Chapter 13

Sarah went to her daughter and hugged her, tightly. “Yes, I do,” she said just loud enough for us all to hear.

My mother started back up, “Claire, calm down. I believe you, but I need you both to be thinking clearly these next few days ... about only dancing! You may become stars whether you win this competition or not, if David Letterman has his way. He may even ask you to go on his show. I believe it broadcasts from Manhattan. I had better go and talk to Jimmy about this.”

“Go ahead and go out, STAY TOGETHER. Don’t give any interviews, sign all the programs you want. You have one hour, make good use of it. Charles, change into some sweats or something, quickly. I will wait out here with Claire. Here’s your key to your room — hurry up ... Loverboy.”

When I showed up, Mom said looking at her watch, “Fifty-eight minutes left — don’t waste it!”

Claire and I ran hand in hand to the elevator. Once inside, the people who held it open for us, looked at us a few times and then finally asked, “Aren’t you Charles & Claire? We heard about you on Letterman. Good luck to you.”

We replied together, “Thank you.”

As soon as we got out of the elevator some teenagers who all wanted our autographs at once, mobbed us. We agreed and signed them all ... my hand was hurting already. How do really popular people do this?

Everywhere we walked somebody came up to us and asked us for our autograph or what we were going to dance next. It was amazing and crazy ... All at the same time. My phone buzzed, I answered it saying, “Hello, who is it?”

The voice on the other side said, “You have forty-five minutes left, don’t waste it.”

We never get to the actual dance floor, but we did come across most of the other Rising Star competitors. They asked us to join them and just hang out. One girl said, “We all watched Letterman ... Boy. I am glad I am not you right now, you probably feel like you have a target on your back now, don’t you?”

“Yeah,” I said. “My hand hurts from signing autographs and my head hurts from all the people, nice as they are, coming up to us and saying, ‘I hope you win, kids.’”

“So, are you going on Letterman if you win?”

“I have no idea ... I wanted to be famous as a dancer, someday. Just wasn’t expecting it at only 13.”

“You are only thirteen?” A boy from the group of kids groaned.

“Yeah, our birthdays are in late July six days apart,” I said.

“Damn, to get beat by thirteen-year-olds. I was just coming to grips with you being fourteen ... Who’s your dance teacher, anybody famous?”

“Oh, we don’t have a professional dance teacher. I have taught us most all the steps we have learned so far.”

“So, you are prodigies?” One of the older boys asked.

“No, as soon as I see a step, I instinctively know how to break it down into its elements and then Claire and I practice it until we think we have got it right. I don’t begin to understand how it all works, but it does.”

“So, you are a natural!”

“Huh?” I said.

“It means you are what is called an ‘instinctive’ dancer or a ‘natural born dancer.’ Gosh, at thirteen, to be a natural ... We might as well give up dancing. These two are going to win everything they enter.”

“No, somebody has to come in second!” said another guy.

“Or third,” said a girl. They all giggled.

“You two are really good. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise. Your musical instincts are fantastic,” a pretty brunette girl remarked.

I looked at my phone and saw we had barely enough time to get back to our rooms. We said good-bye and ran the whole way connected by our hands.

Mom was standing outside Claire’s door with her watch in her hand and said, “Made it with only three minutes to spare, Loverboy. Go to bed and get a good sleep. You have some business to take care of tomorrow, don’t you?”

We all met up and had a late breakfast. Afterward, Claire and I plus Annie and Jimmy went over our routine step by step improving a hold here and putting my hand in a different place there. Jimmy explained how our feet should be pointed when not on the ground.

The Ballroom Dancing website didn’t cover minutia like that. Thank you, Jimmy! Mom and Jimmy left us to practice. While we were alone, I talked to Claire.

“Claire, remember when we first met. I said, ‘My name is Charles Newman, but you can call me X?’”

“Yeah, Charles ... What about it?”

