Dancing on the Edge

"So... so you think you can tell heaven from hell," David Gilmour's voice emerged from the radio, Jack reached for the dial with the intent of changing the song, when his father said,

"don't even think about it," Jack sighed and leaned back in his seat, while his father continued driving trying to keep up with the rest of the funeral procession.

Then, Jack said, "why do you want to listen to this song? It's so depressing."

"Jack can I tell ya a story," said the father.

"Um...ok," said the son.

The year was 1986, and the Beastie boys had just released their new album License to Ill, and thought I would try it out. I turned the corner to record store and that's when it first saw her. She was wearing a summer dress with a flowery design on it. I remember finding it quite unusual that she had decided to wear a dress like that, especially because it was late November. Although Rachel was never a big fan of normality. I went into the record store, ventured over to the new releases rack, and picked up, the album. When I walked out of the store, I hoped to see her still standing there, but to my dismay, she was already gone.

It was January 23, the new semester had started last week and next week was the winter formal. Rachel was in my new health class and after three months of close encounters, I was ready to make my move. Her homeroom was two classes down from mine, I'm not a stalker or anything I was just observant. My plan, albeit not very smooth, was to 'accidentally' run into her and ask her to the winter formal. At about 7:20, I saw her veering around the corner. It was time to set my plan into action. I turned and took one-step to the left casually bumping into her shoulder.

"Oh hey" I said in the sexiest way my mouth muster up.

"Hey" said Rachel. "So... brace yourself... I'm about to ask you something weird", I said, "I know we haven't even officially met, but I was wondering if you wanted to go to the winter formal with me?"

"Ok Three things, one, you're right this was weird, two, I'm Rachel Danvers, but you already know that, and last but not least, three, before i say yes it is customary for me to ask you on a sort of pre-date in order to determine your likelihood of taking me to the winter formal." "Ok, so where would you like to go on this per-date?" "Blinky's six o'clock, don't be late the fate of our date and possibly the world depends on it.

"I seriously doubt she said that" Said jack.

"I don't lie son, I speak-eth the truth." said the father. Jack chuckled and the father continued.

The open sign hung in the window of Blinky's. The... time was six o'clock. The fluorescent glow of shun of her hair turning her usually brown locks into a symbol of patriotism.

I walked in and sat and sat down across from her and she said

"nice shirt, check... jeans, hmm... there might be an issue".

"Oh no... I..." I continued to stumble until she stopped me and said, "I shall allow it". I fumbled with the menu I was nervous and I think she picked up on it. After an hour or so of long silences followed by short bursts of conversation,

Rachel got up and said, "well this was fun", then she proceeded to leave. I don't why that struck me. She didn't even tell me if our pre-date was successful. She was so mysterious, and I loved it.

I got up to leave when the waiter stopped me, handed me a note and said

"That girl told me to give this to you". It was a folded up napkin. I walked outside and open the napkin and it read as follows,

Today you passed, the answer is yes, see you on Saturday.

It was the day of the winter ball and my mother wouldn't stop taking pictures. It was moments like that made me totally resent grandma for buying her that camera for Christmas. I wasn't very religious but, I prayed to god that she would run out of film. My prayers were not answered that day. That's when I saw her she was stepping out of her mother's car. After she waved good bye to her mother, she turned around, and that's when I got my first real look at Rachel Danvers. She was in a blue dress, but not that kind of blue that was purposefully bright and vibrant, no it's more like that kind of blue that stands out in an indescribable way.

She walked up to me and said, "hey you own something other than jeans." I smiled and said "Yeah, it's a rental."

"Cancelled, how", only twenty minutes before we had been basking in an unseasonable late January so, and now the dance was cancelled due to the threat of an oncoming winter storm.

Me and Rachel sat side by side on mothers beat up couch, silent. Then she stood up and said "We need a thrill."

"What?" I questioned. The she went on to say

"you can drive, right?"

"Yeah" i replied.

"Who cares if the dance is no more, it's still beautiful out and the threat of donger looms and dammit we need the thrill" said Rachel. Then Rachel and I got up and ran for the car.

We sat on the edge of the world, overlooking a town we called home.

"...Just two lost souls swimming in a fishbowl, year after year..." blasted from the stereo. Rachel got out of the car and

"Tonight, we dance." I'd heard that quote before, but I couldn't remember where.

"Jeff get out of the car, and dance with me".

"Why do you want to dance to this song its so depressing." I said.

Then she replied, "I don't think so." Then she grabbed my arm and we danced.

"...can you tell a green from a cold steel rail... I wish you were here. After hearing that line, I could help but think there was nowhere I wished I was except dancing on the edge with Rachel

Danvers.

Jack leaned back tears in his eyes and said

"I'm sorry I didn't know it meant that much to you". The father pulled into the grave yard and looked over at his son and then said

"Jack your mother loved you very much and I know if she had a choice she would have kept fighting, and we could have told you that story together," "The story of when I danced on the edge with your mother.