Chapter 48 : Cheers
"Your attention, please!" Hondo interrupted all the talking in the room. Buck right next to him. Street and Chris exchanged a worried look. Those two together were able of everything.
"Please listen to Buck, he has some important words to share with all of us. Promise it won't be long!"
"Thanks Hondo." Buck nodded to his friend. "Sorry to interrupt your lunch with my awful voice." Buck started to talk. "Would just like to steal some minutes of your time. I know these two there don't like the big public effusion. But I couldn't tell you some words today, kiddos. So I'll be quick. Jim, you're like a son to me. So today is a very special day. I'm like a proud daddy who is happy his son has found a great person like Chris to share his life with. And Chris, thanks for standing Jim every day. I know it can be exhausting with all his jokes."
"Oh come on Buck, they are not so bad."
"Oh yes, they are, kid, but we love you anyway!" Hondo yelled from behind.
"No kidding, Chris. I'm very glad you have found each other. You're like a rough diamond who needed to be tamed. You're a gem, one of a kind. Only you know how to handle the little guy next to you and I know you won't let him walk over you, I doubt he even tries to get on your way to be honest. I won't be any longer, just wish you all the best, kids, and thanks for letting us share this magical moment with you today!"
Hondo started to applause loudly, quickly followed by Luca and all the guests. Chris and Street blushed before applauding too and joined the move. Seeing their discomfort, Luca asked for the attention of the people.
"Hey people, who's ready for some dance moves?" He asked walking till the dancefloor. As people remained silent, he played the music and started to dance on his own. To Chris and Street's surprise, the man was really good at dancing disco!
The kids were the first to answer and to meet him on the dancefloor. Luca smiled at them and they soon imitated him. "No one else? I know there're kings and queens of the dancefloor in there! Come on, join the kids and me!"
Annie and Nichelle got up first, followed by Tan, Bonnie and Hondo. 50-Squad quickly joined the move. Diego brought Thomas with him and they all started to move on the floor.
"And the party can begin!" Luca was more than joyful. He was waiting for this to happen since the moment Chris and Street told him they were hosted a party.
While their guests were dancing, Chris and Street took the time to isolate themselves in their bubble. It was good to be here, to share moments like this with the people they cared the most about. Seeing Hondo and Luca having fun on the dancefloor, Nichelle and Annie exchanging laugh while imitating Bonnie dancing Charleston despite her big belly and Tan being in the middle and showing his moves to the kids. Even Rhokker, Chen and O'Rourke were dancing, Rodriguez showing them how not to walk on each other's feet. And what to say about Lynch and Hicks dancing in the background. Everything was so fun. Life was finally easy on them.
"Would you accept to dance with me?" Chris jumped as she heard her uncle's voice coming from her side.
"Ummmmm…"
"Chris, you could at least do this for your old uncle…" He looked at her with an imploring look on his face.
"Ok, ok. But just once…You know I'm not a dance lover, even more in public."
"As a cute remembering of your quinceanera…"
"Oh what was that?" Street asked with curiosity.
"The party for any 15-year-old girl!" Elena suddenly appeared behind her husband. "You should have seen her. Refusing to wear the traditional puffed-out dress. Putting her black and white suit instead. Already strong-headed and willing to change the patriarchal custom."
"Have you any pics, I need to see young Chris against the system!"
"Come home next time you're off, I'll show you."
"Auntie!" Chris tried to kick up.
"Your husband needs to know how vindictive you already were then. And also already cute. You tell me when you can come, Jim, and I'll prepare you the pics and also quesadillas you love so much."
"That's a deal!" Jim announced proudly.
Chris blushed as she listened to her auntie telling the story of her quinceanera. She looked up at her uncle and took his hand. Better tried to cloud the issue to be safe. Maybe Jim could forget about this story. She doubted about it, he had an excellent memory. But she had to try.
"I owe you a dance apparently." She announced abruptly, handing her hand to Sarzo. Before her uncle could answer, they were already on the dancefloor. A slow music. Nothing crazy. Just her and her uncle following the rhythm and Chris smiling at Sarzo while he was talking to her. The image made Street smile on his own.
"You thought you were gonna get out of this without a dance?" Elena handed her hand to Street, still seated on his chair. "Get up, young man, time to make an old woman happy!"
"You won't be happy in two seconds when I will crush your poor feet. I'm a poor dancer!"
"You won't scare me like this!"
"Warned you. But if you insist."
Street got up and followed Elena up to the dancefloor where she taught him some moves. "You're not so bad after all!"
"Kind of you, Elena. But I feel I'm like a bull in a China shop right now."
"No, stop thinking like this, just follow the rhythm and don't walk over my feet and that'll be perfect!"
Street tried his hardest to apply Elena's advice. And it worked at his greatest surprise. "You see you were not this bad. In fact, you just didn't want to dance."
"Let's say, I've never had the occasion to practice… Not really in my family, you know the drama, my dad, my mom…"
"Forget about this, you have one now and I'm determined to teach you dancing. Among other things."
"Like?" He let out a smirking. He really loved Auntie Elena. She reminded him of the mom he would have loved to have when he was a kid.
"You'll know soon. For now, focus on your feet!"
Chris looked from her place the scene in front of her. She loved the fact that Street had been so well accepted into her family. "You're glowing, hira."
