The Barn Dance

“Mom!” I yelled, both of us opened armed running towards each other. “My. son, she cried. We hugged hard, when we collided. “Where’s dad?” I ask anxiously.

“Grandpa!” I yelled when I saw my grandpa come outside through the front door! He hobbled down the porch stairs open armed as well. He squeezed me too, just to make sure I was real! Grandpa Rob. My dad is Robert and my brother is Bob so as to not get confused. Mom’s name is Linda. My name is Brian. Named after my mother’s father.

“Finally a Christmas as a family, “ my mom said wiping her tears.

It was Dec 21st and the farm looked beautiful in a blanket of snow.

“Lets get you some hot chocolate and a sandwich.” My mom wrapped her arm around me on one side and my grandpa on the other. We walked up the three steps to the porch and went inside.

“Everyone is so excited you are home!” Your bother and Carol are coming over for dinner. Oh and Marty. And Ellie. She’s been so excited to see you! “ And your father is still out in the barn.” I stood up. "He'll be back in, in a minute. His best race horse is due to deliver and he's checking on her before he comes in."

“Sit, finish your sandwich” mother said, let your father finish his work so he wont be distracted.” “You look mighty handsome in that uniform!”

I’m finally making it home for Christmas! I haven't been out to the farm since I was thirteen and Im twenty seven now. I went to boarding school and then the Navy, but I’m finally home!

“Brian!” My dad yelled out with open arms when he walked into the dining room. We patted each other on the back and hugged. I laughed though my tears and I could see my dad holding his back.

My brother Bob and his wife and my buddy Marty and childhood school friend Elle all came for dinner. Mom made a roast beef and potatoes and a bought a delicious chocolate cake from The Baker's Spoon for desert. She said it was called Death by Chocolate because it was so good you would die for a piece. She had been waiting for a special occasion to purchase one and I guess this was it!

After dinner we moved to the living room and dad got a fire going in the fireplace. We talked about the Navy, the farm and old times, eating cake and drinking some home made Red Port that Bob made. No late night coffee for us! My folks are farmers and the animals make a point to remind them every morning that the sun will be coming up soon so better get your pants on and head over to the barn!

“Remember that story you used to tell us grandpa, about how the animals would always hold a barn dance after we had our barn dance and went to bed. How they would pick up the instruments and play and the goat would always keep a look out and if you went in to look cause you thought you heard music, they would all be acting normal again. But as soon as you would leave they would start back up!"

Remember how we'd bring our sleeping bags up into the hay loft so we could watch when the animals started playing their music and dancing?" I said to Bob. And we would always fall asleep." He replied.

"Well it is true!" Grandpa said. "that's no story!" that's farm magic! You boys just couldn't stay awake long enough to see it! " We all laughed.

"You can find out tomorrow night cause we invited some neighbors for a Christmas barn dance!" Mom said. "You remember Chip and Louise? They have a really fun square dance slash swing band and we got the barn all cleaned up and the special Christmas lights up and some decorations." You will come see in the morning." Everyone is so happy your home!" and she gave me a squeeze.

The barn dance was super fun. About thirty of the neighbors came over and we had a great time dancing and laughing and drinking punch and eating home made Christmas cookies. It was great to see so many people I remembered from childhood! Not many people had moved away and now I was meeting my childhood friend's children!

My brother who apparently was the bootlegger in the family made some homemade Moonshine he called Apple Pie. I have to say, we got pretty drunk on this. I've always been a light weight when it comes to alcohol.

Once the party was kicking, me and Bob climbed to the hay loft and drank Apple Pie and laughed and threw hay down on people.

The party was a great success! It didn't end till two am! Chip and Louise asked if the band could leave their instruments and come back tomorrow to pick them up. We climbed down to say goodbye and I thought about it. "You know, this is the exact scenario that the animals are waiting for!" "Mom!" I yelled because I was drunk,. "Me and Bob are gonna stay in the barn for a bit. See if the animals have a barn dance!"

