CLICK : Part 25 - Prom Night.

With my head jammed firmly up my ass, I lay on my bed sulking for at least ten minutes. Until my tantrum had passed. At which point I began to plot the story of my life with her. Over the years she'd made me things. I like to think of them as diploma's. Though they were worth far more to me than all the diploma's you could imagine. The name plaque was the first. After that there was a metal etching of 2 eagles. The latest had been a wooden carving of a coyote. In American Indian culture it was considered to be intelligent, stealthy and wise, but also capable of being foolish. Now was the first time I'd made the connection. She'd given it to me after graduation.

My temper had cooled. Now came the regret. Those men had hurt her physically. I'd done worse by adding emotional pain. Now I had to do my best to soothe that pain. The hurtful way I'd spoken to her when I'd run away had no excuses. I got up, checking myself in the mirror. The thin line of the cut on my cheek had bled a bit more. I spat on my finger, then cleaned it up. What could I do to make amends? It was hard for a monster like me to come up with tender gestures. I should have watched more romances and Disney cartoons as I grew up. She'd tended my single injury. Why hadn't I tended a single one of hers? Because I was a stupid, self centered son of a bitch probably. When I came into the living room seconds later, she was applying a cold compress to the bruises on her face.

"I moved your car." She said softly tossing the keys to me.
"I'm sorry for interfering in things that don't concern me." I replied.
I saw the corsage on the dinner table. She looked so melancholy as her eyes followed the direction of my gaze.
"I'm sorry about your prom. You could still go."
"I don't care about the prom, but thanks. That's another one I owe you for being an insensitive dickhead."
She laughed and winced. The sadness returned. It was quite possibly the most ridiculously stupid idea I'd ever had. Where it came from God alone knows. The odds were she'd shoot me down in flames.
"It's a shame. It's beautiful isn't it." She looked at the corsage again.
"Nowhere near as beautiful as the woman who's going to be wearing it. Wait here a minute, I'll be right back."
I returned to my room, where I brought out my hired tuxedo. I hurriedly put it on. I needed a shower or bath really, but that would take far too long. Making sure it was all in order, I clipped on my bowtie. One final check and I was out my bedroom door. My appearance produced another faint smile as she looked me up and down. One eyebrow raised at me in amusement. Good, she was tough as nails. A few bruises and contusions, and an unfair fight, couldn't put her down. One tiny problem I still had my sneakers on. I very quickly remedied that situation. Jamming my feet into the dress shoes.
"I'm glad you decided to go."
"I told you I'm not going without you and I'm not."
"I can't go to your prom looking like this. You'd be arrested for domestic abuse." Crystal protested.
"If you can't go to the prom then the prom has to come to you. Now give me a hand shifting the furniture. We're going to need some space for the first dance, which I hope will be mine. Unless your dance card has already been filled Ms. Goodbody."

She was still protesting as I moved the sofa with her on it. It took a but of bullying and persuasion before she acceded to my idiotic idea. Helping me rearrange the furnishings. It didn't take long to clear a good space once we both set to it. When that was done she stood there not knowing what to do next. I fetched the corsage, pinning it to her shirt. While I'd been sulking she'd not only moved my car she'd also changed her clothes.

"I'm not really dressed for this." Crystal observed.
"Yes you are, it's what they call informal, formal wear."
"You just made that up."
"Google it if you want. Only not now. Later. After the prom."
I went to the Bose system, selected a suitable playlist, then turned it on at a low volume.
"Why am I feeling so self conscious?" She hefted her arms helplessly.
"Because you're about to dance with the most handsome man in the room."
"Is this a good time to point out I don't really dance that much?"
"Me neither, but no one will laugh at us and no one will dance as well as we do." I stepped up to her and bowed. "Ms Goodbody, would you do me the honor of giving me the first dance?" I extended my hand to her.
She did a little curtsey.
"Why Mr Hunt, I'd be delighted to." Crystal took my hand.