“Nobody had ever called me ‘X’ before you did, and nobody ever smiled at me the way that you did, and nobody has ever told me that they loved me ... until you did. This whole ride we have been on together has been fantastic starting back at that first cotillion and I just want to say to you...”

“What is it ... what is it you want to say to me? Say it now; we won’t have time until later. Come on Charles, you can say it, whatever it is, just say it.” Her eyes were brimming with anticipation.

“I want to say to you that I will never love anyone, even Kalista when that time comes, as much as I love you right now.”

“If we want to look back at this competition and remember it as our First National Competitive First Place, we must be perfect today do you understand, Claire — Perfect, today!”

“Today is already perfect, Charles because I get to dance with you,” she said rubbing at my eyes for me.

I took a massively big breath and blew it out saying, “Claire, let’s go make it to the Final Four today, all right?”

“Absotively Posilutely, X-man.”

We went downstairs to catch up with Annie, Sarah, and K. When we passed anybody else, who wanted us to say anything I put my hand up and said, “We dance — Come and watch us dance today. You will see something that has never been done before!”

I know that sounds both cocky and arrogant, but I was that sure that we would make it through.

K, Sarah, and Annie must have seen it in my eyes because even they didn’t talk to us. They walked in silence beside us trying to deflect the growing crowd barely keeping up with us. Claire touched up her little bit of makeup.

She and I each signed a couple of programs for little kids, but we were staying focused on the task at hand. We were at the spot where all the dancers accumulated before the competition. A couple of the kids tried to say, ‘Good luck,’ but Claire and I quietly ignored them.

The Announcer began:

“Ladies and Gentlemen boys and girls of all ages. Welcome to the Elite Eight of the Rising Star competition portion of the NDCA Nationals here in Salt Lake City, Utah. Give a big hand to each of our remaining dancers.”

The crowd went from a mild roar to a more visceral-sounding noise. Each of us went out and waved to the masses of people that were occupying the stands today. When we got to the middle of the floor the crowd began chanting ‘Charles & Claire’ and it seemed to be coming from all around us, not just the section our group was sitting in.

The Announcer released everyone, except the first dancing couple of the afternoon. They were eighteen years old. They performed their Waltz to “Could I Have this Dance” a very pretty song. And when they were done, there was a nice amount of applause.

The Announcer:

“Lastly, this afternoon we have a most exciting new couple although they are only thirteen years old. They are taking off from Junior High School to be here this week.”

That got some applause and a little bit of laughter. I looked over at Claire and she was laughing with them but looking straight at me.

“Last year they broke a twenty-two-year-old record, previously held by three different eighteen-year-old pairs of dancers and won ten -- count them, ten consecutive First Place Awards in NDCA Sanctioned competitions. These two are the real deal, folks. We should be seeing them at Nationals for many years to come.”

“Performing the Rhumba to the Nat King Cole rendition of ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance,’ are Charles Newman and Claire McArthur.”

My pretty redhead gave me our pre-dance kiss and the music started, we were dancing, and we were rocking it. Claire and I were in total sync with each other.

When we did a spin, the crowd roared its approval, when we did the hip swivels, there were audible gasps from the crowd. They loved us, the leg whisks even had people both watching and applauding.

These were people that had been waiting for us to dance so they could shower us with cheers, applause, and love. We had hit the halfway point and I added a raised hand that Claire must have expected, and she hit four consecutive, unrehearsed Rhumba spins, her red ponytail flailing behind her. The final moments were coming up and we spun together to the sounds of the song ending.

The song was over, but I was feeling so incredible I had Claire up against me and I kissed her with every bit of love I could muster. The crowd sounded like a monster truck rally, it was so loud.

I’d been to one with my Scout Troop a few years back. At least they gave you earplugs!

Our group was having the time of their life. The eliminated dancers were all together and applauding and hooting at us giving us the thumbs up. I started to realize Claire and I must have been out there too long, so we quickly ran off the floor to Kalista and our moms who were sobbing their eyes out.

