Dance of a Lifetime

by Frank Downey

  "Yeah, we figure she'll step out of school and have four hundred job offers," Warren said. "Lately, everyone wants to hire some gorgeous girl to be their Weather Babe and look sexy while pointing at radar screens, right? Well, they can hire Sophie and get a gorgeous Weather Babe who actually knows something about the weather." Brian burst out laughing.

  Michelle came back, a five-month-old in her arms. "I fed her and changed her, so she should be OK." She handed the infant over to Sophia. "Sophia, meet Katrina."

  Sophia just melted. "Ooooh, look at her! Hi, Katrina." She reached out her finger, and the baby grabbed it in a little fist. "Oh, aren't you precious!" She made goo-goo eyes and little noises at the baby.

  "Well, honey," Michelle said to Brian, "if we ever want a night out, I think I know where we can find a babysitter."

  "You betcha!" Sophia agreed happily. "Two, actually, because I'll bring Warren to entertain Briana."

  Michelle had made them lunch, and they had regathered in the living room. Warren had Briana on his lap, and was telling her silly knock knock jokes, making her giggle. Sophia was cuddling Katrina. Brian and Michelle were watching this, bemused.

  "So, I know you guys are very young, but you seem to have an extremely good relationship," Michelle offered.

  "We do," Sophia smiled.

  "You guys think this is permanent?" Michelle asked.

  "Honey, they're sixteen!" Brian said, laughing.

  "Actually, I'm only fifteen," Warren offered.

  "Younger man, huh, Soph?" Michelle winked. Sophia just blushed.

  "OK, fifteen and sixteen," Brian amended. "How do they know that it's going to be permanent?"

  "Oh, I was just wondering if they had talked about it."

  "Yeah, we've talked about it." Sophia looked at Warren, and smiled. "Yeah, we're kind of planning on it being permanent."

  "Yeah, Sophia, and, when I was your age, I thought your mother and I were permanent, too."

  "Yeah, well, we certainly are going to do our damndest to not force it into being permanent before its time."

  "Touché."

  "Aw, Dad, I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

  "Yeah, you did. But it's OK," Brian smiled. "I'm just worried. Look, Sophia, the only thing I've left you is a long line of mistakes. So please learn from them."

  "I will," Sophia smiled. "Don't worry. We know what we're doing."

  "I remember the relationship I thought I was permanent when I was sixteen," Michelle said. "And it is only by sheer luck that it didn't turn out to be permanent, because we weren't careful, either." Michelle looked at Sophia. "But, I've got to say, that he and I never looked at one another the way you two do." Warren and Sophia smiled at each other. "There you go again!"

  "I must admit, Ellen and I never looked at each other like that, either."

  Mindful of Briana sitting on Warren's lap, Sophia said, "Mom says that that was s-e-x disguised as love." She blushed. "Oh, I probably shouldn't have said that."

  Brian just laughed. "No, that's exactly what it was." He looked intently at his daughter and her boyfriend. "You guys don't have that, do you?"

  They gave each other that look again. "No," said Sophia. "We have love, with a little s-e-x thrown in for fun." Everyone cracked up at that, except Briana, who pouted and yelled, "Will you all stop spelling, please?" to more laughter.

  "Michelle, why were you wondering if we had discussed future plans?" Warren asked.

  Michelle smiled widely, "Because I was sitting here, watching you two with Briana and Katrina, and I couldn't help think, 'If these two kids stay together, they are going to be the greatest parents in the world.'"

  "I can see that, myself," Brian agreed.

  "Well," Sophia began, "one thing we have done is have the 'what do you want out of life' talk, to make sure we're on the same page on the basics. And one thing we discovered is that we both love kids and both want a housefull of them." She looked at Warren. "Seeing him around kids only reinforces that."

  "Same goes for you, Pookie."

  They looked at each other again. Brian and Michelle also looked at each other, bemused. "HEY! The tape!" Sophia burst out suddenly.

  "Right!" agreed Warren.

  "What are you guys talking about?" Brian asked.

  "There's a videotape in my bag, Dad. Should be right on top. Since I'm currently pinned down by a sleeping infant, could you grab it and pop it in the VCR?"