Despite the dark clouds of the earlier part of our day, the two of us danced the night away. To the fast ones and the slow ones. I even had a chance to show her my jive. Not one of my best efforts. I'd had at least two dozen dance lessons under my belt. Crystal didn't know any of the steps to most of the dances I new. She picked them up very quickly. Around eleven, with the lights down low, there were 3 slow ones in succession. A product of the random shuffle. I held Crystal close, her head resting on my shoulder, as we shuffled across the length and breadth of the hall. There may not have been any lighting effects. We didn't have a live band, a buffet or any punch, but with no disrespect to Heather, this was the best prom I'd ever been to.

Some of you may think that after what we'd been through dancing would be the last thing on our minds. Sorry, but if you think that you're an idiot. In the darkest days of the blitz on London during the Second World War, the dance halls were packed as people danced during the bombing. We didn't dance nonstop. Crystal made us sandwiches part way through and we concocted a punch with whatever we could find. I did that one of course. It wasn't awful, is the best I can say about it. By midnight she was in my arms and almost nodding off. She'd had a tiring day. I was starting to feel the burn myself. So, like the perfect gentleman I am, I escorted Crystal to her door, that's her bedroom door, where I bade her good night and gave her a soft peck on her swollen lips. Best prom ever, without a shadow of a doubt. I pitied those other poor souls who'd had to endure the other one.

I was buzzing when I went to bed. It took me over an hour to get to sleep, my mind constantly going over our evening together. Not the details, more the entire experience. Debating whether the slow or fast numbers were the best. Deciding they each had their merits, thus they were inseparable. The best was a mix of the two of them. After I finally dropped off, I slept until around 8. When my cell phone woke me. I had that drugged hangover feeling as I answered it, as I always had when I slept too much. It was Andy. He sounded tense, nervous and relieved. Asking me if everything was cool and stating he'd been a wee bit concerned when Crystal and I hadn't turned up. Once I'd assured him things were fine, he didn't inquire as to what had happened. Things began to slot into place in my mind, at that juncture. Connections formed, which I believed should have already been in place.

Having confirmed we were both okay he said he had to dash. Hanging up as he said a hasty goodbye. It was then I saw I had a dozen missed calls from him. Made at near half hourly intervals. He'd left a couple of voicemails. The first one apologizing for not getting back to me before, after I'd asked him to touch base. The second a rambling discourse about being worried something untoward might happen. This was not the Andy I knew. Something had disturbed him in a major way. Even the death of his maternal grandmother, who he'd adored, hadn't produced this effect. The jigsaw was beginning to form a picture. I rang him back.

"Andy, we need to talk."
"Um.. What about good buddy? I thought everything was hunky dory. Um... I'm sort of busy."
Oh God he could be with his latest squeeze. My own lack of a girlfriend rendered me blind to those sort of things.
"Are you at home?"
"Well... yeah."
His hesitancy made me doubt the truth of that. I needed to check.
"Is you're mom there? I need a word with her."
"I'll just get her."
Right he was at home then. His halting speech was down to stress.
"No it's fine. Crystal just signalled me it's already taken care of. Meet me at iHop for breakfast."
There was a long painful pause.
"I'm not sure..."
"Andy, I'm bringing Holmes with me. He needs a word with you. Do you understand?"
"I think so." he responded hesitantly.
"Be at our favorite iHop in an hour then. Can you do that for me?"
"Okay... Yeah. I'll be there in an hour. We can catch up."
Now he sounded eager. I don't think what I'd only now worked out would a surprise to him.

Crystal was already up. Sitting at the breakfast table, sipping coffee. I had a very quick shower, so I had plenty of time for a caffeine fix myself. I needed one after that sleep. As soon as she saw me her face lit up with a beaming smile. One that made her flinch. Then finger her jaw. The bruises were more evident this morning, but thanks to her darker skin they weren't overly prominent. She thanked me for a wonderful night. Told me I was the best dancer she'd ever been with. Top out of one. This joke could have a long life. Then she became somber and tentative speaking about the other events of the previous day, without being explicit. I told her footprints in the snow. It had become our code for forgetting things had never happened. When she asked me what I wanted for breakfast I told her I was meeting Andy. We had some catching up to do. Or should I say, I had some catching up to do.