We hugged and kissed each other. The crowd was quieting down, and the Announcer came back on:

“That was something ... wasn’t it everybody. Let’s make them take a curtain call, why don’t we?”

We went back out and waved until our arms hurt, then left again.

“Will all the dancers come to the middle of the dance floor, please? The dancers that were remaining in the competition are; In First Place again, Charles & Claire. Let’s hear it for them, people. These are thirteen-year-olds giving dance lessons to dancers four and five years older than them.”

The crowd got louder than before. I don’t know how, but they were bust-an-eardrum loud. We waved again. There was a girl who yelled, “I love you, Charles,” which made everyone chuckle except Claire who gave me a look.

“The other dancers that will be returning are...”

Again, I didn’t care, but I did the smile and clap as each one was introduced as remaining. As the eliminated four left the floor each of them gave Claire and me a high-five showing how classy they were.

I was thinking ‘Holy spit, how do we top this?’ I hope either our Samba or Jive was good enough or will I have to throw one of them out and start all over?

One dance away from Third Place, two dances from First.

How cool is that?

We were all excused to leave the floor and our group came up to us, I never saw my best friend Brian, cry in my life, but he was and so was Susan and Shirley, even Jimmy. The whole bunch of them.

After they all had enough, I saw a little redhead running towards me. I was ready to catch her, and she jumped from probably four feet away and I caught her, and she did her ‘kisses all over my face thing’ she had been doing lately.

Everyone got a kick out of it. Special K didn’t say anything, she was just crying and kissing me. I finally had to put her down because Dimples was walking towards me sobbing her eyes out. When I saw her ... I started crying as well. We wrapped our arms around each other in a perfect boyfriend/girlfriend hug.

Mom leaned into my ear and said, “I wish that your father was here. He would be so proud of you.”

“I am glad he’s not, Mom because in front of him I couldn’t do this.”

I broke away from Claire and gave my mom a kiss; a real ‘love you’ kiss. I had never done that before which surprised her.

She gave me a look like never before and then smiled that wonderful smile that I know only as my mom’s.

“They are waiting for you to tell them what you are dancing tomorrow, Charles,” she said, shaking me out of my reverie.

I pulled Claire away and asked her, “Tomorrow — Samba or Jive, Claire?”

“Don’t make me pick, Charles — you pick, I don’t want to jinx anything.”

I turned to the registrar and asked what the other dancers have selected. She said there were a Tango, Cha-Cha, and a Foxtrot. I thought for a minute then I turned back to the registrar and I said, “Jive,” which caught my group’s collective ear causing applause and gasps. They had all seen our Jive routine before.

They knew ... it rocked.

Mom fished “Footloose” out of her purse and handed it to the lady who smiled sweetly and asked, “Last again, Mr. Newman?”

“Yes, please ma’am you can call me Charles, Mr. Newman ... is my father.” I looked over to Annie who smiled at me for saying that.

“Claire,” I said as we were walking through the place arm in arm. “I would like to do ‘Sunrise, Sunset’ for our Championship Curtain Call. If that’s all right with you?”

“Don’t you think that’s getting ahead of things, Charles?” Claire responded.

“I am sure all four of the remaining pairs are thinking about it. I just wanted to run it by you to see if it’s OK with you. If you want to do something else, or something brand new I just want you to be OK with whatever it is. I love you, you know.”

“And I love you too, Charles.”

“Charles?” A voice from behind us asked.

“Yes, Sir. What can I do for you, Jimmy?” I replied turning around to talk to him.

“My, you are starting to sound like you know what you are doing, which is great! I just wondered if you want to flash up your Jive routine before going to bed tonight?” he asked.

“Jimmy, thanks — but Claire and I are so tired from all this dancing I think we should just get to bed.”

Before I realized the unintentional ramifications of what I had just said, Claire hit me in the chest and said, “‘Charles,’ I am not that kind of girl. Until I turn eighteen, at least.”

That made us both blush as Jimmy left shaking his head saying, ‘Goodnight’ to both of us.

