Read Online Lieutenant (An Ell Donsaii story #3) by Laurence Dahners - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Laurence Dahners
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over to a table. She moved smoothly with a fluid grace. He thought to himself, that girl’s a dancer.
Ell pulled out a chair at a table but Amy said, “Oh, no! We’ve got to sit near the dance floor,” she raised an eyebrow, “so the boys’ll know we want to dance.”
“We do?” Ell asked, not sure whether she queried the table location, or their desire to dance. She’d only danced a few times in her life, and those times were slow dances with people she knew pretty well. She really didn’t feel like she knew how to dance.
“We do.” Amy responded definitively, without making it clear whether she spoke of the location or the dancing either.
While they ate their Mexican food a band warmed up on the stage, then began playing. The music was fast, bluesy and pleasant. Ell found her foot tapping to the beat. Out on the dance floor a few people wandered out and begun dancing in a variety of styles. A small group of five was doing some kind of line dance. One couple whirled around the floor and several other couples seemed to be freestyling whatever movements they felt like to the beat. She wondered what in the world she would do should a man actually come and ask her to dance? She would be terribly embarrassed if he expected to whirl around the floor like that one couple—Ell had no idea how to do such a dance.
Ell had wolfed her burrito down and sat entranced, watching the dance floor. When Amy finished her tacos, she cleared the food off their table and carried it to a bin. Returning she saw a handsome young man bend down near Ell and ask her something. Ell drew back, looking panicked and shaking her head. The young man stood, shrugged and moved on. Amy sat back down and said over the music, “What just happened there?”
“He wanted to dance!” Ell said in astonishment.
Well, of course he did. This is a dance place. You’re sitting near the dance floor. Why aren’t you out there dancing with him right now?”
Ell looked stricken, “I don’t know how!”
Amy laughed, “Well then, just tell the young man that he’ll need to teach you. He would have loved that.”
“He would not!”
“Ell, Ell, Ell. He would much rather have taught you to dance than have been ‘shot down’ asking you to dance.” Amy leaned closer, “I’ll let you in on a little secret. Most of these guys don’t really know how to dance either. They’re just here to meet girls.” She leaned back and raised her eyebrows as if she had just revealed a shocking secret. “Especially pretty ones like you.”
Ell looked embarrassed again. “I hadn’t thought of how it would seem to him if I said ‘no.’ I’m sorry.”
“Well don’t tell me you’re sorry, go tell the guy. He’s standing over there with his buddy trying to pretend his feelings aren’t hurt.”
Ell buried her face in her hands, “Oh, I can’t do that!”
Amy thought she saw a blush leaking out around Ell’s hands despite her skin bronzer. “Hah! Momma Amy’s gonna to take care of you. First, we’re going to go join that line dance, then later you can apologize to the guy that asked you to dance.” She tugged on Ell’s arm until she got up and they walked across the floor to the small group of line dancers. They were now seven in number.
Ell found herself at the end of one of the lines. The group had three men and, with Ell and Amy, six women. The steps they were making looked complicated but actually were relatively simple and repetitive so Ell, with her phenomenal mind-body coordination, quickly learned them and danced along. Then she noticed the more accomplished girls putting extra twitches and shimmies into their routines which Ell copied too. Amy, still struggling to get the steps right, shouted over at her, “I thought you didn’t know how to dance?”
Embarrassed, Ell shrugged, “I learn pretty quickly.” Looking out over the dance floor she saw the dark haired guy who’d asked her to dance whirling around the floor with another
Ell pulled out a chair at a table but Amy said, “Oh, no! We’ve got to sit near the dance floor,” she raised an eyebrow, “so the boys’ll know we want to dance.”
“We do?” Ell asked, not sure whether she queried the table location, or their desire to dance. She’d only danced a few times in her life, and those times were slow dances with people she knew pretty well. She really didn’t feel like she knew how to dance.
“We do.” Amy responded definitively, without making it clear whether she spoke of the location or the dancing either.
While they ate their Mexican food a band warmed up on the stage, then began playing. The music was fast, bluesy and pleasant. Ell found her foot tapping to the beat. Out on the dance floor a few people wandered out and begun dancing in a variety of styles. A small group of five was doing some kind of line dance. One couple whirled around the floor and several other couples seemed to be freestyling whatever movements they felt like to the beat. She wondered what in the world she would do should a man actually come and ask her to dance? She would be terribly embarrassed if he expected to whirl around the floor like that one couple—Ell had no idea how to do such a dance.
Ell had wolfed her burrito down and sat entranced, watching the dance floor. When Amy finished her tacos, she cleared the food off their table and carried it to a bin. Returning she saw a handsome young man bend down near Ell and ask her something. Ell drew back, looking panicked and shaking her head. The young man stood, shrugged and moved on. Amy sat back down and said over the music, “What just happened there?”
“He wanted to dance!” Ell said in astonishment.
Well, of course he did. This is a dance place. You’re sitting near the dance floor. Why aren’t you out there dancing with him right now?”
Ell looked stricken, “I don’t know how!”
Amy laughed, “Well then, just tell the young man that he’ll need to teach you. He would have loved that.”
“He would not!”
“Ell, Ell, Ell. He would much rather have taught you to dance than have been ‘shot down’ asking you to dance.” Amy leaned closer, “I’ll let you in on a little secret. Most of these guys don’t really know how to dance either. They’re just here to meet girls.” She leaned back and raised her eyebrows as if she had just revealed a shocking secret. “Especially pretty ones like you.”
Ell looked embarrassed again. “I hadn’t thought of how it would seem to him if I said ‘no.’ I’m sorry.”
“Well don’t tell me you’re sorry, go tell the guy. He’s standing over there with his buddy trying to pretend his feelings aren’t hurt.”
Ell buried her face in her hands, “Oh, I can’t do that!”
Amy thought she saw a blush leaking out around Ell’s hands despite her skin bronzer. “Hah! Momma Amy’s gonna to take care of you. First, we’re going to go join that line dance, then later you can apologize to the guy that asked you to dance.” She tugged on Ell’s arm until she got up and they walked across the floor to the small group of line dancers. They were now seven in number.
Ell found herself at the end of one of the lines. The group had three men and, with Ell and Amy, six women. The steps they were making looked complicated but actually were relatively simple and repetitive so Ell, with her phenomenal mind-body coordination, quickly learned them and danced along. Then she noticed the more accomplished girls putting extra twitches and shimmies into their routines which Ell copied too. Amy, still struggling to get the steps right, shouted over at her, “I thought you didn’t know how to dance?”
Embarrassed, Ell shrugged, “I learn pretty quickly.” Looking out over the dance floor she saw the dark haired guy who’d asked her to dance whirling around the floor with another
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