Chapter Fifty-Four
"Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time to eat! And it won't be long till I'm back up here telling you it's time to dance! But first our Dinner! Let's gather hands and pray…"
Everyone took a hand from those standing closest and bowed their heads as Bill led in a community prayer.
"Dear Heavenly Father, we are so very blessed to gather as a Community tonight. You have richly blessed us over the years, and You are continuing to bless us with the addition of these new Hope Valley Citizens. We ask that You bless their efforts, both personally and professionally, and help each of them to find the life they are seeking right here in our little town. We pray that You will teach those of us who are already here to be open and supportive of our new friends. And we pray that You will bind us together in love as only You can do! We thank You for every single person who is here tonight. We thank You for the food that has been brought and set before us. We ask that You bless it for the nourishment of our bodies, as we also ask that You please bless our Fellowship together tonight, we pray in Your Name, Amen!"
And the entire town of Hope Valley together, said a resounding "Amen!"
Taleisha had tears in her eyes as she came up to Nathan, "Now look at what you've made me go do, crying like a baby!"
He hugged her and she whispered, "Thank you, Nathan! I wouldn't have missed this for the world! And if it hadn't been for you, I would have!"
He smiled back at her and then led her and her family to come sit with them, the Coulters, the soon to be Lathams, Nathaniel, and Bill.
The conversation that followed around their long table was filled with happiness, excitement, and the feeling of belonging to something bigger than themselves.
Lee was thrilled to finally meet Nathaniel, and he wasn't disappointed in the slightest!
Nathaniel was anxious to meet Trevon to welcome him to the community, "Trevon, could I twist your arm to come to my ranch sometime soon and look at some of our equipment? We're having trouble with quite a few of the machines, so it would probably take a whole day. You name your price and if it's something you're interested in doing, I'd really appreciate the help."
Trevon was thrilled about this unexpected opportunity. He hadn't thought about making rounds to the various farms and ranches to help them on site with their mechanical issues. They settled on a date, made their arrangements, and then shook on them.
'Wow! This could be a whole new direction for the Business. Should have thought of this one, myself!' thought Trevon.
Rosemary and Lee were still in shock that their Son had announced their pregnancy to everyone, but they both were thrilled to have received all the good wishes, and they were quickly adjusting to the fact their new baby was no longer a secret between them!
Elizabeth couldn't help but laugh, and she quickly confided to Lee, "Lee, for future reference, a child Frederic's age is much more likely to tell something, if you tell him it's a secret than if you don't!"
"Oh, Elizabeth, I'll never learn all this! This parenting stuff is hard!" and everyone at the table had to laugh at Lee's dismay, especially the other parents.
When they finally felt stuffed, they still all took time to eat their desserts, and after that, Bill excused himself to go back to his role as Emcee. But as he started to leave the table, he tapped both Aaron and Nathan on the shoulder, who both quietly got up and followed him. Elizabeth and Felicity were surprised. They gave each other a questioning look, but both wondered what their men were going to be doing. Neither had any idea what was going on!
Instead of making an announcement, Bill helped hand Nathan his guitar from behind the Bar and reached even deeper for Aaron's Bass Fiddle. Apparently, Bill's 'Boys' were going to accompany him, because everyone knew the Judge could sing. But by this time Hickam and his Brass Band were filing in behind the bar and the Mounties. No one could quite figure out what was happening…
Finally, everything got completely quiet.
Suddenly Nathan started strumming his Guitar which melodiously penetrated the silence, while Aaron soon strummed in on his Bass. Hickam's men soon joined in after Aaron, and Bill took his microphone. He began singing the words to the song "Play a Simple Melody," (11*) taking the lead. He sang the first verse and when he finished singing it, he started singing it all over again. And at the exact same time, Nathan started singing the second verse in a contrasting melody, with a rich tenor voice. The two men repeated their individual stanzas sung together, twice, then Aaron joined in on the third round singing in a beautiful baritone with Bill, which left Nathan continuing on his own with the contrasting melody of the second stanza in his resonating tenor.
Their harmony was unbelievable and although they were singing "Play a Simple Melody," (12*) there was nothing simple about their music at all. It was complex, fun, harmonious, and totally full of ragtime rhythm all at the same time, and the men literally brought the house down.
When they finished, everyone was yelling, "Encore!" "Sing it again!" "Once more!" and so the men sang the whole song over, making it a little faster…
Play a Simple Melody (Vocal)
Won't you play some simple melody
Like my mother sang to me
One with a good old-fashioned harmony
Play some simple melody
Musical demon, set your honey a-dreamin',
Won't you play me some rag
Just change that classical nag to some sweet beautiful drag
If you will play from a copy of a tune
That is choppy you'll get all my applause
And that is simply because I wanna listen to rag
Play for me
That good old-fashioned harmony
Oh, won't you play for me
A simple melody
Play from a copy of a tune that is choppy
You'll get all of my applause because
I wanna rag it
Ragtime melody (13*)
The townspeople roared in their applause and they were absolutely elated with their singing Mounties!