“Claire, I meant that we each needed to get to sleep tonight. I meant nothing disrespectful to you at all. Can you forgive me?”

“Forgive you for what, Charles?” a voice behind us said.

“I said something that was misconstrued, but it’s all good now, Sarah.”

“The two of you are heading towards a moment in your lives that may or may not live up to your own expectations. You are still only thirteen so act like it kids — enjoy yourselves.”

“Annie, remember my brain fart?”

That made both of them chuckle, Annie actually snorted a little which made me laugh.

“Yes, honey, I do. What about it?”

“I am ready now,” I said standing up straight and looking over at my girl.

“Ready for what, Charles?” mom said with a terrified look on her face.

“Ready to be accountable for my actions and to be reliable as a boyfriend and for the responsibility of becoming a National Dance Champion.”

“Claire, first thing in the morning, let’s practice the Jive?”

“Sure Charles, what time?”

“9am, OK?”

“Yup! Oh Charles?”

“Yes, Claire.”

“I am ready, too.”

We kissed each other goodnight and we went into our respective bedrooms.

Bright and early the next morning, Claire and I met up. We found a room and using my iPod played and danced to “Footloose” adding a few subtle moves like the Half Windmill. I saw a couple do one in the competition.

We added a couple of them into the routine. We did the routine to music a few more times than thought we should stop and relax until ‘Showtime!’

I went to see Annie and she was alone in the girl’s bedroom crying very quietly. I excused myself from Claire and then went in to talk to my mom. I put my arms around her and quietly asked, “What’s wrong, Baby?”

“Your father, Charles! Your father just called and he’s, he’s leaving me — leaving us.” Her crying intensified.

“Mom, what are you talking about? Leaving us for where?”

“It’s not a where, honey — it’s a who. After twenty-two years of marriage, your father has left me for another woman -- his executive assistant, no less. She’s thirty years old. How can I compete with a -- thirty-year-old?” Her sobbing had become un-relenting.

“Mom, do we need to leave here and go home for you two to try to work this out? I’ll do whatever you want. Leave, stay and just ... tell me what you want me to do? You know I love you. If you want to let him go just let the dirty shit ... Sorry Mom, this makes me so damn mad. You deserve so much better than he’s ever given you.”

“Thank you, honey. Let’s not tell anyone else about this yet, OK? I need to focus — just focus on you and Claire and help the team. I will be the only manager you will ever need, X.”

Her smile returned.

“We have had a handshake deal since our first competition. We will deal with this when we get home. I have a baseball bat with his name on it,” I said with a great big smile. “Just say the word and I will break both of his kneecaps.”

Laughing, no — snorting she said, “That won’t be necessary, Charles. He will need them to work and pay me child support as well as a monthly check, so we can live in the style to which we have become accustomed.”

“Yeah, Mom! Go for the bank account. Hit him where he hurts, just below his ... bottom line.”

She snorted some more, and she just grabbed me and said, “You always seem to know just the right thing to say, Charles. Thank you, honey. Your girl’s been waiting for you patiently outside. Go to her tell her what happened if you would like. Ask her to keep it to herself if you tell her anything, OK?”

“All right Annie.” I gave her a kiss on the cheek and went to Claire.

After a moment Annie and Sarah came out and joined Claire, Kalista and me as we walked around, just looking at all the pretty clothes that all the dancers were wearing. There was music blasting from all over, with couples practicing and overall general bedlam.

A young couple came up to Claire and me saying, “We can’t wait for the next dance that Charles & Claire are dancing. You are so much better than the rest of those posers. I hope you win the Rising Star Award. We will be there for you.”

“Thank you,” Claire and I said together.

“I can’t get over how much everyone is telling us that they want us to win. Is it just because we’re thirteen or is there something else going on I don’t understand?” Claire remarked.

“Claire,” Annie interjected. “A lot of it is cathartic, everybody wishes they could dance. These fans of yours think you are dancing for them and they’re purging their feelings out to you with each dance you perform.”