  "Sure. What's on it?"

  "Oh, just a little something I do with my boyfriend that you don't know about."

  "Are you sure this tape is appropriate for Briana?" Brian asked.

  Sophia burst out laughing. "Of course. We don't videotape that." She blushed. "Although, I must admit, that sounds like fun." Even Brian burst out laughing. "Anyway, no, this tape is rated G. What you are about to see will not be officially unveiled until New England Junior Regionals in Marlborough in October, but we taped a sneak preview for you. This is not completely finished-there's a couple of holes in the middle part-but it's close."

  "I still don't know what you're talking about."

  "All will be revealed, Dad," Sophia giggled. "Hit play."

  The tape was of an ice rink. Sophia and Warren were skating around, holding hands, and approached the center of the rink. They took their starting poses, and the music started.

  Seeing themselves as Fred-and-Ginger style ice dancers, they had chosen a collection of big band music for their first competitive ice dance. It started out with Pennsylvania 6-5000, into Moonlight Serenade for the slow section, and ending with Opus One. They were definitely junior-level dancers, but the dance was snappy and entertaining, and this had been a particularly good run-through. They were young and inexperienced, but the tape left no doubt that they had talent and skill. And that they had a complete ball dancing with one another.

  Brian and Michelle looked on with an increasing mixture of amazement and delight. The Opus One ending section was chock full of quick, difficult footwork, most of it in closed position, and Sophia and Warren handled it with aplomb.

  They hit their ending pose, and Warren, cracking up, said into the camera, "Well, there it is, the next great ice dance team. Move over, Bourne and Kraatz!" Sophia playfully punched him in the ribs, and then the tape switched off.

  Briana started clapping. "Yay!"

  Brian laughed. "I totally agree. You guys are good!"

  "Well, we'll see how good when we start competing," Sophia demurred.

  "It looked damn good to me, I'll tell you that." Brian asserted.

  "If only you were a judge," Warren quipped, to general laughter. "It really doesn't matter. We do this for fun. We don't train enough to be serious about it. We just want to compete because we think that will be fun, too, win or lose."

  "You can tell you guys are having fun." Michelle said.

  "New England Regionals, in Marlborough, in October, you said?" Brian asked.

  "Yeah. Third weekend in October, I have the dates at home."

  Brian smiled at his daughter. "I'll be there."

  Sophia smiled back. "I'd like that."

  Chapter 33 - Changes For Mom

  It was an afternoon in early September. Sophia was home, not in work this day, and was chatting with her mother.

  "So, you're a junior, now," Ellen said. "How's school going?"

  "Great. Great classes this year."

  "Skating going good? Getting ready for Regionals?"

  "Yeah. Oh, that reminds me. Dad wants to come."

  "Do you want him to?"

  "Yeah." Sophia looked at her mother. "But only if you don't mind."

  "If you want him there, honey, than I don't mind. You are the one competing, not me."

  Sophia thought for a minute. "Does it bother you, Mom? That he's back in my life?"

  "A little. But not that much, or I wouldn't have brought him in the house in the first place. Listen, Sophia, I have horrific memories of our years together. Those just won't go away. However, I give him all
the credit in the world for turning his life around. Some men like him never do that. At least he realized what he had become, and got help."

  "He told me that's why he left."

  "Yeah, and I do understand that. Leaving was the right thing to do, for all of us. I do wish he had come back, to you, sooner than he did."

  "I do, too. But he's here, now. And he's trying, he really is."

  "I know. Which is why I am determined to not let it bother me. He is your father. Anything he and I ever had between us is dead and buried, except that he gave me you and I am eternally grateful for that." Sophia smiled. "But other than that, he's nothing to me. But he is your father, and always will be. And if you want a relationship with him, then you should have one."

  "Thanks, Mom." She looked at her mother with a critical eye. "Are you working tonight?"

  "No."

  "Why you dressed up, then?"

  "I have a date. Don't worry, the kids are with their father."

  "Mom, you have a DATE?"

  "Uh-huh," Ellen grinned. "His name is Dan. I met him at the hotel, last week. His brother and sister in law were staying there, and he was taking them around and stuff, so he'd show up every day. We started talking one day, and he ended up waiting for them down in the lobby, chatting with me, every morning. The last day he was there, he asked me out."