"Thanks, Uncle Sarzo. You're not so bad yourself."
"No kidding, Chrissy. You seem in a good place right now. It's good to see you like this."
She pouted at him. Yes, she was. And she planned to remain her as long as possible.
[…]
Finally, Street remained on the dancefloor. It was as if Auntie Elena had woken up the beast in him. He danced for hours. Had fun with Tan, imitating the Blues Brothers and dancing Footloose. Chris had left the floor for already some times and looked at him from her chair. He was dancing with the kids, taking some of them in his arms from time to time, making turning them and fainting to be drunk to make them laugh. She let out a sigh of relief. She was finally at a good place.
"Hey gorgeous!" She turned and saw Luca just behind her.
"Hey Luca." She answered softly.
"Not coming with us?"
"Oh no, thanks. Dancing is not really my thing. But I enjoy looking at you all!" He turned to see Street facing Tan, Diego and Thomas in an improvised moonwalk contest. And those are having enough fun for all of us." She laughed watching at her cousins defying the team Tan and Street composed.
"Nice to see you smile, Chris."
She smiled and nodded. Compliments were definitively not something she could handle easily. "Thanks Luca. Let's say I'm in a good place. It helps to feel fine."
"This goofy kid up there needs to take good care of you… Unless it's the contrary?"
She snorted. "Let's conclude it's a common goal. He brings me comfort and peace of mind while I bring him reason and concreteness. It's a win win."
"So win win fits great on both of you." She smiled shyly at him. It did. Today reminded her of how she was glad she had at one point said "screw the rules" and embraced her feelings for Jim she had pushed away for so long. Some people said you couldn't have the cake and ate it. They were wrong. You could have everything if you fought for them as hard as you could.
"What's next now?" Luca asked, a little curious and intrigued by the answer.
"To be honest, Luca, neither Jim or I have any idea of where we are going. We just go. Till now fate has not been so bad for us. Let's keep hope it keeps that way." She answered, a large grin on her face. She was happy and nothing else mattered at the moment.
[…]
The day spent fast. It was as if time sped up to finally slow down in the late night. All was dark outside. Sun had gone down for a few hours already and Chris was feeling cold while watching at Tan, Bonnie, Hondo, Nichelle, Deac and Annie having fun on the dance floor.
"You're ok, you're shivering…" Jim asked worried, rubbing her back with his hand.
"Yes, yes. Just a little cold. I should go and take my sweat. No hard feeling if I put a sweat on my skirt and swapped my sandals for sneakers?"
"Hmmmmm, maybe a little but I've already some ideas for you to make you forget."
"Ah ah ah, ok so let's start talking about the awful socks you're hiding there…"
"What socks?"
"Stop making the innocent with me, Jim. I know you better, I've got eyes everywhere. The ones with the talking avocadoes." She pointed his shoes with her finger.
He started to laugh. "How do you know?"
"I do know, that's all. So if I tolerate them, so you can with my sweat and my sneakers… You will take everything out later anyway…"
Before he could answer, she was gone. He enjoyed watching his wife walking across the room. With a goofy, idiotic smile on his face. This body, the way she moved into space…
"Hey Street!" He jumped and turned to see it was Deac talking to him. "Sorry for scaring you! Didn't mean to."
"No it's Ok, just…"
"Your mind was busy somewhere else." Deac let out a shy laugh.
"Yes." Street confessed like a shameful teenager, blushing.
"Nothing to be ashamed of, Jim. You've got a beautiful wife. I'm still looking at mine this way and we've been married for 15 years now. You will never get tired of it, believe me."
He quickly eyed at Annie dancing with Bonnie and Nichelle on the dancefloor.
"I wish we will share what you have with Annie."
"Seeing at the way you look at Chris, I've no doubt, you will!"
"Thanks, Deac. Means a lot coming from you… You're like a father figure to her… And also to me…"
"You're assuming, I'm that old?!" Deac pretended to be shocked. Street laughed at the view.
"Let's just say we both have a lot of respect for you and the life you've been building with Annie, at SWAT…."
"You know how to nurture me, kid." Deac snorted. "But never forget that if you hurt her, I'll come after you like the good dad I'm!"
Street snickered before lowering his head. "You know I could never do this to Chris…"
Deac got up from the chair and tapped Street's shoulder. "I do know this, kid but a little warning is never a bad thing. You'll understand if you have kids. And now if you excuse me, I've to go to see Annie, she's waving at me right now."
Deac rushed to meet Annie and let Street alone at the table.
"Miss me?"
"Hey, you're back. Stunning at always!"
"Stop making fun of me, Long Beach. When you have to choose between cosy and warm or being sexy but chill to the marrow, you always choose the first option!"
He laughed in silence. She was totally right. Being warm was always the best option. One more reason he was blessed she had chosen him to spend her life with. He grabbed her hand as he got up from his chair and faced her. Her faces were just a few inches from each other.
"I've one request." Jim announced.
"I'm all ears."
"Dance with me. The party is almost over, only some friends are still here. Most of them are already at home and…"
"Yes."
"You don't even let me finish my argumentation…" He teased her, pressing her hand and taking her to the dancefloor.
"Other side" by Aloe Blacc was playing. He placed his arms along her down back and brought her to his. She embraced his waist and put her head over his chest. He lost his face in her hair. And they let the music lead them for the next minutes.