Titanic Tango

Charlie loved to dance.

Dancing on board a luxury liner took some practice. One had to learn to shift one’s weight with every pitch and roll of the ship. Now, Charlie found that his years of practicing Yoga asna were paying off. His reputation as a dance partner spread quickly, especially among the older women.

All Charlie knew was that he loved to dance. For the past few days and nights, Charlie found himself on the dance floor almost every waking moment. His dance card was always full. For all the bliss of dancing, Charlie could not shake the niggling feeling in the pit of his soul. It was the longing of his separate soul for a compatible companion to share his golden days. That was, after all, his main reason for booking passage on this maiden voyage of the majestic Titanic.

On this, the third night of his cruise, Charlie was exhausted. His only time off the dance floor that day was for lunch and dinner. Looking back at this moment, Charlie could only remember her - her face, her hair, her light-filled eyes, her sensual body. And when their eyes finally met across the floor, Charlie melted inside to a puddle of love and desire.

He walked toward her, never shifting his gaze. Eye to eye, soul to soul; they both felt the moment as a reunion of two souls separated before birth. Exhaustion was replaced by elation, It was as if every moment previous to this one was a part of an elaborate dream guiding one here. The Presence of Love was palpable. In fact, it so overpowered them both, that they left the dance floor together, hand in hand. They found a table just off the dance floor. Charlie held the chair as his new dance interest slipped gently into its embrace.

Neither spoke. Finally, a waitress broke their reverie. “What can I get you?”, she asked with a broad smile.

“I’ll start off with a coffee, black,” Charlie smiled back.

“And you, Ma’am?”

“I would like a diet coke with no ice,” she joined the smile-fest.

As soon as the waitress left, silence returned with an even deeper blanket of peace. Their gaze connected with a gentle light that danced within and between them. Thought dissolved in a pool of joy. It was Charlie who broke the silence, “Have we met before?”

“I don’t know, but you feel deeply familiar,” was her only response.

He nodded as the silence returned. Eventually, the waitress returned with their drinks. “Will you be ordering dinner?”

Without thinking, Charlie nodded in affirmation.

Then, silence again. Their waitress left, sensing that she had interrupted a sacred moment.

In the beauty of this holiness, volumes were spoken and responded to. It was like childhood friends catching up after many years apart. There were smiles and looks of surprise followed by the light of soft compassion.

Charlie could not remember when their conversation transitioned from thought to vocal. But, by the time the waitress returned, a melodious conversation had crescendoed. Now they had settled into the gentle heart music of loving-kindness. They sipped their drinks slowly while diving deeply into one another's eyes. So grateful for these moments together, these two sang silent love songs to one another. With a shared, “amen!’, they concluded their eye symphony. Charlie then began to utter softly, “Huu….” She quickly joined in.

Now, the band returned from their break. They began playing a waltz. Charlie smiled broadly and stood. “I would love to dance with you,” he bowed low before her. She smiled, took his outstretched hand, and stood. Hand in hand, they stepped softly onto the dance floor. Now, turning toward her, he made eye contact, bowed slightly, and kissing her hand, he drew her close. They were dancing.

The band was fresh and they played a long time. Charlie whispered in her ear, “What’s your name?”

“Eve,” she whispered back.

“Eve’” he repeated softly. “Eve,” he toned her name.

“My middle name is Adam,” he grinned.

She pulled her head back just slightly, fluttered her eyelids, and then kissed him tenderly on the lips.

Charlie’s knees weakened. Eve sensed his swoon and grabbed him by his belt. She steadied his core, more with her eyes that her iron grip. Charlie smiled in gratitude. Their lips met again, but this time they lingered. They would both remember that kiss for the rest of their lives, which, as it turns out, was not all that much time. For now, their hearts were aglow.

The first sign of trouble was a piercing sckreee of the hull grinding against the iceberg. The whole ship shuddered and groaned. Charlie and Eve clung to one another. Their eyes met. And there was a knowing … an acceptance … a clear vision of love and hope. Charlie broke the silence, “Life is good and we are blessed.”

Eve whispered back, “Amen!”

The band started to play ‘Misty’. Charlie and Eve danced the early morning hours away. Until, finally, the dance floor was so tilted that they had to cling to the pillars. “Let’s go out on the deck,” Eve suggested.

Charlie nodded and they made their way topside. It was a balmy 61 degrees. The moon was minutes away from being full. And for the first time in 1,400 years, the sun and moon lined up in such a way as to maximize the gravity affecting the tides. This was definitely the Titanic’s last night on the sea.

Eve knew it; Charlie knew it, and they each knew the thoughts of the other. Oddly, they both experienced a deep calm in the face of certain death. The path forward was obvious. Live out each breath in the unity of love’s flowing. They were so thankful to be together sharing these moments in love’s embrace.

Charlie began to hum quietly. When she recognized the tune, Eve joined in. They embraced and began dancing. Suddenly, the ship lurched and the deck was too tilted to dance. They leaned back against the ship’s cabins and continued to hum together. Popular dance tunes gave way to favorite hymns. The ship shifted again; it was time to move to an upper deck. They made their way to the top deck and in celebration of this sweet victory, they began to kiss passionately.

Time slowed. Hearts sped up. The moon and the stars joined this chorus of love.

Oh, starry night

Singing with the moon,

So bright,

Bring us home

Who can say

What the next breath will bring?

Who can know

Life’s erstwhile end?

We did not make

Our own beginning.

We cannot change

Our certain end.

Would you know

Life’s tender secret?

Open your heart

And turn within.

Oh, starry night,

The backdrop for this flight.

Bring light and life

And love’s pure sight.