Sense II, installment # 21

Sense: Part II (Working title)
Sense Installment # 21 (continued from September 17, 2006)

“How ‘bout some dancin’,” he roars as he enters the living room.

He hits play on the tape player and "The Rhythm of the Night" blasts out of the towering speakers. I find my girlfriends. I try not to make eye contact with Pete. I discern eyes on me, but I look at my friends lip synching. He has manipulated me. I am now vulnerable and try to feel the groove and dance. I try to dance and enjoy it. He is lipping every other word to the song. We dance and move and my girls look at me, trying to pry some information out of me.

“Tell us,” they ask eventually practically in unison.

“Tell you what,” I shrug with a shutter, “there’s nothing to tell.

“Well,” asks Ellena, “did you kiss?”

My eyes begin to squint. I hold back a smile, it breaks through.

“Yeah we kissed,” a squeak comes from my mouth. I sound excited and confident.

“Yah!” my girls shriek. I feel juvenile, like I shouldn’t be telling about such a private moment. Why all of a sudden is this moment private? He’s across the room still, past the coffee table his hips sway and nearly tip the ashtray. His back is towards me now. He selects a cigarette off the dining room table, Crowns, Camels, Marlboro red, lights, and menthol. Lights it with his engraved Zippo lighter-PZ-reflects off the metal. I watch him blow curls of clouds out of his mouth, it lingers in front of his face like I am meant to step through the fog to find him.