Dancing Their Way to Success

“I’m sure I recognize that guy.”

“Which Guy?” Mike asked.

“The one teaching the Ballroom Dancing, but for the life of me I can’t remember his name” I was trying not to stare at them “yes, I remember his red hair. Oh, my goodness, what was his name?” Time and unfamiliar surroundings can do that “the last I heard of him he was working the nightshift at the Ford Transit Factory in Eastleigh, you know, the factory just outside Southampton.”

“Well let's just go over and introduce ourselves” Mike offered.

“Gerald, yes that was it, Gerald. But his partner, or wife looks very different from the young woman I thought he’d married.” They were talking with other passengers. “We went to school together but weren’t in the same year.”

“It was such a long, long time ago I’m surprised you can’t remember” Mike said sarcastically.

“Yes, thank you for that!” I mused, “whatever could have happened to change his fortunes?”

“Knowing you and your indominable spirit, I’m sure you’ll find out, and what you don’t know you’ll make up just so the story’s more interesting” Mike let out a laugh at his own astute observations.

Mike held out his hand “Hi, I’m Mike and this is my wife Mel, um Melanie.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Gerald and this is my wife Debbie, Deborah” he replied.

I noticed how he framed his answer to empathize with us, the same way salesmen do ‘look I’m the same as you, so you can trust me’. Actually, I did trust him, there was something honest and good in his eyes and manners.

“Didn’t we go to school together?” No point being coy and playing ignorant, anyway he may have recognized me. “Yes, you were a year younger than me”.

“Sorry, I don’t remember anyone as attractive as you” he was totally charming.

“My best friend was Heather Boyce, at school you were dating her sister, Louise.” My questioning was very direct, I hoped I wasn’t coming over as rude and ever so slightly aggressive.

“It’s a long story” he lowered his head and for a moment a flash of immense sadness swept across his face.

“I’ve lost contact with most of the friends from school” I confessed “it would be good to reminisce about old times.” I realized that 30 years had passed since then.

“Why don’t we meet up for dinner” Mike suggested, so we set a time, Mike and I returned to our cabin to ‘dress’ appropriately.

We chose a quiet table and waited. Debbie and Gerald joined us, we ordered our food and Gerald started the conversation.

“I expect you were a bit shocked to see me here, after all it’s not the sort of thing guys like me do, I was always into motorbikes and line dancing to Status Quo.”

“Well, yes, it was but it’s good to see you’ve got the courage to walk your own path, regardless of what others may say about it.” I tried to soften my approach if I wanted the full story.

“Louise and I did marry” he continued “she was always wanting to go on ever more lavish and expensive holidays, the only way I could afford it was to work the nightshifts at Ford. I don’t really know what happened, her sister said she started having an affair and her new man said that she could do so much better than me, and that she would ‘grow’ out of me soon.”

Mike went to the bar to fetch a round of drinks, I wasn’t planning to interrogate Gerald.

“When she left, I thought what’s the point? I’m stuck in a job I hate just to make enough money to keep my wife happy, but that never happened, because whatever I did it was never enough. So, I jacked in my job and became a window cleaner. It was a damn sight better than the engineering shop. Then I bought a pressure washer and started cleaning paths and patios, before I knew it, I was driving around in a new van and taking on employees.”

“Then I met Debbie, she was keen on Ballroom Dancing, so I went along.”

“We made a good couple. Gerald’s a quick learner and our heights made us look good on the dancefloor.” Debbie offered. “In no time at all we were entering competitions and winning.”

“Is that what helped you get this fabulous job with the Cruise liner, teaching Ballroom Dancing as you sail around the Mediterranean, and Norwegian Fjords.” I asked, then I couldn’t help myself, “I bet Louise was sick that you ended up with the job she would have loved.”

“Who knows” he answered, “I haven’t spoken to her in years. She started working in the Criminal Justice System in Winchester. The last I’d heard she was a probation officer, a thankless task if ever there was one.”

I felt quite sad at his explanation, I realized that Gerald adored his previous wife and despite his efforts, he couldn’t hold onto her.

But life has a way of sorting things out, handing out favors to those with love and happiness in their hearts; and misfortune to those with hubris and arrogance in theirs.

“Hubris means deadly pride. Thinking you can do things better than anyone else.”

This story is based on a true story, names have been changed to protect the … um … innocent?

Thank you for reading to … the end.