FIND YOURSELF DANCING
Chapter 1: Last Night
The meeting room was massive, rectangular, and almost completely dark. The shapes of fifty round dining tables could be seen arranged in a U shape around the edge of the room. The flickering of little tea lights lit floral centerpieces at every table. One short wall was completely black, with a raised dais and massive curtain creating a void in the already dark space.
Idle chitchat of hundreds of voices filled the meeting room. Silhouettes of people were sitting in chairs in a second, inner U shape. The silhouettes are talking about the events of the week, the highlights and lowlights, and what they plan to do after they leave tonight.
As if walking through the void on the wall, the shape of a man with impeccable posture appeared from behind the curtain on the dais. He walked across to a podium placed on one corner of the platform. After he arrived at his destination, the man adjusted a small microphone that rested atop the podium. He begins to speak, startling the audience with his voice booming from the speakers placed all over the room.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we have the results for the Galaxy Star Ball Open Professional American Style Ballroom Championships!”
As he finishes the statement, a thousand stage lights attached to the ceiling ignite, bathing the room. A rectangular dance floor is revealed in the center of the room, surrounded by the chairs and tables. Behind the podium and dais hangs a poster on the curtain that reads GALAXY STAR BALL 1990.
The lights turn the silhouettes into people. The crowd appears to be mostly middle-aged men and women, all clapping at the announcement from the emcee. Everyone wore fancy suits and dresses, with hair expertly coiffed and makeup heavily applied. The emcee behind the podium waits for the applause to die down, then continues his enthusiastic final performance.
“Let’s bring our finalists back onto the dance floor one last time!”
Seven couples make their way through the tables and chairs onto the ballroom. As they walk to the center, the audience gets one last look at the competitors. The fourteen dancers all look to be in their twenties and thirties, a generation younger than their audience. The ladies are draped in intricately designed, handcrafted gowns in every color of the rainbow. The ceiling lights shimmered off their rhinestones, sequins, and sweat from the stress of a day-long competition. The gentlemen have attire nearly identical to each other: tightly fitted long black coats with matching tuxedo pants over white button-down shirts made to hug their bodies. The only things matching the gentlemen to their partners are a splash of accessories: neckties and cuff links providing just enough color to know who was dancing with whom.
The audience applause only dies down as the emcee continues. “These couples are the best of the best from our American Smooth Competition. To us, they are all winners. Let’s give them all one last round of applause.”
On the dance floor, the seven couples wait for the results. Some couples are visibly shaking with nerves, others stand still and stoic. Two of the gentlemen share inside jokes with each other as their partners roll their eyes at the immaturity. One young lady makes the smallest of hops from foot to foot with excitement: eighteen-year-old Lily Darling. Dressed in a long, sky blue gown with her black hair pulled back, she is the youngest competitor to make it to the final round. The teenager has just finished dancing in her first Open Professional competition, and out of the fifty couples who took part, she and her partner Warren have somehow made it into the final seven.
One section of the audience is cheering Lily’s name through the applause. Her home studio — the Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Redlands — has brought a team of over a dozen competitors, and they are all excited for their champion.
The most excited people in the group are the studio owners: Kitty and Leon Darling. Lily’s parents have supported her dancing career since she was five years old, and before they have even heard the results, smiles beam across her parents’ faces.
“In seventh place, from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, is Ian and Carol Thomas!”
One couple peels away from the other six. As they walk towards the podium to receive their award, Ian spins Carol into a turn to the audience and bows for one final round of applause. The sequins on her scarlet-red dress dazzle in the light as she turns. A group of Canadian audience members wave tiny maple leaf flags and holler like crazy.
“In sixth place, from New York City, is Richard and Margaret Clark!”
As the next couple walked forward from the group, the cheers from the Darlings and their team grow more intense. Next to Mr. And Mrs. Darling are two of their top students, Grace and John Wright. Grace turns to her husband through the applause. “Lily has made the top five!”
“Can you believe it?”
“No! I mean, yes! I don’t know! Go, Lily!”
The Wrights have danced with the Darlings for the last three years, and in that time the four have also become close friends. Grace Wright has quickly grown into a competitive professional-amateur dancer on her own, while her husband John has focused more on becoming a solid social dancer. Grace competed earlier in the week in the Professional/Amateur division with Leon, while John provided moral support.
“In fifth place, from San Francisco, California, is Michael and Katarina Nabokov!”
The entire audience continues to explode with applause. The final four couples nervously await the results as they inch closer to each other to fill in the gaps the others left behind. Past the cheering audience and behind the round tables circling the dance floor, there is one young man who is sitting by himself. He isn’t looking at the couples on the dance floor. Instead, he is sat on his back, twisting around in his chair trying to find an angle where he can get a better look at his Nintendo Game Boy.
“In fourth place, from Redlands, California, is Warren Cross and Lily Darling!”
The ten-year-old continues to push buttons and rotate in his seat, oblivious to the emcee’s call and the surrounding increase in noise from the Redlands. His dirty blond hair gets in his eyes as he adjusts, and his light blue jacket gains more wrinkles with every adjustment. Despite John and Grace’s best efforts, Danny has no interest in ballroom dancing. As soon as he finds a comfortable spot to sit with good lighting, a parental shadow creeps over the young man.
