— music from the future —
September 23rd, 1937
AS IF THE tree was trying to make up for only allowing her two days in 1937, it called her back a week and two days later.
Coincidentally, she was making herself a sandwich for dinner when she felt the call, and briefly wondered if her making sandwiches was the trigger.
She went through the same motions she did the last time she was called—informed Hester, fed Ajay another phony lie about having to go to America to visit her sick grandma, texted Patricia with the truth, assembled her suitcase, and then took off.
Except this time, she had a few more things piled into her suitcase than when she had left.
She clutched the handle of her suitcase a little tighter as a burst of excitement launched her towards the manor.
The lights were on, and she could see Will's and Selene's heads through the dining room window.
As soon as she entered the house, the smell of roast and potatoes happily greeted her. She followed the scent to the dining room, where a full spread of food lined the table, and seven sets of eyes landed on her.
"Ellie!" Barbara was the first to exclaim, rushing out of her chair in an unladylike fashion in order to rush over to Giselle. The young girl wrapped her arms around Giselle's waist and squeezed. "You're back so early!"
Albert jumped out of his seat in a similar manner to his sister, coming to a stop in front of them. "Did you bring us any presents from America?!" he asked, eyes wide with excitement as he stared up at her.
Giselle smirked. "Maybe, maybe not, it all depends on if you've been good."
Marguerite breathed out a laugh. "That's a firm 'no' for you, Al."
Albert turned around to glare at his older cousin. "I already told Barb I was sorry like Will asked!"
"That doesn't acquit you from throwing mud at her right before church," Will chimed in.
"Giselle, why don't you come sit," Selene suggested. "I'll go fetch you a plate."
Giselle sat in the spot next to Barbara, and was forced to listen to Albert and Barbara happily tell her all about their time at school and other small things that she had missed when she was away.
Selene eventually returned with a plate and Giselle helped herself to as much roast and potatoes as her stomach will allow, all while bubbling with excitement.
Once everyone was finished and the kids and Selene cleaned and put up food as Marguerite put Dorothy down for bed, Giselle skipped over to her suitcase and pulled out the oval-shaped radio she had found in Hester's storage closet.
"What on earth is that contraption?" Will asked from behind her. He stood by the liquor cabinet, pouring himself a glass of brandy.
"You'll see." Giselle moved over to the outlet in the living room, setting it onto one of the end tables by the couch. She made sure it was working properly before digging around in her suitcase for the CDs she brought.
She decided on putting in The Best of the 50s & 60s CD rather than the Top Hits of the 80s—something told her that she should work her way up to that one.
"What's that?" Albert inquired as he strolled up to Giselle, peering down at the strange machine oddly. "Is that from America?"
Giselle nodded. "Yes. It's a radio."
Barbara quirked an eyebrow at her. "But it's so small."
"This is what radios are like in America. And this," Giselle held up the CD, "this has music on it. It's kind of like a smaller record player."
"How peculiar," Barbara commented.
Giselle ignored the frown Will was sending her way, mostly likely because she had breached the 'no future items' rule Selene had set in place.
"Goodness, is that a boombox?" Selene exclaimed as she walked into the room. She looked from the radio to Giselle, her eyes narrowed. "Girl, you know I told you not to bring anything from America with you."
Giselle quickly held up a CD jacket. "But it's American music. Don't you want to hear it? Twenty-seven years is too long."
Selene eyed the cover wistfully, her resolve deflating her with shoulders. "Too long," she emphasized, before waving her hand. "Go ahead and play it."
Giselle smiled to herself, bending down and pressing play. As soon as the music started playing, Selene perked up.
"Awww," she drew out, her lips lifting at the corners. "I know how to dance to this. Chubby Checker's 'Twist.'" She shook her head, smiling as if the song took her back to fond memories. "Mummy showed me this dance when I was little—said it was popular back in her day."
"How do you dance to it?" Frank asked.
Selene took the boy's hands, pushing and pulling at his arms while she twisted her hips, trying to get him to follow her moves. "You just twist! Come on, Frankie, loosen up! Move those hips!"
It took a few tries and a bit of embarrassed blushing before Frank appeared to have the hang of it. From the look of the smile broadened on his face, he seemed to be enjoying it.
Albert and Barbara soon paired up next to them, watching intently before trying to copy their moves. Giselle laughed as the two awkwardly move their hips, not quite like Frank and Selene, but it was just as entertaining to watch.
Her eyes drifted to Will across the room, suddenly realizing that she wanted to dance, too. She just needed a partner.
Will was leaning his shoulder against the archway of the living room with his glass of brandy in hand, smiling as he watched Selene and his siblings dance to a song that wouldn't come out for another few decades.
But, like Giselle, his eyes drifted off as well, landing on hers.
