Waltz of Her Life

"Call me Maggie, darling," she said, vivaciously shaking her hand, looking full into her eyes. "Ronnie's my best! I'd keep him all to myself if I could. Now don't let me keep you, you all have a great time!" She floated away from them, seemingly on a cloud of air.

"Now where were we?" Ron asked, turning his attention back to her and smiling. With no effort at all, the two of them fell back into their dance position and he once again lifted her up and glided with her across the floor.

Linda suddenly remembered the dance step from her dream. "Can you show me that routine where you pass me from one arm to another?" she asked.

Ron looked back at her with a quizzical expression on his face. "Where did you see that?"

Linda shrugged. "On television, from an old movie, I think."

Ron's expressive eyes suddenly lit up in an "Ah-ha" gesture. "I think I know what you're talking about. Now, in order to do that step, you're going to have to learn to go forward, too. Let me show you." He arranged them so that they stood, side by side. The record seemed to be fading out, but another, slower song took its place. Ron said that they would need to take two slow steps, followed by two quick ones, all straight ahead. When they would do the step she asked about, they would not be able to side-step the way they had before.

"And you have to know how to pivot," Ron said. "Were you ever in band in high school?"

"No, but I know how to pivot," she replied. "You just get on one foot and swivel, right?" She demonstrated for him.

"By jove, I think you've got it!" Ron said, in an exaggerated British accent.

"Let's get into dance position and try it!" At first Ron showed the step to her in slow motion. While she held onto his shoulder, Linda remembered how it felt to be passed from side to side by the mysterious gentleman in the marble dance hall. For her to pass in front of him, she had to step sideways and pivot at the same time he was walking forward. When they finished one dry run, Ron clapped, saying "Bravo."

"Now let's try speeding it up a little," he said. They would take two steps together, slow, slow, and when they reached the quick, quick, Ron would gently nudge her away with his left hand. She would pivot to his side. Once, there, they would take two steps together with her at his side. On the next quick, quick, he would gently lead her toward the center, she would pivot again and cross in front of him.