We'd been
in love for over two years.
She was just about everything I'd ever dreamt of in a woman, and all I'd ever hoped for in a companion.
For over two years, we'd seen movies together; we'd laughed and cried side by side. We'd cooked meals together. We'd experienced hardship and trauma as loved ones passed on, and we'd felt joy and elation as new friends came into our lives.
Hundreds of times, we'd slept together, sharing our most intimate moments with one another. We'd experienced the kind of closeness that only lovers can understand when physically joined.
She and I had been shopping together, sometimes teasing one another at our purchases. Many times we'd sat on the couch, next to each other, reading our magazines or novels.
She'd bailed me out of trouble, and I'd done the same for her.
So it made perfect sense, when I asked her to marry me...and I was giddy when she accepted.
We'd planned a wedding together; ten months of coordination with family, and the stress that sometimes accompanies it, was behind us.
Two weeks before the wedding, as we reviewed the program and finalized the details, it occurred to us: "We'd never danced."
It's not such an uncommon thing, dancing. We'd both danced with plenty of people before...we both knew the general routine. Yet, we were both instantly nervous.
Could our first dance be at our WEDDING?
No. We'd decided to practice, and even enlisted the instruction of my grandparents (who'd been dancing at galas and balls since before we were born).
But the planning got in the way, as it tends to do...and we never practiced.
Now, I thank the Lord every day...never had I experienced so sweet a four minutes. As though it were scripted, we danced like we'd been dancing for over two years - every move coming so naturally...
Not one of the hundreds at the reception suspected that we'd been watching movies, shopping, cooking, reading, laughing, crying and making love...instead of dancing.