No one seemed to know exactly who took it or when the video first appeared on YouTube, but it was Maddie who posted it to Facebook, with the caption:
See what you missed, DeeDee?
A grainy view of the barn on the night of the dance. A couple dancing together in a dimly lit corner, a pretty woman with a blonde updo, a handsome man with dimples and a cheeky grin. They swayed back and forth to the sultry sounds of the Atlanta Rhythm Section. Imaginary Lover.
They were perfectly proper and presentable, her arms linked around his neck, his clasped around her back. Occasionally one of them would murmur something, and the other would smile or laugh. Never once did they kiss. And only once, as the music came to an end, did their eyes meet. The camera zoomed in just then, catching them at just the right moment for the viewer to see The Moment, the precise second when they fell in love.
Satisfaction, guaranteed.
The thoughtless, irresponsible posting of that first, horrible video of Cynthia Henley’s interview could never be taken back. Once on the Internet, it was there forever. But the chastened videographer who’d taken it and paid the price sat back in his chair in the darkroom and linked his fingers behind his head.
He looked again at the beautiful woman’s smile and the love shining from her dance partner’s eyes.
Perhaps this might make up for it, just a little.
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The End