Chapter 2

I finally got my voice back after all that had been said. I took a step towards her brother Josiah, put out my hand to shake his and said, “Really nice to meet you, Mr. McArthur. I promise that I will never let anything happen to your ‘Lil C’ when I am around her. It’s a pleasure to meet you. Now I need to speak to Claire in private — if that’s all right with you?”

He paused a minute and looked at me with possibly a little appreciation in his eyes.

“It is,” he chuckled. A pretty brunette came up to him and took his arm tightly and we were alone again.

I turned towards Claire and said very quietly, “Is he for real? Or was that all just bluster? I am scared to death to get even near you, much less take you by the hand.”

Taking me by her hand, she said, “He’s all talk, really. I have five older brothers plus an older sister, who is the second oldest of the seven of us. I am the baby of the family, so they all look after me. Josiah is fifteen, but he met Cassandra, the brunette, who is only six months older than I am. He goes to her Cotillion class. He doesn’t want anyone else dancing with her.”

I understood that completely!

“Let’s take a quick break and prepare for our Demonstration Waltz?” I suggested.

“Oh. I completely forgot about that, X. See you in five minutes,” she replied with another dimpled grin.

I saw Brian coming out of the crowd with a very cute long-haired blonde, he had obviously been dancing with all night. Her hair was down, on her shoulders, Claire had her hair up on the back of her head.

He said, “Hey Charles, have you been holding out on me? Man, you can dance. So, can your partner. What’s her name?”

“Claire McArthur,” I answered, “Who’s this lovely young lady you seem attached to?”

Brian blushed and started to drop her hand from his but must have realized that that would be rude.

“Charles Newman, this is Susan Williams. Susan, this is my very best friend, Charles Newman.”

“Lovely to meet you, Charles,” she said extending her other hand to me, which I kissed the back of. She giggled, and Brian pulled ... took her hand away.

“Claire and I go to the same school on the north end of Columbus. We have a summer dance in three weeks. Brian and I are going. Why don’t Claire and you join us? It could be a double date,” Susan said giggling that giggle that tells you ... don’t say anything, but yes!

“I can’t speak for Claire, but ... Hey Claire.”

She quickly put her arm on mine, as I said, “Susan has asked us to join her and my best friend, Brian Fleming, at the dance at your school in three weeks. If we learn enough from Jimmy, we could all ‘cut a rug’ at the dance, couldn’t we?”

“That sounds like a ton of fun as long as the parental units don’t freak out,” Claire said giggling again. “I would love to go with all of you to our school dance. Its theme is ... What is it? Oh yes, Summer Memories. Let’s all exchange phone numbers before we leave, OK?”

At that moment, Jimmy was announcing to the returning students that there was a talented new couple that had just started tonight.

“Here they are, direct from having their first dance lesson together, Claire McArthur and Charles Newman!”

There was a light applause and Jimmy started the Elvis Presley song “Are You Lonesome Tonight,” again.

We walked through the parting crowd and in perfect sync we turned toward each other and went to Closed Position and started dancing. I was still nervous, but I considered Claire’s eyes. All of my nervousness seemed to leave me as we danced and danced, and danced some more.

While this was all happening, my mother showed up to give Brian and I our ride home. She walked in — saw me dancing and her eyes immediately moistened. She watched as Claire and I danced the single simple Waltz step we had learned.

Too quickly, the song was over.

Spontaneous applause permeated the hall. Jimmy was so proud of us. My mother was outright crying. I would hazard a guess she was proud of me. Claire was hugging me tight, and I hugged her, carefully, in return.

I don’t think I ever want to let her go. She was so pretty, her hands were soft, her eyes were so brown, and her smile was so...

“CHARLES!”

Oh-My-God, it’s cool. Breathe ... be cool. I walked up to her. I could tell she had been crying.

“What is it, Mom? Is something wrong? Is Dad hurt?”

“No Honey. I’m-I am crying, because I am so proud of you dancing like that,” she said dabbing at her eyes. “Now then, who’s this lovely young lady?”

“Oh, excuse me, both of you? I’m sorry. Antoinette Newman, Mom, this is Claire McArthur — Claire McArthur, this is my mother, Antoinette.”

“Did I raise a gentleman, or did I raise a gentleman?” my mom said beaming.

“Hello, Mrs. Newman. Very nice to meet you, too. Charles — Ask her, ask her now?” Claire prodded.

Raising an eyebrow, she said, “Ask me what, Charles?”

“Mom, Claire’s school, up in northern Columbus, is putting on a summer dance in three weeks. Its theme is Summer Memories – May I please go?” I asked. “Brian and his Cotillion partner Susan Williams along with Claire and I were hoping to double-date?”

“My little boy. He’s gone from ... never looking at a girl in the face before to asking his mother if he can go to a school dance.”

“Aww, Mom!”

That made Claire giggle.

Which made my mom giggle?

“What school is it, Claire?” she asked her directly.

