The Henderson Journals

by The-Suburban-Guy

These are the logs of Michael Henderson, resident of Vault 72 and later founding member of the "Douglas Vault" settlement. They detail his life within the Vault, as well as some of the founding and growth of the settlement following the return to the surface. This story is intended to fit within the Fallout canon, filling in some of the gaps in Pennsylvania's post-war history.

72. Dancing

Entry 71: "Dancing" 9.18.80

I may have already mentioned this, but I believe it bears repeating: I am a total klutz. I have two left feet when it comes to most things, and dancing is no exception. When I was a kid my mom signed me up for "Young Gentlemen's Academy" after school. It was where me and a bunch of other ten year olds all were stuck in a room together for two hours learning proper etiquette and chivalry. Next door was the same thing, but for girls. Most of it wasn't too bad, learning how to eat properly with silverware, where to walk when with a woman, how to speak properly and give a good handshake-all decent stuff. But where I struggled was with dancing.

Remember how I said the girls were next door learning the same stuff? The only reason I know that is because of the dance practices. Once a week-usually Thursdays-they'd have us all line up on opposite sides of a room and pair up to learn dances. None of the boys particularly liked dancing except for Sherman Woodword-but he always was a bit weird-and the worst part of it was having to properly stay in step.

This was all before we moved here, back when we lived more towards my grandparents. Thankfully no one here knows about that except for Nora. But despite my assertions to the contrary she thinks it's fun to dance-and if there's something I've learned over the last few months it's that you don't deny a pregnant woman what she wants, especially if you're married to her. I admit, while I'm not great at dancing, having her lean her head on my shoulder as we sway back and forth is nice. So for now I'll deal with it.