The Dance

*1*

July, 2013

Emma Leal brushed back her long chestnut hair as she looked around just outside the airport in Geneva, Switzerland. Snowcapped mountains were visible above the skyline, and she was thrilled by the amazing sights before her sparkling teal blue eyes. Pulling her tightly packed suitcase behind her, she looked for transportation from the airport to the hotel reserved for her in the neighboring town of Montreux. She still could not believe she was on this trip! As she walked toward cars for hire, she remembered the way this adventure began, back in the living room of her home in the suburb of Atlanta, Georgia where she lived.

'Girls, what are you doing!' Emma looked at her two beautiful daughters, sitting side by side across from her, wondering what their mischievous facial expressions were concealing.

'Mom, we thought about this a long time, and decided that it was time for you to take a trip. Open the box and see what we decided on!' said Mya, her brilliant Mensa member daughter with strong planning skills, smiling from ear to ear.

'No arguments, Mom, this one is from us to you!' added Marti, the daughter who took after Emma in terms of musical talent, and was much more creatively impulsive than her older sister. She handed Emma a white box tied with a big purple bow.

She opened the box to find a plane ticket, hotel reservations, and concert tickets nestled in multiple shades of purple tissue paper.

'Girls, this is too much! You have no business spending this kind of money on me!' Emma exclaimed, looking from one to the other in shock and surprise.

'Mom, it's been two years since the accident. You have faithfully held everything together for us as we dealt with the loss of Dad, and it's time for you to have some time to yourself,' Mya continued, tossing her beautiful curly long brown hair.

'Mya and I both know that it was listening to Prince that kept you from completely losing your mind, especially those first few months,' Marti added, her teal blue eyes, so like Emma's, sparkling with excitement. 'This is the ultimate Prince performance. It's the perfect opportunity for you, and we knew you wouldn't do it on your own,' she continued, sitting down on one side of Emma on the sofa in their simple living room.

'You're right; I would NEVER do something like this on my own! It's far too extravagant!' Emma countered.

Mya just grinned, her beautiful brown eyes reminding Emma so much of her late husband. 'Look, Mom,' she continued, 'we knew you'd say that, but we couldn't afford a refundable airfare, and we know you won't waste the cost of an international ticket. The concert ticket broker isn't going to refund our money for the concert tickets. So, I think you are stuck with our gift. You have a couple of months to plan what to wear, sightseeing, chocolate brands and wineries, but face it, you can't get out of this one! We really got you for your birthday this year!'

Both girls looked so proud of themselves, Emma relented. There was no point in breaking their hearts after they had put so much time and effort into this amazing, over the top gift. It had been a long, difficult span of two years, and they were starting to come out of their grief together.

Shaking her head while riding in the hired luxury car, Emma once again was amazed at the cleverness of her daughters, figuring out the perfect gift that she would never give herself. She was determined at that point to just relax and enjoy the experience the next week held for her.

The driver interrupted her reverie with a question. 'Are you a Swiss native?' He asked in perfect English, catching her eye in the rear view mirror. 'Oh, no!' Emma chuckled at the very idea, 'I'm from the southern part of the US. I'm here for the Jazz Festival. It's my first time here, and I have tickets to three concerts.'