But they wanted more…
So, the men started singing their round a third time, and this time people got up to dance to the music while they were singing, which meant they had to sing the song twice through again.
When Judge Avery and his Mounties finally finished, the applause went wild, and the men were musically exhausted, but boy had it been fun!
Elizabeth ran to Nathan and Felicity ran to Aaron shocked and ecstatic over the musical performance they had just been given by the men they loved.
"Nathan, why didn't you all tell us? It was phenomenal! You did so great!" Elizabeth couldn't believe what she had just heard from her normally quiet Nathan.
"We wanted to surprise you!" and Nathan took her hand and brought it to his lips to kiss.
"You definitely accomplished that!" proclaimed Felicity
"That was a ton of fun!" said Aaron. "Now we're going to have to find more songs!"
"You've got that right!" concurred Bill. "Why, we might even have to go Pro! Mountie Ball here we come…"
"Wait a minute…let's not get ahead of ourselves," reminded Nathan, ever the humble one of the group. "I don't think the Mountie Ball needs us to sing. Let's just keep this thing local for now."
"Oops, got to go officially open the Dance Floor!"
And as usual, Nathan got no confirmation Bill had heard anything he had said. In fact, everyone knew Bill had this habit of hearing only what he wanted to hear, and then he could hear a whisper clear across a crowded room, not even meant for him!
Back to his Center Stage, the Emcee went, "Ladies and Gentlemen, the Dance Floor is officially open." And the band started playing a Waltz.
"Mrs. Thornton, may I have this dance?"
"Yes, you may…"
Nathan took her hand and led his Elizabeth to the Dance Floor, and in seconds they were lost in each other's arms.
"You just keep surprising me..."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"Oh, my Darling, that's a very good thing!"
Elizabeth found herself inching closer and closer to Nathan. He just smiled and tightened his hold on her. They were oblivious to everyone else, as they only had eyes for each other. Unknown to them, there were many other couples on the Dance Floor.
The audience sitting on the sidelines couldn't help but notice the grace and fluidity in which this particular couple moved across the Floor. They danced as one person, and it was as though they had danced a lifetime together. Although everyone knew they were a brand new couple, and most thought this was probably the first time they were dancing together. Of course, there was no way they could know about the two dancing once before, in a cabin in the woods. But that was only once, and what Nathan and Elizabeth had together, even on the Dance Floor, was a very rare thing to see, and indeed, a sheer pleasure to watch.
Elizabeth only knew she was home in Nathan's arms, and she had never been so proud or felt so happy.
When the song ended, they stayed standing, ready for the next song and their next dance. They danced the night away together, completely alone, totally lost in each other.
At one point, Rosemary reached over to Lee and said, "Lee, look at that! Nathan can really dance! I think I'll cut in…"
And she stood up to do just that, but Lee stopped her, "Rosie, this is their night, Elizabeth's night. This is their first Dance to attend together. There will be plenty of other nights to dance with Nathan. But, I do know a man who is deliriously in love with the Mother of his child and soon to be children, and he would adore a dance with her…"
"Oh, Lee! Let's go…"
And Lee led his Rosie to the Dance Floor.
There were a lot of other happy couples on that Dance Floor, too.
But there was a particular focus tonight on the two newly or soon to be newly engaged couples who were new to Hope Valley.
Aaron and Felicity were thoroughly enjoying being in each other's arms, as were Lucas and Sophie.
Each couple had their own special love between them, each had their own set of unique dreams and desires, and each couple would live a lifestyle together that was individually suited to them. All of that would play out here in this little town of Hope Valley.
One couple had come together in a very conventional manner building a friendship first, the other couple had fallen madly in love at first sight and even married under very unconventional circumstances.
One couple purchased a farm, while the other couple planned to live in the busyness of the town.
One couple wanted children quickly, while the other couple was unsure if they wanted children at all, but they knew they wanted to wait and focus solely on each other instead, for the present.
One couple's finances appeared to be meager, but weren't at all, while the other couple's finances appeared to be full and overflowing, but weren't exactly as full as they needed to be at the moment.
One couple enjoyed the little things in life, while the other couple enjoyed the bigger things life had to offer.
One couple was bringing a new Bookstore to Hope Valley, while the other couple was bringing a new Millinery Shoppe.
Both couples via the men were already serving the Community, one in Business, the other in Law Enforcement.
But things were always different, and never exactly as they seemed. That held true for marriages, too.
Oh, the profound wisdom that could be tapped this very night in this very room!
But when you're young, do you even realize that?
The married couples of Hope Valley would gladly offer their advice if only they were asked.
"When starting out on the difficult path of marriage," they'd say, "just take three things along with you on your journey - a deep abiding love for each other, a firm commitment to your marriage and each other, and a promise to bring some degree of happiness to each other each and every single day – then you will be fairly well equipped to navigate the murky waters and experience success as a couple, no matter who you are, what your background is or the circumstances you find yourself in."
Their collective wisdom was sitting there free for the taking, and it wouldn't have been bad advice at all, for these were truly universal requirements for a successful marriage. In fact, it would have been great advice, if asked and taken.
