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Date 7: Swans a swimming
For the opening performance of Swan Lake, with my date Emilio – who is clearly the front-runner in the 12 Dates of Christmas contest, I borrow one of Stephanie’s dresses. She’s delighted she made the match and insists I wear a dress a lot sexier than I would normally choose. It’s black. A little low in the front, but not too bad. It fits where it clings.
Emilio picks me up. Well, his driver does. He’s in the back of the Bentley looking as dashing as the first time I saw him.
“You look stunning,” he says when he sees me, and leans over to kiss me on the cheek.
I love the ballet. I love the costumes and the music and those beautiful bodies moving with such grace. I can tell my date genuinely loves it too.
After the performance there’s an elegant spread and champagne and we mingle. A frighteningly perfect looking woman with the tired eyes of a sixty-year-old staring out of the face and body of a forty-year-old gives him a coy half smile. I think if she’d tried to smile fully she’d pop some stitches.
“And who is your lovely companion tonight, Emilio?”
She makes it sound like he has a new woman for every ballet. Like he’s a real ladies’ man.
We’re introduced but she isn’t interested in me. She wants to make sure Emilio is coming to some auction she’s sponsoring.
He tells her he wouldn’t miss it. Kisses her on both cheeks – carefully – and we move on.
The dancers came out to mingle with the sponsors and board members. They are a stunning group. All lithe and gorgeous. I happen to glance at one of the principal male dancers when he walks into the foyer and his eyes go straight to Emilio. I turn to my date and see such passion as he looks back at that dancer that I turn away quickly, not wanting to intrude into such a private moment.
Obviously, Emilio isn’t ready to come out.
I don’t care that he’s gay. He’s still the front-runner for my Christmas date.