“Hey,” John says, “You’re missing it.”
“Missing what? Nobody is dancing.” Danny continues adjusting Tetris blocks into their appropriate spaces.
John stood over his son. Even with the stage lights shining from every angle, his imposing six foot two frame cast a shadow on the younger Wright. Four years of military service and twenty years of warehouse work gave the older Wright a broader frame and strong, weathered features. John's jet black hair was parted on the side and pulled back to look as formal as possible. He wore a salmon suit jacket over a white button down shirt and black pants, with a deep crimson tie tied in a loose knot.
“Daniel.” John said the young man’s name with enough authority to get his attention.
Danny sits up and turns around to see the finalists all lined up by the podium. The competitors are receiving their awards: flowers, cash prizes, trophies, and cheek kisses from the judges. He stands on his tiptoes and walks forward to get a better view. “Oh. How did Lily do?”
“She got fourth.” Danny recognized his mom’s voice beside him. A long blue dress draped over the shoulders of Grace Wright. The color was vibrant and complemented her pale skin. Her curly red hair was kept just to her shoulders, to make preparing for competitions easier. Grace's slim frame and tailored outfit set her apart from her husband and son. “You know, if you were paying attention, you would have noticed that.”
“It’s just fourth.” Danny felt a quick swat on the back of his head from his father. “What? Well, It is!”
“It’s fourth out of fifty.” John looked at his son. “Fifty of the best dancers in the country. Show some respect.”
“Okay, but tonight’s my last night with the Game Boy! I don’t have much time left to beat Jack’s high score!”
“You know what? You don’t have any time left at all. Give it up.” Grace pointed at the Game Boy. Danny sighed and handed the handheld over to his mom, who put it in her purse. “You can have it back later. Lily’s coming back to the table. Let’s show her some support.”
“Ugh.” Danny rolled his eyes and walked with his parents to the Arthur Murray Redlands table. Lily was already there, getting hugs and praise from the other students and teachers.
“You looked amazing out there!” Said one of her fans.
“I knew you had it in you!” Said another.
“You and Warren worked beautiful together!” Said a third. Everyone’s adoration overlapped each other.
Danny got a closer look at Lily Darling as he approached the group. The sky blue dress draped to her feet, covering a matching pair of sky blue heels that worked their way up her ankles with thin leather straps. What looked like a million sequins adorned nearly every square inch of her dress. Her hair was pulled back into an impossibly tight bun, causing her long hair to disappear into a neat little knot in the back of her head. The bun allowed everyone to see her beaming smile and sharp features embellished by layers of stage makeup.
“Thank you, everyone.” Lily said, “It was a lot of work, and I can’t believe we did it! Fourth place!”
Leon gave her daughter a hug. “You did great out there. That final was one of your best rounds.”
Kitty was next in line. “Good job, sweetheart. You were amazing. How do you feel?”
“Tired. I didn’t think it would be so exhausting!”
Kitty was dressed in a heavily sequined blouse over a pair of flared trousers. Her black hair was in a short pixie cut, where her every facial expression was visible for the world. Leon was right by her side, his light gray suit cut almost as tightly to him as the competitors on the dance floor.
Lily moved towards the Wright family for their turn at congratulating their top competitor.
“You were wonderful!” John started.
“I didn’t know you and Warren had so much chemistry on the dance floor.” Grace continued, “you worked so well together.”
“Thanks.” Lily turned to the youngest Wright, who froze.
“Uh … … good … good dance. Good dancing.” The youngest Wright looked at Lily, then nervously turned his eyes down to his shoes.
Lily smiled at Danny. “Thanks, kid.” She moved to the next group of people to receive more praise.
“Good … dance?” John looked at his youngest son, trying to figure out why he said what he said.
“It’s the best I could think of!”
“You know, you might have come up with something better if you paid more attention to Lily’s dancing.” Grace gave Danny a smile and a hug from the side.
“But that means I would have had to pay attention.” Danny’s mom shoved him away. She chuckled out a single laugh.
“I can’t believe you. Go help your father with Lily’s things.”
“Come on, kid.” John started walking out of the ballroom, “If we’re quick enough, we may beat everyone else out of here.”
Ever since she could walk, Grace Palermo loved to dance. At six years old, she began taking ballet classes. She pointed and pirouette-d all the way into college, where she dropped her hobby to focus on becoming a nurse. College was also where she found her husband, but differences of opinion led to a couple of hospital visits and their eventual separation.
John Wright loved to work with electronics. When he was drafted in the Army, he served as an electrical engineer, and after his tour he embraced his two loves: consumer electronics and his childhood sweetheart. Two kids and five years later his wife disappeared to find herself, leaving John to raise a young Maryann and Jack by himself.
utual friends gave John and Grace each other’s phone numbers, and the two of them talked on the phone every day. They fell for each other quickly, and after a few months, John, Grace, Maryann and Jack were living together.
