Inheritance

Chapter Five. First Dance

Chapter Five 

First Dance 

Rachel and Cynthia arrived at the Coronation Hall just before nine, resigned to the fact that there would be very little action until the pubs closed at ten thirty. The only males present in the dance hall were teetotallers, those too nervous to risk underage drinking, and the seriously attached. Dance partners were not forthcoming, so Cynthia and Rachel, like so many other girls, took to the floor to try out the moves they had practiced for hours in front of bedroom mirrors. They were rocking to an Everly Brothers medley when Rachel spotted John. He was alone. 

He looked immaculate, but morose. He was wearing his charcoal grey suit, a gleaming white shirt, and a tasteful black tie with diagonal cherry stripes chosen to match his favourite waistcoat. The brightness of the vest was in stark contrast to his complexion. The usual ruddy countenance had paled. Maybe it was in some way related to the large Elastoplast that covered the upper part of his forehead, just below the hairline. Something was wrong. For almost an hour, he sat slumped in a seat at the edge of the dance floor seemingly staring into space oblivious to the couples twirling on the dance floor. From time to time, he would purse his lips and exhale in an exaggerated fashion, presumably to release some inner tension.  

Rachel felt she just had to talk to him, but didn't have the nerve to just walk up and start a conversation. 

"Cynthia, we're going to have the next jive and for once you are going to be the male lead," said Rachel, her tone allowing no argument. 

"No problem." 

The dance was announced and as the two girls moved on to the dance floor Rachel was elated to hear the opening strains of "In the Mood." Now she could really show her stuff. 

She led Cynthia to a space directly in front of a slumping John and positioned herself so that during the dance she would be predominantly in his view. Throughout the performance, she frequently glanced in his direction hoping to see a responsive smile, all to no avail. He didn't seem to notice, even when during one rather overaggressive turn her skirt flared to reveal a little too much thigh. In a last desperate bid to gain his attention, she ended the dance with a well-rehearsed but still painful split, greeted with tumultuous applause from the other dancers. As she was helped to her feet, Rachel glanced over at John. He was gently clapping, and the infectious smile that she so adored brightened his face. He saw Rachel looking at him, raised his prominent eyebrows and gave her a thumbs up sign. She was delirious.  

The euphoria was temporary. Dance followed dance, the dance hall filled, but John remained immobile. Even his closest friends, after an initial surprised greeting, were steering clear of him. Rachel so wanted to cheer him up. Soon her chance would come. It was almost time for the customary Ladies Choice.  

Ten minutes before the scheduled eleven o'clock dance she made her way to the powder room and there made final preparations. She could do little with her hair; the straight blonde tresses could never be induced to bear a curl so she always wore it in a low maintenance pageboy cut. Her eyebrows and eyelashes were so fair as to be almost invisible, but this did not diminish the allure of her smoky grey eyes. Hours of work on the farm had given her a well-tanned complexion, and arms and shoulders that were a little too muscular for her liking. She had covered these with a long sleeved blue blouse that seemed to be well coordinated with a navy blue skirt and her very first pair of high-heeled shoes. It took only a couple of minutes for Rachel to freshen lipstick, make her nylons wrinkle free, loosen the top buttons of her blouse and spray the base of her neck with mother's favourite perfume. She then returned to the dance hall and took up position directly behind John.