Victory Dance

How to Make an Entrance

It was a real rarity for everyone to be stuffed into the car together.

"Louie! Stop – sitting – on – my – dress!" Eliza growled, banging her fist against Luis' leg with each word.

"'Ey! I won't have none of dat!"

There were reasons for why we were rarely stuffed in the car together. I sighed, wishing I could press my head against the window for some space as Dad trundled the car along the road, but I was forced to take the seat behind Dad's because Luis was so lanky and had to sit behind mum, where her chair was pulled up closer to the dashboard. The green, fluffy feathers on the hair pin that Nancy lent to me was clipped into the swirl of my dark, brown hair to match with the emerald green velvet swing dress. Suddenly I was wishing that I'd gotten a lift from Nancy and Michael instead now.

Louie tutted slightly, trying to close his legs more to give Eliza more space. It wasn't that he was purposefully trying to annoy her, rather that he just took up more space that he used to before. He leaned up, scooping the ruffed taffeta of Eliza's dress to pool it onto her lap before sitting himself back down with a sigh.

"We're almost there. We're going to be on our best behaviour now, aren't we everyone? No more fighting." Mum asked, dabbing her finger into her tube of red lipstick to tap it against her lips once more. Her touch-ups on her face were becoming more and more frequent the closer we got to the Hall.

"Yes, Mummy."

"I'm not a kid any more-"

"Den stop actin' like one," Dad harrumphed, leading the car down the quiet country lane to pull in towards the big farm house that the Ball was being held in. The house stood on a slight slope, shining brightly against the darkening sky. Music danced its way out towards us, becoming louder and louder as the car found its way along the dark, tree lined road to the gravelled car park.

The car engine had barely been turned off before we all clambered out, desperate to get some space. The journey was less than 15 minutes, but being cramped together like that made it feel like hours. I ran my hand down the soft velvet of the front of my dress to straighten it out, only to feel my mother's hand tug at the back of my hem to fix it for me, "There we are..." she whispered softly, before standing straight once more to look at me, "You look gorgeous, you know. There's going to be loads of fine young men here, desperate to have a dance with you. Who knows what'll happen!"

"Me," Dad muttered, taking out his cigar box to tap a cigar against it. It was as he held it between his lips, about to raise a stricken match to its end that he stopped, caught in the headlights of my mother's threatening look. The cigar was promptly replaced in its container, "Them boys ain't goin' near you."

I couldn't help but chuckle and shake my head, "I'm 24, Dad."

"'Xactly. Still a baby."

"I've had a boyfriend before-"

"Just a boy 'dat were your friend."

"-you met Jack. We were dating for two years."

"Were you married?"

"What? No! You know-"

"Den he were just your friend," My dad reiterated, heading in towards the Hall, with Liz and Luis following after.

Mum gently shook her head, a grin spreading on her face, "Just you ignore him. I'm excited to see how many boys ask you to dance!" she squealed, linking her arm with mine to lead us to the doorway.

A small table was set up near the entrance of the door, where a young man wearing his uniform was sat beside a blonde woman in a red dress. Her lips matched the colour of her dress, and the beaming smile on her face was enchanting. Everyone here was dressed up on their finery, the women like glittering gems and jewels, the men in either suave suits or in their khaki coloured uniforms, their badges and shoes shined to a shiny gloss. Children weaved in and out between legs and Eliza grinned and yanked on Mum's hand when she noticed a friend, before barrelling away when she had permission to go play whilst we stayed in the queue to get our tickets checked.