Giselle decided to close the distance between them, Will's gaze still firmly set on her as she made her way towards him. She stopped a foot away from him, plucking the glass of brandy from his hand and setting it on the pedestal holding a vase to their right.
He didn't protest when she grabbed his hand, intertwining her fingers with his as she pulled him over to the makeshift dance floor. She kept her surprise to herself when she felt his fingers go from limp to gently closing over her skin, accepting her hand.
Giselle stopped them next to Albert and Barbara, turning towards Will and quickly grabbing his other hand in hers before he could pull back and tell her "no." But he didn't. Instead, he allowed her to take his hand, and didn't fight back when she started twisting her hips and tugging at his arms like Selene did with Frank.
Giselle sucked in a surprised breath when he started to twist his hips as well, smiling at her. Instead of letting her confusion get the best of her, she decided to enjoy the moment. She let herself go, feeling the music and glee rush through her.
"You seem like you're having fun," Will commented, smirking at her.
"That's cause I am," she said back. "I can't remember the last time I've danced." She smirked back at him. "You know, I'm a little surprised that you can dance. I didn't think you had a dancing bone in your body."
Will narrowed his eyes playfully. "You're saying I don't look like a dancer?"
Giselle shook her head "no." "More like a guy who likes to chop wood in his free time. Definitely not someone with rhythm."
He grinned mischievously before spinning her around like a doll in a music box and then bringing her back to him.
They continued on like that—twisting, spinning, laughing, until the song came to an end. When the last notes of the song flew out of the radio and into the air, Giselle's heart sank. She wanted to keep dancing with him, wanted to stretch out this moment in time and get all she could out of it, but Will drew back and dropped her hands.
A new song came on, one Giselle recognized as Little Eva's "Locomotion."
"How do we dance to this one, Selene?" Barbara asked, pulling back from Albert and turning her bright, green eyes to her aunt.
Giselle turned to watch as Selene smiled wide, telling the kids to line up and follow as she did.
Giselle hung back with Will and watched, not wanting to dance if it wasn't with him. Their little moment was over, and she was left mourning it.
"You know," Will said in her ear, "my 'rhythm' even extends to this song. Care to see?"
Giselle spun around, smiling brighter than she should've. "Yeah," she said almost breathlessly, her shock stunning her lungs. She happily let him take her hand and set his palm on the dip of her waist.
He moved in tune with the beat, effortlessly guiding her around the room as the others laughed and followed along with Selene.
Effortless. Giselle's thoughts snagged on that word. Dancing with Will felt effortless. And freeing. And fulfilling.
When the song ended, Giselle was excited to see what would come next. But it was a slow song. A slow love song.
Elvis Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love."
She thought that that would be it for the night. The children wouldn't want to dance to a sappy slow song, and dancing with Will to such a song would be too intimate.
She began to step back, but Will's hand on her waist tightened. He didn't say anything, just started moving to the music as he looked down at her.
"Your rhythm extends to this song, too?" Giselle asked, a small smile on her lips.
He gave her a lopsided grin, drawing her a bit closer. "Definitely."
Being so close to him made Giselle's cheeks go rosy. He smelled of brandy and cedar and after shave, a scent that was so uniquely Will and incredibly intoxicating.
'Intoxicating' was a good word to describe the way he looked down at her. It was different than how he normally looked at her. The type of different that could complicate things. Giselle could already feel it complicating her heart, but that didn't stop her from swaying along with his body, daring a glance at him when she felt brave enough.
He never once twirled her or showcased any flashy moves, just kept her firmly in front of him and caught her looking at him every so often, because he didn't stop looking at her.
Giselle's heart felt full in her chest—perhaps too full. It would jump each time the song would reach a low note, sounding like it might end.
Eventually, her fears were realized. The song ended. The moment was gone. And Will filled back up with his usual self, his hands dropping from Giselle as he stepped back. His shoulders straightened and his eyes seemed to suddenly notice other things around the room as a fast-paced song came on next.
Giselle started to do the same and soon realized that they were the only ones left in the room. "Oh," she said. "I didn't even hear them leave."
Will ignored her, crossing the room to grab his drink. He quickly knocked back the rest of it before glancing at her. "I'm retiring for the night. You should, too."
He left with that, disappearing into the kitchen and leaving her by herself with an upbeat song and a saddened heart.
• • • • • • • • • • •
Word count: 1,926 words.
Question: Do you enjoy dancing?
I do enjoy dancing, but I'm definitely not the best at it. Think baby deer on ice.
Btw this is the chapter that led me to discover the wonderful, the marvelous—Dionne Warwick.
I was doing research on 50s & 60s music when I came across one of her songs and listened to it. Then my music app started playing more of her songs while I was writing and I started liking them. After that, I kept listening to her music because it helped me write for whatever reason.
PLEASE VOTE AND COMMENT TO MAKE ME SMILE!!!