Hi all, just a stand-alone piece. I'm sorry if the formatting gets whacky during Michael speaking. I'm trying to fix it. As always, reviews are appreciated.
The Dance
Molly Davis-Lansing was a brilliant and beautiful little girl. She was at the top of her class academically. She knew how to calculate velocity with such specificity that it enabled her to throw a perfect pitch every time. Unfortunately for Molly, there were two things she didn't know: the location of her father and how to dance. Generally, the absence of those pieces of information didn't cause her much concern, but today they weighed heavily on her mind. Because today, she learned her school was having a father-daughter dance and she was afraid she was going to stick out like a sore thumb.
Molly threw her backpack on the sofa seconds before she landed there herself.
Alexis was surprised to see her usually joyous youngest one in a poor mood. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"
Too distraught to speak, Molly simply handed her mother the flyer announcing the big event.
"Oh," Alexis replied softly.
"Do you even know where Dad is? I haven't heard from him in weeks. And I'm usually okay with that." Molly rose to her feet and began to pace, just as she'd seen her mother do on numerous occasions. "Of course I'm okay with that. We're Davis women. We are strong, independent and self-reliant." Her voice cracked a bit, "But…"
Alexis caught her little one by the arm and pulled her on her lap, even though she was technically too big to fit. "But you really want to go."
"All of my friends are going to be there." She leaned her head against her mother's shoulder.
Suddenly, Alexis had an idea. "Molly, grab your coat. I think I have an answer to your problem."
Alexis couldn't believe where her mind and her hybrid led her. It wasn't until she entered Greystone that she actually began to question her own sanity.
"Hi Uncle Sonny." Molly threw her arms tightly around Sonny. She knew her Uncle needed extra hugs since his wife, Claudia, died a couple months earlier.
"Hey Molly." Sonny loved his niece as though she were his own daughter. She was the spitting image of her mother with traces of her grandmother to boot. He looked up and saw Alexis. "Hey."
"Hey yourself." She smiled at him. Something amazing happened after Claudia "died;" Sonny decided he needed to change his ways. They'd had a long teary-eyed conversation, which ended with him promising to be a better man. In exchange, she agreed to allow him access to Kristina. So far, things had gone well. But even she had to admit that what she was about to suggest was above and beyond their agreement. "Sonny, the reason we stopped by is because Molly needs a favor from you."
"I do?" Molly looked around curiously.
Alexis whispered in her ear, "the dance."
Molly wasn't good at whispering, so Sonny overheard her when she said, "Uncle Sonny doesn't want to go to some stupid dance."
"What's this I hear about a dance?" Sonny sat on the sofa and waited for Molly to join him.
"My school is having a stupid father-daughter dance. Can you believe it? It's 2010 and my school is still fixated on antiquated concepts like a father-daughter dance. It's so 1950's and it fails to embrace the concept of the blended family."
Sonny chuckled at his niece. She couldn't be more like Alexis if she had been cloned. "You're probably right, but if you want me to go with you, I'll go."
"You will?" The girl's large, dark eyes widened. "Thank you so much Uncle Sonny." After a moment she sunk her head into her hands. "There's only one problem…I can't dance."
"Sure you can. You dance around the house all the time." Alexis ran her hands through her daughter's dark hair. She looked at her as she sat next to Sonny and she marveled at the resemblance between the two.
"That's just when I'm goofing around with you and Kristina. I don't know how to dance for real."
"Don't worry about it, Molly. I'm sure you're a natural; your mom is a fantastic dancer."
"Mom?"
Sonny nodded. "You care to show her how it's done?"
"Can't she just take my word for it?" Dancing with Sonny was a door she didn't want to open.
"Come on, 'Lexis. What's a dance between a couple of old friends?" Sonny pressed a button on the remote and soon a fast-paced tune with a distinctively Latin flavor began to blare. Sonny extended his hand, which Alexis took reluctantly.
Molly watched in amazement as she saw her mom and her Uncle Sonny move completely in unison. Her mom actually was an amazing dancer. And what surprised her even more was that her mom was having fun with Uncle Sonny. She was so engrossed in watching the duo dance that she didn't hear Kristina and Michael walk in.
"What's going on?" Michael asked. Kristina simply looked dumbfounded. She'd never seen her parents this way.
Sonny used every move he could think of to pull Alexis close to him. She still fit him like a glove. He loved feeling her heart race. Alexis had forgotten how good it felt to be in Sonny's arms. And the way he looked at her threatened to make her melt on the spot.
Michael smirked. He'd always guessed his dad had a thing for Kristina's mom. That's why he always managed to stay respectful…even when Alexis was on his case.
"What?" Kristina asked in response to her brother's smile.
"Did you hear the words of the song?"
Kristina shook her head, "no."
Michael repeated the words, a mix of Spanish and English, as they played. He translated the Spanish when necessary. "Tell me my love…Tell me my love that you love me… Because you know very well, you know very well thatQue te quiero I love you. Just tell me you love me again Just tell me you love me I'm your man Say I'm your man. I'll do everything that I can I'll do everything that I baby cause you know I'm a stand by my woman man 'Cause you know I'm a stand by my woman man. I don't think that you understand I don't think that you understand. I'm more than your friend I'm more than your friend. I'm standing here girl take my handI'm standing here girl take my baby cause you know I'm a stand by my woman man"
"Could be a coincidence." Kristina continued to look at her parents confusedly.
"There are no coincidences." Molly sighed, "I think it's destiny."
As the music stopped, Sonny continued to hold Alexis in his arms. He could feel her body shaking. He desperately wanted to kiss her and he would have if the sound of his children's applause hadn't snapped him from his trance.
"I…um, we should be going." Alexis looked from Sonny to her girls. She wondered why this man still had the power to make her palms sweaty.
Sonny called out to Alexis, "So, I'll call you about the dance?" He felt like a teenager asking his girl to prom.
"Yeah, sure. Molly will give you the details. Let's go ladies." The girls hugged Sonny before they followed their Mom out of the door.
Once they were gone, Michael walked over to Sonny and patted him on the shoulder. "Maybe you can kiss her next time, Dad." He laughed at the confused look on Sonny's face. "I may be your son, but I'm a guy. And guys know." He headed upstairs.
That night at the Davis household, Molly danced around the kitchen. She grabbed Alexis's hand and began to dance with her. Alexis giggled until Molly spoke. "Mom, have I ever told you that you and Uncle Sonny remind me of Romeo and Juliet?"
"Don't start, Molly." Alexis cautioned with a smile.
Just then, Kristina ran into the kitchen and gave her mom a hug.
"Not that I'm complaining, but what's with the hug?"
"I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me for what?" Alexis racked her brain for something she had done for her daughter but she came up empty.
"Thank you for showing me that I wasn't a mistake." She kissed her mom on the cheek. "After seeing you and Dad tonight, I know that for sure."
Alexis shook her head. It was just supposed to be a simple dance between a couple of old friends, but then again she shouldn't be surprised. When it came to she and Sonny, nothing was simple.
*The song Sonny and Alexis were dancing to was called Dime Mi Amor and it's by Los Lonely Boys.
