Friday, august 15, 1975, the lost years, Age 25 GRADUATION NIGHT AT MELODY LANE

It was Friday, August 15.  This was my big night.  I was counting on this evening far more than I had a right to, but I could not help myself.  It was obvious that Katie liked me.  The question was how much.  I hoped and prayed things would break my way.  

I arrived before Katie.  To my surprise, Melody Lane turned out to be the same place as Dance City when I took Freestyle classes from Disco Dave.  Those classes ended back in March, so in space of four months the name had changed.  Despite the name change, the location remained the best-known Ballroom dance studio in Houston.  Melody Lane was a major landmark in large part to Al Marks and his orchestra.  Jack had chosen Melody Lane because Al Marks held a popular Friday night Ballroom party that was open to the public.  Good music, good dance floor.

As I walked into the building, the memory of my very first dance class came floating back.  Noting my Dance Class from Hell had taken place in this same spot one year ago, my memory did not seem like a particularly good omen.  The River Oaks Seven and Disco Dave.  Where were they now?  Was the Universe preparing another Karmic Test for me?  Let's hope not.  It was amazing how much had happened in just one year.  An eternity had passed.  I wondered if I would see the River Oaks Seven tonight.  I doubted it.  They were far more likely to be at their exclusive country club than hanging out at a place open to plebeian riff-raff such as myself. 

I was very nervous.  I reminded myself to stay calm, but it did no good.  This was clearly not my scene.  I was the youngest person in the room by a good ten years.  I didn't like the music, the dancing still seemed foreign, and everything was much too formal.  I was not comfortable wearing a coat and tie, but if this outfit was necessary to reach Katie's heart, I would cooperate.

Finding the table reserved for Jack's group, I noticed only ten brave souls from our original Beginning Ballroom class of 25 had been brave enough to show up.  No Katie.  No Jack either.  I asked if anyone had seen him.  A woman pointed to Jack across the room.  Jack was holding court at a table with six women and four men.  The ladies were definitely interested in whatever he had to say.  They appeared to hang on his every word.  Jack was a husky guy about 5' 10" tall.  He wore his white hair slicked straight back and looked sharp in his fancy tuxedo. 

Based on the confident way he conducted himself, Jack had been at Melody Lane before.  Probably many times.  Unlike me, this was a place where he felt comfortable.  I watched from afar as Jack disengaged from the ladies.  He went to the bar to order a drink, then stood to the side and surveyed the scene.  I am not quite sure how to describe the look on Jack's face.  Let's just say he had a hungry look.  Hungry like the wolf.   

Nancy, Jack's lady friend who demonstrated for him, was nowhere to been seen.  Was Nancy's absence deliberate?  If so, then Jack was free to do what he pleased.  Watching how Jack scanned the room, it appeared he was scouting for prospects.  Recalling the predatory instincts of David and Henry, my previous dance instructors, I assumed Jack was on the prowl.

Katie appeared ten minutes later.  She was looking for me, so I waved and she waved back.  Katie was wearing that wonderful vintage 40's dress again.  It was probably no accident.  Katie knew how much I liked that dress.  I had complimented on it when I first met her.  As she approached, I took a long look.  Katie was much too pretty.  I let out a huge sigh.  Please let this night go well.  I had never wanted anything so much in all my life. 

I stood up and offered Katie the seat I had saved for her.  For whatever reason, Jack remained aloof on the other side of the room.  He wasn't much of a host, that was obvious.  We could have used his help.  Feeling intimidated, our group of 11 banded together for courage.  When the music began, the dancers entered the floor.  Since everyone out there was an experienced dancer and we were beginners, none of us dared join the first wave.  Watching them perform, I was hit by a bolt of gut-wrenching fear.  I had a sinking feeling that Jack's Graduation Event was over my head.  Well, too late to turn back now.  The show must go on.  A song came on and Katie looked at me hopefully.  I gulped and asked, "What do I dance to this song?" 

Katie replied she wasn't sure.  I would have asked Jack, but he was already out on the floor with a woman from another table.  So I asked the guy next to me.  He said he didn't know either, but if I found out, would I be nice enough to tell him?

