“No prom, Mommy. No dancing,” Sam protested. “Come on,” I bartered. “They will have chocolate cake.” Sam dug his heels in, “No prom! NO PROM! Shirt is too tight. Take off bow tie. Is too tight. Take off belt.”
“Oh, Sammy,” I said. “You look so handsome.” With that, he flashed a small smile and withheld further protest. Within minutes, we were on our way to Sam's prom.
Sam entered the room of the Bedford function room anxiously. A quick glance counted three girls to the fifteen plus boys from Sam's school. Not good male to female odds. Then I heard the girl in the lovely red gown wouldn’t dance because her date had not come. That left two available girls. Looks like you’ll be dancing with me tonight, I thought.
I hadn’t counted on the magic of the night.
About halfway through the evening, the girl in the red gown rose and walked purposefully across the dance floor. Those on the floor seemed to part as she made her way to Sam and stopped. She was stunning. Sam’s red bow tie, cummerbund and boutonniere complimented her ensemble perfectly.
Silently she took Sam’s hand to dance. He instinctively stood as she placed her red-gloved hand on his shoulder. They danced. And danced again. His earlier anxiety melted away. Was it this girl? A sense of belonging? The chocolate cake?
Then came an unexpected moment: She stood on her toes and pulled Sam’s face down to hers and kissed him. Sam smiled sweetly as they continued to dance. And just for a moment, as everyone watched, they were just two teens at a prom.
There was one more kiss. And the night ended. Like many fairy tales, the magic was only destined to last that night. By Monday, the girl in the red gown confessed all to her boyfriend at school. Sam settled back into tee shirts and basketball and life went on as before. Still, there remains the beauty of a moment and memories of an enchanted night.
The other night I overheard Sam say, “Sam dance at the prom. He kiss-ted the girl. Red lips.” Yes, you did, I confirmed while acknowledging the sad truth the romance was over.
But as I said to Sam, you’ll always have Paris… um… Bedford. And that is more than we could have ever hoped for.
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Janet - someone gave me your name and I would love your input on this...would you be my guest blogger? Love your blog. Here is my idea...
ReplyDeleteI spend a lot of my time thinking about how the other person feels. I make mistakes daily and offend many - no doubt. I want to raise my children in a way that allows them to have access to different points-of-view so they can make their own decisions and form their own personas. So, I am attempting something controversial (totally not my style). I am announcing the launch of a series of posts called "Perspectives." These posts will address something we all have exposure to in some way or another, but may not know first hand - and are often controversial.
Obi Wan Kenobi once said "many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view." This is so incredibly true I wish to expand our point-of-view for a moment and examine our perspectives.
I will be asking guest authors to share their experiences and perspectives about things like: having Children with Special Needs, Having a Miscarriage, Breastfeeding, Bottle Feeding, C-sections, Epidurals, Step-Parenting, Natural Birth and so many more ideas. I have over 50 emails out right now and hope to expose people - if even just for a minute and even if they disagree. I hope this will give us the opportunity to understand others, expand our horizons and celebrate diversity. I intend for this to be a positive experience for all and hope if you have a difference of opinion you will discuss your thoughts and feelings in a positive and productive way. Also, please feel free to contact me if you have an issue you would like to write about but do not see addressed - and you would like to share your perspective.
Thank you for reading! Sure, I'd be happy to provide my take. If you have something specific in mind, let me know - and how to get it to you. Again, thanks.
DeletePS I hope to raise girls in red dresses. If more people know what to do then maybe people will do more...
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