All at once, a dead fish came whizzing past her nose, nearly smacking her in the face, not to mention gagging her. "You kids better watch it," she yelled. Unfazed, they continued to laugh and proceed with their misdeeds.

      Samantha lived right across from "Bob's Marina." She was glad it was so close to her home, as most nights she enjoyed watching the boats coming in and out of the water. One particularly busy night, she noted twenty five different boats moving in and out. Suddenly, she heard a man shouting. "Grab a rope, he's drowning!" After that, voices were muffled and she couldn't make out what was happening amongst all the scuffle. She prayed a silent prayer, believing for the best. Within five minutes, the paramedics arrived and whisked the drowning individual away to the hospital.  

    The next day, the town was abuzz with news of the near drowning at the marina. Apparently, the man slipped getting out of his boat, had already removed his life jacket, and being less than a skilled swimmer, had begun to panic...thus compounding the problem. No one seemed to know the man's name or where he had come from. Not unusual for a town the size of Charleston, thought Samantha. All at once, memories of Brian's accident filled her mind. Tears began to fill her eyes. Miss Deb took notice.

     "Honey, whatever is wrong?" Samantha blushed with embarrassment. 

    "I guess I just got choked up thinking about what that poor man went through," she lied. She couldn't bring herself to tell them about Brian yet.

*********************************************

    Four months into her job, Samantha was teaching three line dancing classes a day, averaging about thirty people per class. "Pretty impressive," said Deb. "I like you Samantha, you're an asset to this studio," she said.

    "I'm so glad," Samantha said. "I like Charleston a lot."

    It was nearing autumn and more people seemed interested in classes as summer wound down. Fall had historically been the busiest time of year for her, and this one was no exception. It was about 4:00 on a Friday afternoon when a tall, blonde man with a winning smile and piercing blue eyes came in to register for a class.

"Hi there, he said, I'm interested in ballroom and line dancing classes."

    "Great,” said Samantha, “I can fix you right up." The man extended his hand. "Jim Ballister," he said.

    " Samantha Carlisle," she answered.

    " I see you nearly every day, he said. I just started managing a new restaurant near the marina." He looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't place him.

    " Oh, I see," she said. “Welcome to "Miss Deb's Dance Studio." After he left, it dawned on her, he was the manager at "The Shrimp Skewer," that was him!

    Over the next several weeks, Jim would stop and talk to Samantha on a regular basis. He was kind, funny, and a good dancer. Finally, he asked Samantha out for dinner and a movie. "I'd love to,"she said.

    "Tomorrow at 7:00 then?" he asked.

    " Sure thing," she said.

 Over the next few months, Jim and Samantha spent time getting to know each other. One night, while having dinner at Samantha's apartment, Jim casually mentioned that he was taking swim lessons as well as dance classes. "What prompted that at our age?" she asked.

   " I nearly drowned this summer," he said.

   " That was you?” she asked. “At the marina?"

    "Yes," he answered. “Silly huh? I was taking my new boat for a spin with my family that day. The water near the dock was much deeper than I expected, and I slipped while trying to exit the boat. I sank like a rock."

     Tears filled Samantha's eyes once again. "I watched the whole thing, she said. “I prayed for you that night."

    "Wow, thank you," he said.

    He kissed her gently on the cheek. Samantha proceeded to tell him all about her brother Brian, culminating with his accident. She explained how Jim's incident had brought all those horrible memories back to her mind.

    "I'm so sorry,” said Jim, “I had no idea."

    "No worries," Samantha said, managing half of a smile. Sensing her sadness, Jim changed the subject. "Would you like to take a ride in the boat sometime?" he asked.

     "Drama free this time?" she asked, thinking back on Jim's near drowning experience.

    "I would certainly hope so, '' he laughed. On second thought, maybe we ought to stick to dry ground. I do know one thing though," he said.

    "What's that?" she asked.

     "I'm definitely sticking with you," he said. With that, she put her head on his shoulder and sighed.

    "I could get used to this," she said.

    "Me too,” Jim said. “Me too.

Was Jim the answer to her prayers? Only time would tell.

It was time to let her co-workers in on her secret loss of Brian. Time to let healing begin.