Katie guessed it was a Foxtrot.  I watched Jack dance and decided she was right.  We got out there and I immediately froze.  I didn't remember a thing!  We had covered Foxtrot only 9 days ago in Week 5.  How could I have forgotten?  Then I remembered... Box Step! 

I danced the Box Step and I was so proud of myself.  I tried a couple other patterns like the Double Back-Step and the Walkaround Turn, but Katie did not have a clue what I was doing.  So I returned to the Box Step move and finished the song without further mishap.  All in all, a good first try.  However, my good feelings ended the moment we got back to the table.  Katie seemed disappointed.  "Rick, what happened to those other Foxtrot moves?"

I had brought the six syllabus sheets with the dance patterns listed.  I fished out my Foxtrot syllabus so Katie and I could review.  It bothered me that I wasn't able to remember how to do the other Foxtrot patterns on the list... Travel Step, Twinkle, Conversation.  I groaned at my shaky start.  I had done so well in class, but I was having considerable trouble here at Melody Lane.  Thinking back to the days of the River Oaks Seven, for the second time that night I grimly wondered if Melody Lane was cursed for me. 

The next song came on.  I did not have a clue what kind of dance this was, but the music was pretty.  It sounded like Greensleeves.  Jack had returned, so I asked.  When he said it was a Waltz, I looked down at my syllabus.  Aha, Box Step again!  I looked up to ask Katie to dance only to realize she was already out on the floor with Jack.  I watched the two of them dance with alarm.  Jack not only led Katie through all six patterns from class, he was leading moves I had never seen before.  I felt so terribly out-classed.  This was an exact parallel to watching Henry make Celeste the second incarnation of Ginger Rogers. 

Katie looked sensational.  Seeing her glide effortlessly from one pattern to the next, I darkly wondered where she had learned all those moves.  Since I had previously suspected Katie knew more about Waltz than she had let on, her graceful dancing was the proof I had been looking for.  Why had she fibbed to me?  As I watched Katie float across the floor, I was consumed with jealousy and doubt.  Much of my bitterness came from recalling how Henry had performed a similar magic with Celeste.  I never did figure out how Celeste knew so many Waltz moves, so I suspected Henry had been working with her on the side.  What about Katie?  Had Katie been taking lessons from Jack without telling me?  A dark foreboding took over me.  Recalling how jealous I had been over Aaron and Rachel, now I was having the same jealous feelings about Katie.  Was there something going on between her and Jack?

Feeling distrustful, I confronted Katie when she returned.  "Katie, you were doing all sorts of moves that weren't covered in our class.  You told me you have never had Waltz lessons before.  So where did you learn all those moves with Jack?  Have you been taking lessons from him?"

Due to my insecurity, there was a real bite in how I said it.  When I saw a flash of pain cross her face, I realized I had hurt her feelings. 

"I meant what I said, Rick.  I've never had a Ballroom class in my life.  I told you my father danced with me when I was a kid.  I don't know why you don't believe me."

"Well, c'mon, Katie, I don't think your father taught you all those moves you were dancing out there with Jack.  They had to come from somewhere."

"Jack leads those moves.  He puts his arm around me and guides me.  I just keep my feet moving in time to the music and Jack puts me here and Jack puts me there.  I don't have a clue what I am doing.  All I have to do is follow his lead.  I am telling you the truth!"

Katie's words went right over my head.  Her explanation was like describing the color red to a blind man.  Frustrated and confused, I clammed up.  We sat and watched the dancing in awkward silence.  Jack and a pretty woman from another table whisked by doing some dance I did not recognize.  With Jack in his tuxedo and the slender lady in her long gown, they looked terrific.  Despite my foul mood, I could see why women would enjoy dancing with a guy like Jack.  These two were straight out of a Fred Astaire movie. 

I turned to look at Katie.  She was mesmerized by Jack and his partner.  Looking at Katie in her special Forties dress, I recalled how the Big Band Era was the heyday of Ballroom dancing.  Based on dance scenes from World War II movies, I visualized Katie in the arms of a handsome GI in uniform.  What I wouldn't give to be that guy.  Then my eyes returned to Jack as he guided that woman effortlessly around the floor.  Jack made every woman he danced with look good.  How did he do it?  I decided to ask again.