  "That's great, Mom."

  The first date between Ellen and Dan was a smashing success; it turned into a lot more of them. They were going out most nights that Ellen didn't have to work-which put babysitting duties on Sophia more than she would have liked, but she really didn't mind. They had had a lovely date on a rare Friday night off for Ellen, and were heading back to Ellen's house. Ellen wanted to introduce him to Sophia.

  At this particular moment, Sophia had forgotten that.

  In fact, she was in bed, on her back, her legs up resting on Warren's shoulders, while Warren slipped in and out of her.

  "Ohhhhh... OOOOOO... Ah... ah... ayiiiiiiiii... oooooh... OhWarrenWarrendon'tstopdon'tstopdont'stopharderharderharder... OOOOOOOO... Ohmygod AYIIIIIIIIIIII!!!!!... AH!AH!AH! AAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYIIIIIIII!!!!!"

  She spasmed, her legs pounding Warren's shoulders, which brought Warren off.

  He quietly slipped out of her, and cuddled up to her while they both recovered. Sophia was panting and flushed, and altogether ravishing, like she always was after sex.

  "I always think the same thing after we're done." Warren laughed.

  "What's that?"

  "That it is a pity that this is the last thing I see, after I'm done, because the way you look after you've been made love to is the biggest turn on I've ever seen."

  Sophia just laughed. "So you sustain yourself because you know you're going to see this when you're done?"

  "Yup. I file it in my memory for later viewing."

  "Hmm. Maybe we should do that whole videotape thing." She got a glance at the clock, and sat upright in a hurry. "SHIT! We have to get dressed!"

  "Why, Sex Kitten?"

  "My Mom's not working tonight, and she's planning on bringing her new boyfriend home to meet me, and they're expected at 10:30."

  "What's it now?"

  "10:15."

  "Shit." Warren reached around and found his clothes. Sophia was standing in front of him, bent over, grabbing her panties.

  Warren laughed. "Soph, you'd better go in the bathroom and clean up. It's running down your legs."

  She looked down. "SHIT!" she said, but laughed.

  "Damn, he has to show up now? Watching you naked and flushed with cum running down your legs is even more of a turn on."

  "Get dressed, you goof." Sophia said, and ran into the bathroom.

  They actually still hadn't shown up at 11:00. "Damn, we would have had time for another," Warren said playfully. Sophia just hit him. They were curled up on the couch, had made some popcorn, and were watching a movie.

  Her mother finally walked in. "Soph? You here?"

  "In the living room, Mom." Ellen walked in to see Sophia and Warren curled up on the couch together. Sophia looked up and saw her mom and the guy with her, and sat up, smiling.

  "Dan, this is my daughter Sophia. Sophie, this is Dan."

  "Nice to meet you, Sophia. I've heard a lot about you."

  "Me, too," said Sophia, shaking his hand. "This is my boyfriend, Warren." They shook hands, also.

  "Movie?" Ellen asked.

  "Yup," Sophia said. "Another selection from Warren's collection."

  "Which one?"

  "Bull Durham."

  "Oh, that is a classic. One of my favorites," Dan said.

  "Mine, too," said Warren. "Both of ours, actually."

  "Yup. I love it," Sophia concurred.

  "It's got two of her favorite things in the world in it," Warren quipped.

  "Kevin Costner and Tim Robbins?" Dan asked, smiling.

  "Well, there is that," Sophia giggled. "But, no, I was thinking of sex and baseball. How can you go wrong with a flick that's about sex and baseball?"

  Dan looked at her, shocked. "I warned you about her," Ellen commented bemusedly. "She is not your garden variety sixteen year old girl."

  "You weren't kidding," Dan agreed. "I mean, I was shocked. Meeting me for the first time, and she tells me she likes sex and baseball. Heck, I don't think I've ever met a sixteen year old girl that was into baseball," he finished with a wide grin.

  Sophia cracked up laughing. "Mom, I like him already."

  "It's also got a guy named 'Crash' in it. Gotta love a movie with a guy named Crash." Warren offered.

  Sophia giggled, and turned to Dan, "Crash is his best friend's nickname."

