The Resolution - The Dance
Chapter 8
Valentine’s Day falls on a Thursday this year, turning it into just another workday for Caro. Fortunately, she lives close enough to the hospital to return home and change for the evening’s event.
At around ten o’clock that morning, her office phone rings. Picking it up, she immediately recognizes Brian’s voice on the other end.
“Are you all set for tonight?” he asks briskly.
“I’ll be ready by the time I get there,” she replies, trying to lighten the mood but struggling to find her words for reasons she can't quite pinpoint.
“I suggest we meet outside the venue at seven-thirty. Does that work for you?” he inquires.
Without pausing to think, Caro responds, “Sure. See you then,” and hangs up the phone.
“That was a bit abrupt, even for you,” her inner voice chides her.
“Well, since he isn’t picking me up, I need to arrange for a taxi and…” She hesitates, then corrects herself. “No, this works better. I’ll drive and won’t drink. Since it's a work event, it’s probably best to stay sober,” she reassures herself, suddenly feeling lighter as she returns to her tasks.
Later that day, during lunch, Mike asks her if she’s ready for her date with Brian.
“It’s not a date!” she exclaims defensively.
“Then what is it?” Mike presses, raising his eyebrows in curiosity.
“We’re just going to support the charity,” she clarifies, trying to convince both him and herself.
“That would make sense if Brian were a friend, but he’s not. Also, who’s paying for the tickets?”
Looking directly at Mike, she buries her head in her hands and mutters through her fingers, “He is.”
“I think,” Mike says slowly, “he’ll see it as a date.”
Lowering her hands, she whimpers, “But I don’t like him like that! I only accepted because I didn’t want to be alone on Valentine’s evening. What am I going to do, Mike?”
“Firstly, don’t panic!” he tells her, taking her hands in his. “It’s only the first date. You just need to let him down gently. How much are the tickets?”
“£100 each,” she mutters, gripping his hands tightly.
“It will be fine,” he assures her.
Leaving promptly at five-thirty, Caro heads back to her apartment. On autopilot, she checks her mailbox, gathers the contents, and proceeds upstairs.
Once inside, she places the mail on the counter and heads for a shower. After getting cleaned up and moisturizing, she returns to the kitchen to make a coffee. While the kettle boils, she sorts through the mail, not really paying attention as most of it is junk. Just then, she spots a red envelope that looks like a card. A seed of hope begins to sprout inside her.
“Could it be?” her inner self wonders excitedly.
Caro stares at the envelope, trying to remain calm as she makes her coffee. Sipping her drink carefully, she examines the card. The postmark is from London. “Not much help there,” her inner self pipes up.
The address is handwritten, which leads her to believe the sender is serious and not a prankster. “Nice handwriting,” she thinks as she retrieves a knife from the drawer to open it.
Sliding the knife under the flap, she carefully slices open the envelope and pulls out a Valentine’s Day card. Her heart does a little flip as she wonders, “Who?”
The card is made of high-quality stock and is beautifully simple. The background is white with a large red love heart dominating the centre. The words, “Be my Valentine…” lie at the base of the heart.
She opens the card, and the handwritten verse, is equally straightforward:
“Roses may be red,
Violets may be blue,
But none are as beautiful
as you.”
Underneath the verse, in the same handwriting, are the words:
“Caro, be mine as I would be yours,
X”
Caro’s heart does another flip as her inner self chimes in, “A little corny, but he’s trying to be original and is obviously a romantic.”
“I don’t care how corny it may be; he made an effort. Anyone can buy a fancy card, but this one took time and thought. This person cares enough to put in the effort,” she replies to her inner cynic.
“What if it’s one of the gang trying to be kind?” she suddenly thinks.
“No way! The gang respects you too much. Not their style,” her inner self reassures her adding, “And it’s just corny enough to be real.”
Nodding in agreement, Caro heads to her bedroom to get ready, pondering who could have sent it. She thinks of several people but discards each possibility. Thirty minutes later, dressed and ready to go, she still has no idea who it could be. Smiling, she decides she doesn’t care who the sender is. Someone likes her and has sent her a blind, anonymous Valentine’s Day card to show it. A card she will cherish.
Shortly before seven-thirty, Caro arrives at the doctors' residence. After parking her car, she walks to the entrance, surprised to encounter her boss, Tom, and his wife, Vivien, who are waiting for their friends to arrive. As they chat idly, Caro feels a growing sense of nervousness about her “date” with Brian.
He arrives promptly, dressed in a crisp white shirt, tailored black trousers, and a black leather jacket. While Caro acknowledges that he looks good, she can’t shake the feeling that he simply doesn’t do it for her.
“A pity! He’s clearly into you,” her inner self laments.
Brian grins from ear to ear as he takes in Caro's appearance in her midnight blue, figure-hugging dress that showcases her shapely legs.
“You look amazing,” he tells her, completely ignoring Caro's boss and wife. Offering her his arm, he leads her into the party. Embarrassed by Brian’s rudeness, Caro turns to wave goodbye to Tom and Vivien.
For the meal, they sit at a table with eight others. While the food is merely okay, the banter throughout the meal is entertaining, and Caro realizes she is enjoying herself despite overdosing on diet cokes.
Once the music starts, her foot begins to tap to the beat, prompting one of the men at the table to ask Brian if he dances.
“No way!” he responds adamantly.
“Then you won’t mind if I ask Caro to dance,” the man says, extending his hand to her with an engaging smile.
“My name is Mike, and I love to dance,” he winks at her as she places her hand in his, smiling back.
Mike proves to be a great dancer, and Caro enjoys being swept onto the dance floor with him. When the set finishes, he escorts her back to the table, and she asks him why he isn’t dancing with his partner.
“Anna is actually my wife, and as you can see, she’s heavily pregnant. But I love to dance and saw your foot tapping to the beat, so I asked you. Let me introduce you to her.”
“Anna, this is… Sorry, I don’t know your name,” he says, slightly flustered.
Smiling at Anna and her husband, Caro extends her hand and says, “Caro is my name. Your husband is a great dancer, Anna.”
“Caro, nice to meet you!” Anna replies with a warm smile. “Yes, he is, and soon we’ll be able to dance together again,” she adds, gently stroking her heavily pregnant stomach.
“There you are!” Caro hears from behind her. Turning around, she sees Brian holding a pint in one hand and yet another diet coke in the other!