"Katie, you said that you let Jack lead you.  What does that mean?"  

"A Lead is how the man guides me where to step next.  I don't have to know what I am doing to follow him.  Jack just puts me in his arms and off we go.  I think it has something to do with how he holds me.  Whatever he does, my feet seem to match his feet."

'Lead.'  There's that awful word again.  To me, the word 'Lead' was synonymous with 'Voodoo'.  Given how little I knew about Ballroom dancing, nothing Katie said made sense to me.  I had not seen Jack whispering to the woman or giving her any hand signals. 

"Look, Katie, I'm sorry I doubted you, but I am still lost about how a lead works.  I cannot understand how you can dance moves you don't even know.  What exactly does Jack do?  Can you show me?"

Katie replied, "No, but I wish could.  I have no idea how to demonstrate.  All I know is when Jack holds me, there's something about the way his shoulders work that doesn't give me much choice.  When he goes forward, his body makes me go back.  When he pulls me forward, I go forward.  I don't have to think about it, my feet work automatically.  The way Jack holds me, my feet just go in whatever direction Jack is headed.  I know instinctively where to go.  It is really fun to dance with him.  Half the time I am spinning around and getting dizzy and the rest of the time I am floating."

Feeling helpless, I felt my sense of darkness threaten to reappear at any moment.  Unfortunately, just then Jack reappeared.  Holding out his hand, Jack said to Katie, "Would you like to try a Rumba?"

Seeing Katie jump up with enthusiasm, I fumed as Jack led her out on the floor.  A flash of hot anger raced through me.  Katie had me convinced that Jack had withheld information on the importance of leading.  For that matter, I was convinced my former instructor Henry had deceived me as well.  A wave of despair hit.  Whatever had gone wrong over at Phoney Baloney seemed to be happening again.  I didn't worry about losing Celeste to Henry; he could have her.  But Katie was a different story.  I felt like Jack was playing the same dirty trick.  As my sense of panic rose, I wondered how I could ever impress this beautiful young lady if I didn't know what I was doing.

All kinds of bitter memories floated to the surface.  I felt so damn helpless.  I remembered the night in college when Connie Kill Shot and her nasty girlfriends had laughed at my dancing.  My stiff Freestyle dancing was so awkward I became a joke to her roommates.  Now I felt like the same thing was happening all over again, only this time it was partner dancing.  What on earth did Katie think?  Full of despair, I felt betrayed.  By ignoring a thorough explanation of this important skill, Jack had set me up for failure.  Not only that, Jack was using his skill to gain a considerable advantage in pursuit of Katie.  Jack was no fool.  Katie was far and away the prettiest girl in the room.  What man wouldn't want to have a woman like Katie in his arms?  Right now Jack was stealing my girl and making me look terrible in the process.  The words to Jim Deane's lecture about using a Stage to a man's advantage raced through my mind.

"The best place to meet women is any venue where a man shows his superiority.  Since the beginning of time, women have been attracted to successful men.  Every man needs one place where he is the clear choice as the Alpha Man in the room.  Therefore every man needs to identify his Stage, the place where he can demonstrate his ability and look his most confident.  A man's Stage is the spot where he will be more attractive to women than any place else.  The stakes of the game being what they are, Dancing is a good way to turn a girl's head in your direction as opposed to the guy competing for her. "

Watching Jack fly Katie to the moon, I felt like the lamb eaten by the wolf.  I was so lost in my thoughts I didn't realize Katie had returned.  To my surprise, Katie was still upset over my accusation. 

"Rick, what made you think I was taking lessons from Jack?"

I was crestfallen.  I should not have lost my temper.  Me and my insecurities; I was my own worst enemy.