She handed me her flashlight. "OK,: she said, "but come in when you get cold.” Maybe Chocolate Delight will have her baby this morning!" She was my dad's best race horse and I guess she was due any day.

After everyone said thier goodbyes and left, we turned off the main barn lights and only left the little Christmas lights on that my dad had hung. We climbed back up to the hay loft. Fluffed up some hay to make it comfy and talked about how much we missed each other.

I wasn't a bad kid, just the opposite! I wanted to go to military boarding school. My parents sent me which led to so much opportunity I am only now making it back home. Of course my family would come visit me here and there as I was always stationed in some exotic beach town that makes for a great family vacation! Bob loved the farm life and stayed on to help my dad. He got in to making different liquors and has a side business going selling it to his friends.

We settled ourselves in the loft and tried to be as quiet as two grown men who hadn't seen each other for years, drinking moonshine could possibly be and very quietly punching each other and trying to make each other laugh. We whispered about our lives and the fun things we used to do as children. It was so great to be with my family, specially my brother who I loved to no end.

"Bob" I said and punched him, "Shhh! Do you hear something?" He punched me and leaned over the rail to look. "Shhhh. Yea" he said. We both were silent. Suddenly a tra dump dump. "Shhh!" and we punched each other. "Was that the drum?" Bob whispered. We looked at each other in disbelief. And then we heard a a little stretch on the strings of the fiddle. And then as if out of the blue a whole band started playing. They were playing the Virginia Reel! We eased over the edge a little more so to better see. And lo and behold! The animals were actually having a barn yard dance! Just like Grandpa had told us so many years ago! There was Timmy the cat playing the fiddle. Our dog Fido was on the drums. Billy the goat on banjo. Rocky the goat on guitar. And Besse the cow was playing the stand up bass! We couldn't believe our eyes! The horses, chickens, donkeys, pigs and sheep were all dancing to the music! It was truly a sight to behold! My grandpa was right! All these years and I finally get to witness it first hand!

Me and Bob watched in disbelief as some of the animals played instruments and the other animals danced. We wanted to go down and join them but just stayed up in the hay loft and watched not wanting them to stop. They played Waltzing Matilda and Fiddler's Rag. They played Golden Slippers and Flop Eared Mule. The sheep really had some fancy moves. They were standing on their hind legs and wiggling thier bottoms. And the animals on the side where clapping or tapping their wings and paws and hoofs to the music! Who would have ever in their life thought this could be possible!

One of the sheep caught us watching them. She whispered in her sheep partner's ear. Who whispered to every one else and they stopped and looked up at us. We ducked back so they couldn't see us. It was silent for a minute, and then they started up the music and kept playing and dancing! I swear I thought the goat said, "come down and dance!" Maybe he did, maybe he did.

"Brian! Bob!" I thought I heard them say, "come down! Come down boys!" I was startled by the sound of being called by name and jumped up suddenly. I guess we had fallen asleep and it was all just a dream! It was my dad calling us.

" The mare had her foal!" He said. I shook Bob and he woke up. We both rubbed our eyes and climbed down the ladder. I had the strangest dream I said." and when we saw the foal, Bob was so happy! " So cute and chocolately like his mom." Bob said. "

And that cake!" I followed.

"Death by Chocolate" I said.

My mom came into the barn with some hot coffee. It was almost sun rise. My father turned to her and said. " Our new race horse. "Death by Chocolate!" "That is a really good name for a race horse." She said. "But we will call her Hot Cocoa!

We drank our coffee and watched Hot Cocoa and her mother in their stall. In Thoroughbred tradition, you name the foal after both mother and father. Her father's name was Faster than Death. Funny name for a horse but these were champion Race horses with names to contend with. Chocolate Delight cleaned her foal and recovered from the birth. The foal tried right away to stand. She was wobbly and so cute! I looked around at the other animals. They were all in their pens. The instruments seemed to be sitting where they were left by Chip and Louise. I told my parents about the dream I had about the barn yard dance. Bob punched me and said he dreamed about girls in bikinis on some beach. And out of the corner of my eye I swear I saw the cat put the fiddle bow down and ease away.