SATURDAY - And I Danced

The day was very typical of a Saturday. I slept in a little...took my time doing some chores around the house...worked and played on the computer...watched some TV I had recorded...trying to clean it up for the following week.

Dorothy called and told me they would be picking me up around 6:45 to go to the Dance in the next town South of me. It was being held at the Senior Citizens. I am familiar with the place because I use to teach Ceramics there many years ago. The music would start at 7:30 but the place was pretty full when we got there...it's about 15 mins from my house. The cover charge was $3.00.

When we were paying Dorothy looked at the band that was setting up and got upset. It was the Old Timers Band...the one that her husband use to play and sing in. She didn't realize they were the ones playing...she thought she would be seeing them for the first time next week. I told her that maybe this was a good thing as she didn't have a lot of time before hand to agonize how it was going to effect her. She said you are probably right.

We found seats and then Dorothy was introducing me to everyone around us. Also some of the people I knew and some knew me. Because of the Ceramic Shop I ran and my husband's peddling business I am known by people I don't recognize. Dorothy's Sister-In-Law's Cousin (did you follow that) was sitting near us. I know him from the craft circuit...he use to set up where we did selling his clocks and other wooden items he made.

Dorothy went over and talked to the band members and they told her how happy they were to see her there. She feels very guilty about going out when her husband only passed away 5 months ago but everyone that she has seen has said that it is a good thing for her to be getting out and to try and enjoy herself.

It's getting kinda neat now because people I have met previous weeks are now greeting me by name...so I am making new friends and acquaintances. There was no alcohol served and I was thinking oh oh. How am I going to relax enough to get up and dance. I had promised myself that I would dance that night.

Well there were a few people my age there and a lot of men but again most of them were already partnered with some one...but I did see a lot of exchanging partners amongst friends for dancing. Theresa's (Dorothy's SIL) Cousin Maurice loves to dance. He is 84 but in terrific shape. He reminds me of a short version of Wilford Brimley...you know the one that does the Liberty Diabetic Supply commercial. He was taking turns dancing with all of us. Now this music was not like the last dance which was classic country. This was the old time stuff...for fast dancing they did a "Step Dance". I have no clue how to do that. I watched their feet and everyone was doing something different...what was common was that it was a quick step. The fiddle plays heavy in the music. Then there were about 5 or 6 square dance rounds through out the night...I haven't done that since gym in high school...LOL I didn't want any part of that either. So that just left the slow dances. When it was my turn to be Maurice's partner I was scared to death but tried not to show it. I informed him I hadn't dance in 25 years and he looked at me like I was some strange person. LOL I guess everyone he knows dances. BTW he didn't sit out many dances. He didn't do the step dances but he danced every slow dance and the square dances. He was a very good dancer....and he told me I was too. I think he was just being a gentleman... *smiles* I danced with him twice and I danced with Dorothy once....OKAY another first...63 years old and I danced a slow dance with a woman for the first time...always swore I would never do that but I thought I needed some practice LOL. We ran into a couple on the floor that Dorothy was acquainted with and he asked her if I was her daughter... This is the second time someone has asked her that so it's getting to be a big joke.

They do have an intermission and you usually donate $1.00 for a little lunch of sandwiches, soda, and cookies and cake.

I sat between Dorothy and her sister Reba, so I got a chance to chat with her sister and she told me how happy she was that Dorothy and I had become friends. She said it was wonderful that I could be there for Dorothy on those lonely nights when she doesn't want to be alone and someone from the family isn't available. She said that Dorothy really enjoys my company. That was all nice to hear. We are helping each other get through this thing called widowhood. I was looking around the room and saw so many women that I knew who were now widows too. Dorothy had a good time...she danced a lot with old friends. Even her sister put down her cane when I talked her into dancing. She danced 3 dances during the evening. Dorothy's SIL danced a lot...she was her cousins favorite partner. LOL

We left about 10:30, wanted to beat the crowd to the parking lot and I was home about 10:45. I was tired but I had a good time. It's tough keeping up with these old people. ROFL!! Watched a little TV and off to bed to read and lights out.

Hope you have a great day.