"Katie, I am sorry I snapped at you.  I lost my temper because I didn't understand how you suddenly knew ten times more moves than me.  I am sorry I said what I said.  You took the same class I did.  You learned the same moves I did.  So I can't figure out why are you suddenly the star when you can't remember the Foxtrot steps we learned any better than me.  It isn't fair and it doesn't make sense."

In a frustrated voice, Katie replied, "That's because the game is rigged in the girl's favor!  I don't need to know those moves!  All I have to do is follow.  It's your job to know how to lead those moves!"

Katie's words cut like a knife.  This was the first time she had ever rebuked me.

"But, Katie, you took the same class as me.  Why did the moves work in class but not now?"

"That's because Nancy is not here for me to copy her footwork.  I can't remember the footwork and I have no way to know when you are going to do them.  I can't read your mind, Rick.  How am I supposed to guess what step comes next?  You have to guide me or I don't have a clue.  Everything happens too fast.  But with Jack, I don't have to know anything!  All I have to do is move my feet in time to the music and it works."

I felt like such a fool.  I heard what Katie said, but that did not mean I understood what she was talking about.  I felt like a cook who is told about a missing ingredient.  I decided to accept that Katie was telling the truth, but I was still bewildered.  How did Jack make Katie look so good?  Lost in thought, a different song came on.  It sounded kind of bouncy and Disco-like, so it must be Latin.  Even I could tell that much.  What was I supposed to dance to this song, Rumba or Cha-Cha??  Ah, Rumba was slow Latin music, so this must be Cha Cha.  Katie agreed.  Okay, good, Cha Cha had been one of my favorite dances.  Not only that, according to Jim Deane, 'cha cha cha' were the three magic words.  Right now I could use some of that magic.  I looked at my syllabus and remembered the Basic step went forward and back.  Rock Step Cha Cha Cha.  I asked Katie to practice with me a couple times by the table.  Yep, that's it.  We went out and I stuck to the Cha Cha basic step for the entire song.  I did not make one mistake, so I hoped Katie would compliment me like she always did in class.   A little praise would go a long way towards helping me lighten up.  Thumbs up or thumbs down??

Thumbs down.  When we returned to the table, Katie seemed more frustrated. 

"Why are you upset, Katie?"

"I don't want to make you feel bad, Rick, but what happened to the other five patterns on that list?  We didn't do the Chase Step or the Walkaround Exit or anything interesting."

Variety is the spice of life.  One move to the entire song wasn't going to cut it, especially when that damn Jack was leading Katie through dozens of complicated patterns.  Katie looked so disappointed that I thought of the Carole King song. 

It used to be so easy, livin' here with you
You were light and breezy, and I knew just what to do
Now you look so unhappy and I feel like a fool

I bit my lip with regret.  Katie must be bored out of her mind with my limited knowledge.  Jack wasn't helping by offering her a far superior comparison.  But what could I do?  I could remember the names of the patterns, but once I was out on the floor I had no idea how to flow from one pattern to the next.  Making a smooth transition from one move to another was out of the question.  The best I could do would to dance one pattern, stop, then start the next pattern.  It would be embarrassing to start-stop-start-stop, so I stuck to one move for the entire song.  I could do a Box Step basic.  I could do a Cha Cha basic.  I could do a Swing basic.  But that was my limit.  I was a one-move beginner competing with a wizard. 

Katie could not take her eyes off Jack as he led some other woman in a variety of Swing patterns.  Knowing she was counting the seconds till he asked her to dance again, my sense of futility was eating me alive.  I pulled out my Cha Cha syllabus and stared at the missing five Cha Cha patterns.  I asked Katie if she remembered how to do those moves.  Katie shook her head and reminded me, "How am I supposed to remember?  I just let the guy lead." 

When Katie said 'LEAD', I was ready to scream!  I was so angry at Jack I could spit.  This Ballroom business was a lot more complicated than I had been led to believe.  Not only that, but as Jack moved from one women to the next, I felt like Melody Lane was Jack's way of filling his harem.  At that moment I was struck by the same feeling of inferiority as when Rachel had extolled the brilliance of her Rice professor.  Wherever I go, my past returns to haunt me.  I had unwittingly stumbled into the worst possible place to impress Katie.