The mature couples of Hope Valley knew from experience and without any doubt, that the rewards of marriage, although perhaps different for each couple, would most certainly pay in endless dividends for years to come when the entity of marriage was respected, and successfully navigated.
But they also knew that most young couples don't realize in that first stage of besotted love, that the marriage they are committing to, so sacrosanct, is almost a separate living entity, along with each individual. And that Marriage component has to be fed, nurtured, and loved, just as each Husband and Wife have to be, in order for all three to not just survive, but thrive.
The summation of Marriage: an ordinance provided by God, uniting a man and a woman to spend their life together as one body…within this body of Marriage.
As exciting as engagements are and as similar as certain aspects look – the ring, the rehearsal dinner, the Bachelor's Party, the Bride's Party, the Wedding rehearsal, even the Wedding ceremony - Marriage is bound to look very different for each of our couples.
But each Marriage also holds the potential to be successful, based on those differences, which in itself is amazing.
And with these two couples starting their journeys, it would be interesting to see how their differences would lead to their own unique brand of success.
The Dancers had finally left the Dance Floor to sit and listen to a piano recital of sorts provided by Laila.
There may have been many things Laila couldn't see, but she didn't need to see the keys of the big old piano sitting before her, for she and the piano were truly one, and she knew how to make it talk and say things it had never said before!
Laila was lost in her music, allowing her fingers to fly over and caress the black and white keys, creating magical tones that pounced out gloriously into the huge room, creating melodies the likes of which their listeners had never heard before!
The Queen of Hearts had never heard anything like it either, and the townspeople of Hope Valley sat mesmerized, wondering how it was possible for such a small girl, so young, to have such command over this massive, imposing instrument.
The passion that was oozing from this piano's keys at her commanding touch was a glorious thing to partake of.
Suddenly, Hickam's Brass Band gathered their instruments and took their places close to Laila as she continued to play.
Taleisha jumped up and came over to Elizabeth, "Elizabeth, so sorry, but I need to borrow Nathan!"
"I heard he promised you a dance! You two go for it!"
"Oh, no! You're not getting off that easy? Elizabeth, may I have this dance…" Trevon had a very mischievous smile on his face, but he didn't look like he was going to accept no for an answer!
'But, I'm not that good…"
"You're plenty good enough! Let's show these two they aren't the only ones who can dance!"
The two couples went to the Dance Floor with two of the pairs having no idea what they were in for, but they were game for just about anything…at least Nathan and Elizabeth would do their best for their new dance partners!
The Brass Band started playing along with Laila at the piano, and talk about a tempo…
She started out with a little Foxtrot music and the Band followed.
And with these first few steps, there was no doubt in Nathan's and Elizabeth's minds Taleisha and Trevon could dance! Expertly!
Tonight, now was all about Ragtime…
First, the notes flowed seamlessly into music more suitable for the Charleston. Nathan knew the steps just not as quickly as Taelisha, but somehow he kept up enough so it wasn't horribly obvious.
Poor Elizabeth had never danced the Charleston in her Cotillion days, so this was totally new to her, but Trevon was a good teacher.
Their dancing was quick, with a Ragtime beat, and the two couples were having a ton of fun out there, even not fully knowing what they were doing.
But just as quickly, the music and their dancing morphed into something called the Cakewalk. Now, this was a dance both Elizabeth and Nathan knew which surprised their partners.
From the Cakewalk, both couples moved seamlessly into the Boogie Woogie, a form of Swing Dance with Laila playing syncopated Blues on the piano. The dance was a six-beat pattern cued as a tri-ple step, tri-ple step, step, step, with the 'tri' and the 'ple' taking one beat and 'step' taking a whole beat.
Nathan sure wasn't going to have to worry about any physical exercise this weekend, he was getting it in spades, and Taleisha loved it. She was barely breaking a sweat! This Lady could dance! Boy, was she good! And Trevon wasn't half bad either!
Then the couples broke into a modified swing, with the men spinning their partners.
That was finally and most thankfully followed by a return to the Foxtrot, which by now everyone was feeling completely comfortable with!
There had been scattered applause throughout their dancing and not one person dared to get on the floor with them for those fancy steps! But now the townspeople erupted in applause and hoots, and they started coming to the Dance Floor themselves to join for the last dance of the night, a Foxtrot. That, they could manage. They all figured if they could dance the waltz in 3:4 rhythm, they could dance the foxtrot in 4:4 rhythm.
Taleisha took Nathen, her partner, to Elizabeth and Trevon and the couples switched dance partners as everyone gathered with them.
The dance was beautiful, with a smooth, progressive counterclockwise movement by the couples across the Dance Floor and it wasn't long before all the couples were dancing in a long continuous flow with each other.
This Foxtrot was the last dance of the night and it was a beautiful thing to be a part of.
"I love you, Darling," Nathan whispered in Elizabeth's ear.
"I love you, Darling!" she whispered back.
What a night!
All of Hope Valley was revived and excited about what was to come…
(11*-13*) Irving Berlin, "Play a Simple Melody," from the Musical "Watch Your Step," 1914, Public Domain