Almost a decade into their marriage, John and Grace had a child of their own: Daniel Louis Wright. Despite the age difference, the newborn Danny was welcomed by the thirteen-year-old Jack and fifteen-year-old Maryann.
Maryann graduated high school, began taking college classes, and found work at a clothing store to help cover her monthly expenses. Jack struggled with high school, dropped out in tenth grade, ran away from home, and bounced from place to place in repeated attempts to get his life together. Most recently, Jack moved to Texas to follow in his biological mother’s footsteps.
It didn’t work.
Two months ago, the older Wright brother moved back in to the family house. Before leaving for the competition, Jack let Danny borrow his Game Boy so his little brother wouldn’t get bored. “We can’t have you paying attention out there, can we?” Jack said with a smile.
While walking to the dressing rooms, Danny struggled to keep up with his father’s long strides. John was a foot taller than his son, and he drove that point home with every step. “Dad, can I ask you something weird?”
“Sure,” John slowed down. “I’m sure I’ve heard weirder.”
“Why was everyone celebrating Lily like she won? She wasn’t even in the top three.”
John smiled. “That’s not weird. Think about it this way: there were over a hundred people out there on the dance floor at one point, right?”
“I … guess? There were?”
“And out of all those people dancing, each of those couples has spent years working on dancing together. They train, they take lessons, they all put a ton of effort into being the best.”
“Okay.”
Danny and John walked past a couple of immaculately dressed competitors that were on a bench in the main hallway. The gentleman was crying. The lady was bawling. Neither Wright recognized them as any of the finalists. Their coaches and other students surrounded the couple, all trying to console the bawling lady and her partner. After the father and son passed out of earshot, Danny turned to John. “Jeez. What place did they get?”
“They didn’t make the final. I’ve seen them before. They’re usually one of the top couples. There’s a chance Lily and Warren took their place from them.”
“Woah.” Danny looked back at the couple. The lady’s cries grew quieter as they continued walking.
“And that’s just it. Out of the hundred-plus people dancing out there, eighteen-year-old Lily and her partner took five, maybe six months of working together and turned in a performance that took them all the way up into fourth place.”
“Oh. So she’s going to do better?”
“We think so. If they stay together, there’s nowhere Alex and Lily won’t be able to go.”
Danny thought about it for a minute, then came to a conclusion.
“So you’re saying I was there ... when she was terrible?”
“Cut it out. We’re here.”
A room across from the ballrooms was marked CHANGING ROOMS: PRO FEMALE. Even though the event had been over for an hour, John still knocked before the father and son went in. In a corner, there sat a half dozen soft bags embroidered with ARTHUR MURRAY DANCE STUDIO and DARLING.
“Which one of these are we supposed to get?”
“All of them.”
“WHAT?”
“Yup. Get to stacking, sherpa.”
Danny began piling bags on top of whatever luggage had wheels. Eventually, the Wrights had everything merged into a single trip for two people. They started pulling their loads outside towards the Darling’s car.
“Why are ALL of these bags Lily’s?”
“It was a five day long competition, Danny. She had to wear multiple outfits for every day.”
“She couldn’t re-use them?”
“She’s not you: going to school in the same outfit three days is a row.”
Danny quietly pulled Lily’s bags. I’ve been caught, he thought to himself.
“Danny, can I ask you a weird question?”
“Weirder than mine?”
“Probably not. Maybe. Why don’t you give dancing a shot?”
“What?” Danny stopped pulling his share of the bags. Grace has asked her son a thousand times to start learning how to dance, but this was the first time he heard it from his dad. “Why?”
“Well, your mom and I take you to events to see what you like, and you spend your time doodling in the programs or playing on Jack’s Game Boy. We invite you to the social dances and you sit in the corner. People try to get you out on the dance floor and you straight out refuse. I think I saw Lily ask you to dance once, and you told her you had to go to the bathroom. It’s like you don’t even try. What’s up?”
“I don’t know. I just feel awkward around everyone who dances.”
“I hear you there.” John smiled. “I did, too. I never wanted to dance because I never felt like I was good at it.”
“What changed?”
“Your mom. After we were together for a while, I decided to try learning. Your mom helped me get to a place where I at least don’t feel nervous on the floor. I know I’m no competitor, but it's better than nothing.”
“Okay, once I find someone special, I’ll learn how to dance.”
“That’s not what I mean. What I mean is: I have fun with it, and you can, too.”
“Hmm … later.” Later was Danny’s secret code word for probably never.
“How about we start you up with lessons next week?” John knew about his son’s secret code word.
I’ve been caught again, Danny thought to himself. He let out a sigh that lasted a half a minute. “Fine.”
“I’ll talk to Kitty and Leon. They’ll get you set.”
“Fine,” Danny repeated, and immediately started working on a plan to weasel out of learning how to dance. Off in the distance, the crying lady blew loudly into a tissue.
Introduction
Chapter 1: Last Night
Chapter 2: Anywhere But Here
Chapter 3: Wet Paper Bag
Chapter 4: Harry, Cliff
Chapter 5: The Morning After
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