THE DEVIL'S TANGO

Speak of the Devil, at this moment, Jack came over to our table and invited Katie back onto the floor.  Jack had asked Katie to dance every other song and she did not mind a bit.  She responded with a dewy-eyed smile that evoked acute jealousy. 

I sat there fuming as Jack and Katie danced a Tango.  I watched in utter disbelief as Katie allowed Jack to glue her body to his.  No matter what Jack led, Katie appeared to know exactly what she was doing.  The worst part came when I saw Katie laughing.  As long as she danced with Jack, Katie was having the best night of her life.  That sent my heart sinking to new depths.  I ruefully thought back to how proud I was when Katie said I was the best guy in the class.  What a cruel joke! 

The more I watched, the more suspicious I became.  Seeing how close Jack held her, a very dark thought crossed my mind.  Was Jack making a move on Katie?  At first I thought Jack just enjoyed dancing with her, but his wolf expression had returned.   Why would Jack do that?  Katie was half his age.  She could have been his daughter.  Hmm, he wasn't dancing with her like she was his daughter.  Seeing them dance a Tango hip to hip, I felt an unbelievable pang of jealousy.  Here we go again... the Jealousy Monster.  Rachel had shown me that jealousy was the fastest way to lose a woman.  I could not let my jealousy show.

My dark thoughts were interrupted when an older woman about Jack's age rudely poked me in the ribs with her finger.  Her name was Brenda.  She was a member of our Ballroom group.  I was so surprised I nearly jumped out of my seat.  Seeing the anger in her eyes, I knew my long night was about to get worse.  Brenda was in just as bad a mood as me. 

Brenda barked at me.  "How about you and I dance?  I am getting sick and tired of sitting here."

Truth be told, Brenda had a point.  While Katie was out there having the time of her life, our group of seven women and three men were too intimidated to leave the table.  Since the other two guys were just as lost as I was, none of us were willing to risk embarrassment.  This meant the women were stuck as well.  Since we barely knew each other, conversation was superficial and limited.  Noting that Jack had avoided dancing with a single woman in the group besides Katie, the ladies were supremely irritated.  They got the message loud and clear. So did I.  Staring at the dance floor in glum silence, this night had turned out to be a giant mistake for all of us.

Based on the hostile way Brenda had demanded I dance with her, I was reluctant to accept.  However, since I could not think of a graceful way to say 'no', out on the floor we went.  Nervous, I asked what dance this was just to be sure.  "This is a Tango, right?"

Brenda bit my head off.  "Aren't you supposed to know?"  She rolled her eyes in disgust and then barked, "Yes, Tango.  Of course."

As Brenda and I got into dance position, she pressed her body to me much closer than I was comfortable with.  She told me she had taken lessons before and this was the correct way to dance the Tango.  Maybe so, but she reeked of whiskey. 

'Forward Forward Tang-o Close.'  I remembered this phrase from the notes.  We did the pattern once.  We did it again.  We did it a third time.  We did it a fourth time.  I was proud of myself, but my reverie didn't last long.  I cringed when Brenda demanded another move.  Like Katie, she expected me to lead variations on the basic.  "What about the Promenade?"  

Although I remembered the Promenade pattern from the syllabus, I could not remember how to get into it.  When I admitted my problem, Brenda jerked our bodies into the Promenade position.  I could do the Promenade, but now I could not remember how to get out of it.  After stumbling twice, I gave up.  I stopped and began dancing the Tango basic again.

Brenda was very displeased  "What the hell are you doing?" she demanded.

"I'm sorry, Brenda, but I don't know how to get from one move to the other without stopping in between."

Brenda rolled her eyes in disgust.  Incensed by her hostility, I gritted my teeth.  Onward we went.  To my surprise, I recognized the tune, Hernando's Hideaway.  The music was okay, but Brenda was a nightmare. I prayed for the song to end, but it just kept going and going.  I was repelled by her closeness and her fumes of whiskey.  Tell me again who said Ballroom Dancing is supposed to be fun??  As I feared, dancing with this woman had been a serious mistake.  Brenda was not only twice my age, she was twice my size and twice as mean.  Well, she was not really twice my size.  But that's what it felt like because she was constantly off balance, forcing me to hold her up.  Geez, this woman weighs a ton! 

