Slow Dancing with a Fast Woman

We found ourselves outside his office looking at each other in wonder. Melanie said it best. "Where do we go from here?"

I had no answer.

...

We tried to move forward for three months. We had days of happiness, and then something would trigger one of us and life would be strained for a day or so. We were rapidly becoming frustrated, and cracks were appearing.

I thought of her often while I was away working. She would call me every night, which I looked forward to, then send me photos of her in our house, proving she was there. That got old quickly.

"Enough!," I told her one night. "Stop sending me pictures! And stop locking yourself away in the house every night. It's driving us both crazy. Go out once in a while, have dinner with friends, even go for a drink with the people you work with. I'm going to live on the premise that you're an adult who made a mistake and learned from it. If i don't, then it really wouldn't matter, now would it?"

I think she got the point. A few days later she went to a movie with her best friend. She loved horror movies, something I had no interest in, and she called me the next evening, telling me how much fun she'd had, before getting serious.

"Thank you, honey. For the love, and for the trust. I..." Choked up, she stopped. I felt really good about it, even kidded her about how glad I was I didn't have to be dragged along to any more sucky movies. Her old spirit came through.

"They're not sucky! They're an art form, something a caveman like you just doesn't understand. Despite your stunted intellect, I still love you. Goodnight, honey."

Despite how hard I tried though, I know she knew something was holding me back. She'd gotten quiet the last week or so, and I knew it might be the beginning of the end.

Strangely enough, it all came together at of all places, a flea market. Mel loved the smell of incense, had little burners all over the house. Most of the smells were pleasant enough, so I tolerated it. There was a booth at the place, run by a woman who looked like a poor man's version of a VooDoo Queen, that had literally hundreds of scents. Mel was running low and asked me to take her.

We both liked going, often spending several hours browsing. We actually bought very little, but every once in a while we'd stumble onto a treasure, at least in our opinion. I was watching her flit back and forth, willowy grace personified, smiling, lifting a stick to her nose now and then. She felt me watching her, and she looked up and smiled, the familiar smile of joy I loved so much. Then her eyes clouded and she looked down in sadness. I knew at that exact moment she would soon be lost from me if I couldn't change, and soon.

It was late summer, and as we were leaving once of those quick seasonal storms came up, all wind and lightning, blowing over as quickly as it came. The first boom of thunder came, and Mel jumped slightly. I had my arm around her instinctively, soothing her. Luckily we were inside, in one of the many halls that seemed to stretch forever. We had gotten there late, and they were starting to close up.

"Wait here, Honey. I'll get the truck and pull up to the door." I made a mad dash into the parking lot, and was soaked almost instantly. I was thinking hard as I waited my turn to pull close to the door, almost praying for a way to get over my blockage and love her the way I was supposed to.

As I pulled up a song came on the oldies station I was half listening to that I had always loved. "Slow dancing, swaying to the music, slow dancing, just me and my girl," was coming out of the speakers. I looked at the entrance, trying to spot Mel, and glanced at a bumper sticker on a little van parked close by, guessing it belonged to the incense vendor. There were a lot of stickers on the van, but the one that jumped out at me sent chills up my spine.

"Life isn't about hiding from the storm, it's about learning to love dancing in the rain."

I had it. A way to prove to me without a doubt that Mel loved me. I opened the door and turned the volume up. I stood in the pouring rain, while lightning flashed and held out my hand.

"I've got it, Honey! If you really love me, I mean really really love me, you'll come outside and dance with me. It's our last chance, please, please, let's dance."

I was almost screaming to be heard. Every one was looking at her, wondering what she'd do. I know she couldn't see them in the rain, but tears were running down my cheeks. She crept up to the door, quivering with every flash, while I stood and held my hand out, three feet away from her.

Mel looked into my eyes, straining to see if I was sincere. She must have gotten the answer she wanted, because with one long step she was in my arms, clinging tightly, flinching at every strike, but swaying, kissing me. The song ended about ninety seconds later, and I picked her up and placed her in the truck. Yes, it was short, but it said everything that needed to be said.

She loved me deeply enough to face her greatest fear to prove it. What better demonstration could there be? We sat in the parking lot, wiping each other with napkins from the dash, laughing and crying together. Then we went home, and made love.

And complete, total love was what we made.

...

NINE MONTHS LATER

I felt faint looking at it. The newest, steepest, scariest roller coaster on the planet. It had loops, rolls, and a three hundred twenty-five feet sheer drop. But I had it to do, so I held her hand tightly as we stood ready to be strapped in.

She had told me a week after the slow dance in the rain that someday she would ask me to do something in return to show my absolute love for her as well. I agreed instantly, and this was the result.

The coaster was designed like a bullet, and it was single file seating. She let me go first, holding my hand as they strapped and locked me in. Then I felt sheer terror as she let go and stepped back.

"Aren't you going with me?"

For some reason she was grinning and crying at the same time. "I can't."

"Why the hell not?" I almost screamed as the ride lurched forward and gained momentum.

"Rule Number Three!"

I read the rules as I passed them by.

Rule1: You have to be 48" tall to ride this ride.

Rule 2: Anyone with a heart or any other medical condition should not ride this attraction.

Rule 3: No pregnant women allowed.

Wait! What?