I’d rushed home from school fast as I could. So fast, I was plumb out of breath by the time I got to the front door and Opal made me sit and rest awhile before she’d even think of starting the dancing lesson.
“You’re going to need all the breath you’ve got,” she said. “The lindy-hop goes fast.”
“The who?” I asked.
“This dance is called the lindy-hop.” She raised one of her eyebrows. “You’re sure you want to learn?”
I let my eyes grow wide and I nodded my head.
“You ready?”
“I think so,” I answered.
“All right.” She reached over the davenport to pull the curtains closed over the window.
“Why’re you doing that?”
“I have caused enough stir already, don’t you think?” She looked at me over her shoulder. “I don’t need to lose my job over this.”
“Daddy wouldn’t fire you for teaching me to dance,” I said.
“If it makes too much trouble for him, he just might.” She got to the middle of the living room and put out her hands. “Come on over here.”
“Should we turn on the radio?” I asked, getting up and going to stand in front of her.
“Not yet.” She took my hands and pulled me closer to her. She put her right hand on the middle of my back and held my hand in her left the way I’d seen dancers do in the movies. “Not too tight. Stay loose.”
“Like this?” I asked, wrapping my fingers around her hand.
“Looser. That’s it,” she said. “Now, follow my lead, okay? And don’t tense up.”
I nodded and tried to relax even thought my heart pounded hard.
“This first move is called the groove.”
“The groove,” I repeated.
“All you have to do is put your right foot out. Yup, like that.” She smiled. “Keep both feet planted, all right? Don’t pick them up just yet. Now, rock back and forth. Like this. Bend at the waist and bend that right knee.”
She guided me, the two of us leaning forward and back, forward and back.
“Like this?” I asked.
“You’re getting it,” she answered.
We did that at least ten times before she told me to bounce at the knees whenever I rocked one way or the other. She counted to eight more than a couple times as we moved.
“You like it?” she asked, still guiding me in the groove.
I sure did.
“Try tapping your toes as you go.”
I was a little off the beat she counted. She didn’t stop, though. Didn’t get frustrated or give up on me. Opal just kept on going until I started feeling it, the one-two-three-four, until I moved in time to the five-six-seven-eight.
“That’s it,” she said. “Ready for the next part?”
“Yes,” I answered, not sure if I was or not.
“Now, watch me. Keep your left foot where it was, all right? Then step back with your right. Like this.”
Counting to eight, she slid her right foot so it was even with her left, twisting her body and guiding me so we were standing side by side. Then she stepped forward, pulling me so I faced her again.
“Got it?” she asked.
“I think so,” I answered.
I tried moving my body like she’d shown me, her holding my hand and gently pushing on my back. The first couple times I about got my legs tangled up and I couldn’t seem to remember which foot was supposed to go where.
“It’s all right,” Opal said. “We’ve got plenty of time. Once you get this, you’ll be able to do anything.”
I didn’t know about that, but I still gave it a few more tries, almost catching up to Opal’s counting.
“There you go,” she nodded, leading me through the move a couple more times. “Miss Pearl, princess of the double-back.”
She was just being nice and I knew it, but I didn’t care. I hadn’t felt so good in a long time.
“Want to put that all together?” she asked. “We’ll do two counts of eight for the groove then one count of eight for the double-back. Then we’ll stomp our foot and peck three times.”
“Peck?” I asked.
She smiled wide and jutted her head out back and forth like one hen going after another. I couldn’t help but laugh before trying it for myself.
“That’s the way,” she said. “Ready for the whole shebang?”
We moved through those three steps half a dozen times, her calling them out as we went. Each time they felt more and more natural. After a while I realized Opal wasn’t counting anymore. Instead she was singing—not words, but she made noises like “dah-dah” and “bum-bum-bum” and “wah-waaaaaah.” She sounded like an instrument and I felt like we could have gone on like that forever.
“You did good,” she said, letting go of my hand and stepping back. “Best partner I’ve had in a long time.”
“Better than Lenny Miller?” I asked.
She chuckled and nodded. “He’s too full of himself to be a great dance partner.”
“Can you teach me more?” I asked, trying not to let her see how hard I was breathing and hoping she couldn’t hear the light wheezing from my lungs.
“Tomorrow,” she said, looking up at the clock on the wall. “Now we need to see to supper.”
I didn’t say a word of complaint when she had me peel the potatoes and chunk them. In my head I kept hearing Opal’s voice, counting out from one to eight, and let my toes tap to the beat.
I thought I’d be happy if I could go on dancing all the days of my life.