It was probably my fault.  After all, I had only the dimmest idea what I was doing.  Or maybe it was the alcohol.  Brenda had a large flask in her purse.  After a long night of bourbon and coke, Brenda could barely stand up.  Making matters worse, the whiskey had turned Brenda into a bully.  She barked out an avalanche of demands.  

"Do the Fan!"  "Do the Ocho!"  "What about the Lunge?" 

When I stared at her with a baffled look, Brenda gave me a look of disgust.  I was stunned when she began to lead these patterns herself.  Uncertain what to do, I was unable to keep her steady.  Sure enough, on the Lunge, we both stumbled badly when she thrust her leg between mine without warning.  Sorry to say, Brenda hit the floor.  She was unhurt, but very embarrassed.  As I helped her up, Brenda lost her temper and insulted me. 

"What the hell is your problem!?  Didn't you take the same class as me?  Don't you remember anything?"  

Brenda's criticism on top of Katie's disappointment was more than I could handle.  I should have walked off the floor, but I was too insecure to defy her.  Unable to stand up for myself, I was an easy target as Brenda teed off on me.  Mercifully the song ended.  I told Brenda I was sorry I didn't remember the other moves, then added I did the best I could. 

Brenda snapped, "Next time maybe you should pay better attention in class." 

Brenda's criticism really stung.  I had never wanted to chew a woman out quite like I did now.  Thankfully I held back.  Biting my tongue, I moved away only to be overcome by an ocean of despair.  When was I ever going to learn how to stand up to a woman like Brenda?  I had taken this class specifically because Celeste had run roughshod over me.  Now Brenda was doing the same thing.  This was a point in my life when I was having a terrible time handling myself around strong women.  I had never felt more inadequate than I did now. 

When Katie and Jack returned from their Tango, Brenda turned away in disgust, grabbed Jack's arm and hauled him out on the dance floor.  Despite my dark mood, I actually smiled a bit.  As Brenda chewed him out for neglecting her all night, the look on Jack's face was priceless.  Jack never knew what hit him.  I could see he was appalled to be stuck with this woman for an entire song.  Good.  Served him right.  As for me, I probably could have used some of that bourbon myself.  My nerves were shot.  I could definitely see why everyone else at the table was drinking.  So far, this evening had been a complete disaster for everyone but Katie.

ONE LAST TRY

Seeing Brenda jerk Jack onto the floor, Katie did a double-take.   "Rick, what is that all about?"

"Brenda is angry because she came here to dance and no one wants to dance with her.  Plus she was mad at me because I couldn't remember the Tango moves from class.  I'm sorry, Katie, but I am having a rough night.  These syllabus notes are worthless.  I can only do one step to each dance.  Plus that nasty woman just bit my head off.  So much for being the best dancer in the class, huh?"

Seeing me slump in my chair in defeat, a flicker of the old Katie appeared.  She tried her best to cheer me up. 

"Rick, why are you always so hard on yourself?  You're a beginner.  You just need more practice and you would do fine."

Shaking my head in sorrow, I replied, "How am I supposed to practice what I cannot remember?  Jack never reviewed a single thing.  Each week it was another dance while whatever we learned previously slipped into oblivion."

Katie nodded.  "You have a point there.  I can see there is a lot more for the man to learn than the woman."

I smiled wanly.  I had wanted so much to impress Katie and please her, but I felt like my hands were tied.  Just then another song came on.  It was Swing music, In the Mood.  Swing was the dance I had liked the best.  I smiled as I remembered the first class, the night I met Katie.  We were the Swing Kids having fun on that magical evening.  Could Swing restore the magic?   When Katie looked at me hopefully, I wondered if she was thinking the same thing. 

I screwed up my courage and said, "Come on, Katie, let's give it a try."  Only one problem... I had not danced a lick of Swing in six weeks.  I could remember the names of all six moves on the list, but that knowledge did not transfer to the dance floor.  If I was lucky, maybe some of the moves would come back.  When we got out there, I said, "I remember the Basic Step."

