Partially based on the song by Connie Francis.
Finally, after getting his parents to come round to the idea, Timothy Turner was dressing up ready for his first dance.
Now aged eighteen, and standing at nearly six foot, he still felt the urge to hug his parents his thanks before running to the door announcing they would be late if they didn't get a move on.
It had been agreed that Tim could be trusted to go the dance by himself, and young Angela could stay with a friend for the night. Patrick and Shelagh wanted to take the opportunity to spend the evening alone together. Although they wanted to have a quiet night out, Shelagh decided tonight would be the right time to try out some new lipstick that Trixie had suggested to her. A subtle tone of red, which Patrick certainly seemed intent on taking back off when he saw her in their bedroom before they left.
Soon, Timothy had been dropped off at the community centre. Shelagh couldn't hide the tears as they fell from her eyes, and Patrick discreetly wiped his damp cheeks with his coat sleeve. After dropping Angela off to Mrs Morton, they headed for the fish and chip shop along the seafront and settled on a wooden bench overlooking part of the harbour.
"Do you think he'll be alright?" Shelagh whispered into her empty newspaper.
"I think he'll be fine," Patrick answered light-heartedly "You know what it's like at a dance! He'll be swinging a young woman round the dance floor by now!"
He turned to smile at her, but he caught the troubled expression upon her face.
"My love, what's wrong?"
She turned to face him. "I've never been to one before."
He face washed over with seriousness.
"You've never been?"
"No" She answered softly.
How could no one have taken such a beautiful woman out dancing? He thought to himself. Obviously, he knew that as a nun she wouldn't have been, but surely she did before she joined the order?
"You should have said. We could have all gone" He placed a hand over her tightly clasped ones sitting in her lap.
"No," She pursed her lips gently in thought for a second, "Timothy deserves a night without us around." Her lips upturned slightly upwards. "You'd embarrass him too much anyway"
"Me? Embarrass my son? I don't believe I would even consider such a thing!" He had broken the dam, her full beam reflected back his own.
He reached over a placed a soft kiss upon her lips, ignoring the soft gasp from her.
"You really are beautiful you know" He told her, his eyes shining with adoration, yet serious, "Any man would be lucky to have you on his arm to a dance."
She didn't answer him vocally. Instead, she moved her body toward his and placed her head on his shoulder, kissing his cheek.
He lifted her chin to capture her lips once more, moved them softly over hers and sighing gently as their tongues touched.
He became more and more unrestrained with his kisses and gradually moved to her temple, cheeks, and neck.
Shelagh had said all those years ago that she was a bold girl, yet, this was something she had always been afraid of- showing affection for her husband in public. Tonight, she would be bold and do exactly that. She started to place kisses of her own on his face, mirroring his own actions. He stopped his placement of lips on her and shut his eyes, trying to remember how each kiss felt.
She searched out his neck. Placing kiss after kiss upon the soft skin. Without realizing, the lipstick she had worn, had made it's way onto the top of part of his collar.
Gradually, she slowed down and turned her attention back to his lips. They continued their sensory conversation until air was finally needed, and they both pulled back gently. On their faces they wore grins that could light up the bleakest sky.
"We should get going" Patrick looked at his watch, it was already coming up for half past ten, they were due to pick up Timothy any moment now.
"I've been waiting ages!" Timothy moaned when his parents finally pulled up in the car, almost fifteen minutes later than the agreed time.
"I know. It's my fault." Patrick tried to explain, but the blush he could feel creeping up his skin told himself that he should say no more.
Timothy sat himself in the back seat and leaned forward slightly to get a better look at his father's neck.
"Dad, what's that on your collar? How can you drop tomato ketchup there? I know I'm a messy eater, but even I can't do that!" He asked innocently, unaware of the quick look Shelagh gave Patrick's collar and the sudden fierce colour on both of their cheeks.
"Urr… Nothing Tim. So how did it go?" Patrick hoped that he could keep his son distracted from the obvious source of the stain.