  "Dan, you want a drink?" Ellen called from the kitchen.

  "Something soft would be fine."

  Ellen came out with a couple cokes. "Mind if we join you?"

  "If you guys wanna be alone, I'm sure we can go play on the computer, or something," Sophia offered.

  "No," Ellen laughed. "That's fine. We wanted to spend some time with my favorite daughter and her favorite boyfriend." They all laughed. "Besides, I like this movie, too."

  They watched the movie and chatted a while afterwards. As it had gotten quite late, Dan offered Warren a ride home, which he accepted.

  Ellen and Sophia shared a cup of hot chocolate. "So, what did you think?"

  "I like him, Mom. He seems really nice."

  "He is. He has a 13 year old daughter who he has custody of-apparently his ex-wife is unstable."

  "Aah. Have you met her."

  "Once. She seems sweet and nice. Nothing like you." Ellen laughed.

  "Oh, thanks, Mom. I can be sweet and nice... sometimes."

  "Yeah, the first thing you say to my new boyfriend is that you like sex and baseball." Ellen smirked.

  "Oh, yeah, I know-he's all scandalized that I like baseball."

  "You stop it. No, Sophie, I'm just teasing you. You were fine. I think he likes you, too."

  "So, Mom, how serious is this?"

  "I don't know. We like each other, we have a good time together, and we'll see what happens."

  "Cool. I figured something was going on, what with you entering the Daughter Approval Stage so quickly," Sophia smirked.

  "Well, at least you liked him, unlike the last boyfriend I brought home."

  "Well, aside from the fact that I was in the I Hate Everything About My Mother mood at that point, that last guy was a slimeball."

  "I must admit, you were right about him."

  "I like Dan, though."

  "Good."

  Chapter 34 - Sectionals And Regionals

  They were a little nervous. They didn't expect to be, but they were.

  It was, after all, their very first competition. For all their blather about not taking it seriously, they did want to skate well. Placements really weren't all that important. They though they'd like to make it to sectionals, which would take a top 4 finish out of the 7 teams competing. Outside of that, though, they skated for fun. Even so,
they wanted to skate clean and skate well.

  All of their family members would attend the free dance, but they couldn't make it to all the stages. Sophia's mom made it out to compulsories, and Warren's dad was able to attend the Original Dance. They were very happy with second place finishes in both stages.

  "I told you guys you were good," June, their coach, was telling them.

  "Yeah, but good isn't always enough in ice dance," Warren replied.

  "True, but that's less so in juniors. Most of these couples are new, or new to juniors, so there isn't quite the same pecking order."

  "Yeah, but we're totally new. I'm really surprised we are where we are," Sophia said.

  "Well, be proud of yourselves. You've earned it. And the free dance is your strength, so anything can happen."

  The free dance was on a Saturday morning. Brian and Michelle Daniels walked into the rink and found a good seat-Michelle wasn't sure she would be able to come, but her parents were watching Briana and Katrina. She was glad, she wanted to come. She had grown very fond of Sophia, and was glad that Brian had reunited with her. It was kind of weird to have a 16-year-old stepdaughter-Michelle herself was only 29, seven years younger than Brian-but she also found that kind of neat, too. They had had some very nice talks when Sophia called, and she had been to visit a few times, now...

  Brian, for his part, was nervous. Very nervous. He was sweating, and felt like he wanted to pace, but there really wasn't any room for that.

  "You OK?" Michelle asked him.

  " I can not believe how nervous I am!"

  The couple behind them laughed. Brian turned around. The woman said, "You must have a child skating."

  Brian couldn't help but smile. "My daughter."

  The woman looked at him very closely, but wasn't sure. "Your daughter?"

  "Yeah. And we've just reunited after a very long estrangement. I know this is very important to her, and I'm very glad she asked me to come, after the problems we've had. But, boy, am I nervous."

  "Long estrangement?" Then the woman smiled. "I thought I saw a family resemblance. You've got to be Sophia Daniels' father."

  Brian blinked, startled. "Yes, I am. You know Sophia?"

  The woman cracked up laughing, and her husband said, "Oh, yes, we know Sophia, very well. I'm Jim Kelleher, and this is Peg."