I put my right arm around Katie's back and took her hand.  We did the Closed Basic together over and over.  Poor Katie, even her patience had its limits.  About a minute into the song, Katie exclaimed, "Swing me out!"

I looked at her blankly.  "Katie, I don't remember the signal.  How does the pattern work?"

Shades of Brenda, Katie decided to take over.  She lifted my left arm and swung herself out.  Then she swung herself back into my right arm.  While I stayed glued to one spot, Katie bounced in and out of my arms.  With Katie dancing circles around me, I was little better than a maypole.  How pathetic.  I had really liked this dance when I first learned it.  Jack's failure to review the Swing moves even once had cost me dearly. 

Seeing the disappointment on Katie's face, I fell to pieces.  It was no use.  Her look of sadness sent me spiraling into oblivion.  Melody Lane was cursed and I blamed Jack entirely.  Just one lousy review would have made all the difference.  Too late now. 

When we returned to our seats, I felt utterly defeated.  When I get too frustrated, I retreat into my shell.  Sure enough I felt the familiar curtain of darkness descend.  I was reminded of the night Rachel told me about making love with the Rice professor.  When she asked if I had the ability to snap out of it, I had told her no.  When I get this dark, it is impossible for me to snap out of it on the spot.  The way I felt tonight, it would take days to bounce back, probably even longer.  I seriously doubted I could save the evening.  Sure enough, that was the exact moment Jack rendered the Kill Shot.  Jack had somehow managed to ditch Brenda.  Beckoning to Katie, in a flash she was back in his arms.  My heart sank as I watched Katie's face light up.  Shrouded in a cloak of darkness, my misery was overwhelming as I watched them dance an elegant Waltz.

I had made a terrible mistake tonight.  This was the wrong place to make my long-awaited move.  Too bad Katie had never seen me on the basketball court.  Katie would have seen a tall, athletic guy full of confidence and dominance.  Too bad Katie had never seen me in a History class where I could recite dates and events as if I had been there myself.  Instead I had foolishly chosen to make my move in a place where I was clearly out of my element.  The sad thing is that I should have known better.  Jim Deane had said women are attracted to confidence and competence.  For something as important as asking Katie for a date, this had been the absolute worst place.  In dance class, we had been equals, but not here.  Katie was the star and I was the clown.  My pride was utterly shattered.

I had the strangest vision.  I thought of a Grand Ball at the French court of Versailles.    King Louis XV was a legendary womanizer.  During his lavish Balls, Louis would pick whatever woman he wished to sleep with and have his way with her.  He changed women with the same frequency that some women change dresses.  Perhaps she was married.  Or perhaps the escort of a French nobleman no doubt smitten with her.  Why should the King care?  It did not matter if his dame de la nuit was married.  Whatever woman Louis wanted, he would have her.  As Louis nonchalantly took the arm of his evening's choice and led her to his chambers, the forlorn look on the abandoned husband's face was surely identical to the look on my face.  The winner gets the girl while the loser gets to watch. 

Tonight was Versailles reborn as Jack effortlessly claimed my woman for his own.  I was helpless to prevent it.  It was painful to see the wisdom of the Mistress Book play out before my eyes.  Women will always be attracted to the Alpha man in the room.  In any social setting, the man who displays the most skill gets first shot at the prettiest girl. 

Jack had earned the right to dance with the prettiest girl at Melody Lane.  I never stood a chance, did I?  Right now I despised Jack.  That was supposed to be me out there tonight.  I had been successful in class, but I was lost in this new situation.  I wanted to ask Katie for a date more than anything else in the world, but the unfortunate events of the evening had drained me of all courage.  Although Katie and I had never dated, my sense of loss was equivalent to the pain of losing Rachel and Vanessa to a superior man.  As Katie sailed across the floor, I could not believe how well she danced with Jack. Noticing she had her eyes closed, I guessed she was pretending to be Cinderella.  Katie had the happiest look on her face.  That was the way I wanted to remember her.