“President’s Elementary School over by the fairgrounds on the north side of town, Mrs. Newman,” Claire responded.

Mom looked at me. I think intentionally enjoying making me squirm, “That shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Newman,” Claire said, grinning from ear to ear.

Turning to me, Claire gave me a light peck on my cheek and said, “I have to go and ask my mother. She just walked in — I will be right back, X.”

I saw a very mischievous look in my mother’s eyes. “You put the moves on her pretty fast ‘X’ ... dancing together all night, making a date to a school dance, twenty miles from home. Is there anything else I should know about before we gather up Brian and head for home?”

Blurting, I said, “Mom, I just met her ninety minutes ago. Be nice. I don’t know what happened? I was looking forward to seeing whom I wanted to dance with and -- and her red hair, and her pretty dimpled smile sort of broke through all of my defenses. I would bet you looked just like her when you were our age, didn’t you?”

“Wow, Charles! She has made quite the impression on you, hasn’t she?”

“Is it that obvious, Mom?”

“Hey, Charles,” Brian came through the crowd with Susan in hand, “Oh, hello Mrs. Newman. This is Susan Williams. Susan Williams, this is Charles’ mother.”

“Hello, Mrs. Newman, very nice to meet you,” Susan said.

“Nice to meet you as well, Susan. So, has everybody cleared this Summer Memories dance with their parents, yet?”

“My mom said I can go if Charles goes,” stated Brian.

“My mother just met Brian and she said I can go as long as it’s a double date with Claire and her dance partner,” added Susan.

Claire just burst into the group and was emitting a light shriek. “I can go ... I can go ... I can go, but my mom and dad would like to meet X, I mean, Charles, first. It’s just a formality. They always want to meet dates, at least first dates.”

“Well then, have you all exchanged phone numbers?” mom asked. “Brian and Charles, say goodnight to your dates, uh ... dance partners. Stage leaves in five minutes.”

Claire took my phone from my shirt pocket, and put in her phone number, then slipped it back in my pocket. She handed me hers to do the same. We had the same model phone. Maybe, this all is our destiny!

I took her by both hands and just looked at her. I must have made her tense because she smiled at me and said, “What?”

“I never thought I would find something ... I like to do as much as I like to dance. I especially enjoyed dancing with you tonight, Claire.” I moved my hand up to move a lock of her hair out of her face, and we were now face to face.

Could this be what ‘Love at First Sight’ is all about?

I felt Brian tug on my shirt, so Claire and I separated – for the first time all night, not counting bathroom breaks.

“Bye, Susan ... BYE, CLAIRE! See you next week!”

“Wow Charles. You’ve got it bad, don’t you?” Brian said.

“What are you talking about, Brian. What have I got?” I said smiling.

“Don’t forget to invite me to your wedding?” Brian chuckled.

“Geez Brian. We’re not even thirteen years old!”

After we had gotten into the car, Mom turned and said, “I am very proud of both of you boys! Besides, everything else, you both have excellent taste in girls. Brian, that Susan is quite the looker. You may have to learn how to fight off the other boys who go after her.”

“Actually, Mrs. Newman,” he said. “Susan told me that at President’s Elementary she never had boys approach her. She thinks that they believe she is a prude because she doesn’t wear the slutty ... Excuse me, the immodest clothing that the ‘popular’ girls do.”

“Claire said the same thing to me, Mom,” I reiterated. “That’s why they were at the Cotillion tonight. They decided to work on their social skills and maybe meet someone with the same higher standards.”

“Well,” mom said clearing her throat. “They met you two and I don’t think they could have found two finer young men.”

“Thank You, Mrs. Newman,” Brian said.

“Thank You, Mrs. Newman,” I repeated.

Mom looked over her shoulder at me and said, “What...”

“Just raising my standards. I have you to blame for them,” I said.

After dropping Brian off at his house, I moved to the front seat with my mom. Things were quiet for a bit before she turned to me and asked, “What’s this ‘X’ thing all about, Honey?”

“I don’t know, Mom. I was just trying to sound cool, so I said to her something like, ‘My name is Charles Newman, but you can call me X.’ It just came out of my mouth before I realized I had said it.”

“That’s such a cute story dear. Remember to tell that one to your kids,” she said, laughing at my expense.

“Mom! That’s not funny. I just met her tonight. I think I might already have some feelings for her, but I don’t know anything about kids!”

“Well, do you want your father to talk to you, again?”

“MOM! Dad gave me ‘the talk’ when I was ten years old. Not that I understood much of it. I want to enjoy this, whatever this is, before too many confusing emotions get in our way.”

“That’s very adult thinking, Charles. Antoinette would work well as a middle name,” she said smiling.

“Come on, Mom!” “Uhm ... Mom?”

“Yes, Honey?”

“Thanks for providing me such high standards with girls. You know, I have read that boys have their mother in the back of their minds when they go looking for their life partners.”