CHARLES CLAIRE KALISTAChapter 35
- 4 years ago
- 28
- 0
Well, again, Tuesday night couldn’t come soon enough for me. This week, Brian’s mother took us to Cotillion getting us there early so Claire and I could confer with Jimmy. We told him about the BBQ and about all the steps we learned.
Mr. Bradshaw looked at us flabbergasted and said, “You have learned The Natural Turn Progression? I usually don’t even try to teach that to anyone under fifteen; they ... just can’t grasp it. You two really are something special, you know. Next week, I will be starting the Cha-Cha and the Tango. Think you can be ready with that?”
We turned to him and said together, “Whatever you want, Jimmy.”
We heard him mumbling something about ‘the best dancers in a generation’ as we went back to meet up with Brian and Susan.
Susan said, “Charles, that was so sweet; when you danced with Kalista at the BBQ. No doubt, she has a crush on you.”
“She will have to pry him away from my cold, dead hands,” Claire said with a smile on her face.
I told them all, “I talked to her after we danced and she and I have a little secret, now.”
“Susan got it out of her and told me. Don’t worry, I am not the jealous type,” Claire said.
“Much,” the two girls said together, giggling.
The evening went on quite well with Claire and I performing our demonstrations, and then Jimmy taking over for the rest of the hour. While dancing, I talked to Claire about learning more than Jimmy had asked of us and she asked, “What specifically do you want to learn?”
I spoke to her quietly, “There’s a very difficult dance called the Quickstep. It’s much more challenging than anything we have learned so far, but it looks like fun. I want to learn it without anybody knowing it. I will call you to arrange a time, all right?”
“OK X. That sounds like fun. Besides the Waltz, Foxtrot, and Quickstep, what other ballroom dances are there?” Claire quizzed.
“Well CC, there are the Cha-Cha and Tango which are coming up next. Besides all of those, there’s the Viennese Waltz, Polka, Samba, Rhumba, Jive and ... uh, oh yeah, the Paso Doble.”
“Are we going to learn all of those this summer? That’s a lot of different dances that probably all have a bunch of distinct steps to them.”
“Don’t worry, if I can learn it, I can teach it to you. I was going to ask Jimmy about that next week. Oh, exactly when is the Summer Memories dance?” I asked again.
“Not this Saturday, but the Saturday after that,” she explained.
“Cool. When you first asked me, I was a bit nervous, but now I have gotten so confident in my dancing — I can’t wait for it. My mother got me the coat along with a blue dress shirt and a deep red tie. We’re going to look as good as we dance, CC.”
Brian’s mother stayed and watched this week. She was interested in seeing how well her son was progressing. To be honest, I don’t watch Brian and his girl as much as I look into the brown eyes of the redhead that I love!
As the tone sounded that ended our hour of Cotillion, Jimmy made an announcement, “Next week at some time during the evening, I will expect each of you to find a different partner for one dance.”
I asked Claire to go and find Susan. She did, knowing exactly what was on my mind. Susan came up to me dragging Brian with her, “Yes, Charles — I will dance with you next week. Is that all right with you, Brian? Claire?”
Claire said putting her hand up on her forehead like a southern belle, “If Charles is going to cheat on me ... it might as well be with my best friend!”
Giggles abounded.
Brian OK’d it with the proviso, “No googly-eyes with my girl. You understand me, Charles?” he said with a fake punch to my face and a big smile.
“Brian,” I asked, “Did you get the green shirt and a coat for the upcoming school dance?”
“Got the shirt, but my mom is holding out until I stop growing to buy me a nice coat,” he answered. “I may yet end up taller than you, Charles!”
Shirley came up to us and told us it was time to go.
“I will call you tomorrow about practicing that dance we talked about Claire.”
“Bye, X — until we meet again.” She kissed me. I must be getting a little used to it because I didn’t feel myself blush. The moment we separate, I start to ache.
On the way home, Brian turned to me and asked, “Which dance were you talking about with Claire?”
“Just wanted to work on the Foxtrot steps a little. We fumbled on some of our transitions,” I said meekly.
“You know, Charles,” my best buddy remarked, “I am getting excited about the Summer Memories dance. I was scared shitless when we were first asked by the girls, but now.”
“BRIAN!” his mother projected from the front seat, “Language!?”
“Sorry Mom,” he responded.
As I got out, I turned and said, “Bye, Flemings.”
Mom was sitting on the sofa, knitting and watching TV. Yep, that’s how she relaxes, by knitting.
“Hello, X.”
“MOM!”
“How was the future Charles & Claire Newman Cotillion, tonight?”
“Now, you have got us married, and running the cotillion? Well, I guess our first girl could be Sarah Antoinette, our second could be Sally Claire, while our boys could possibly be, Brian...”
“That sounds like you have given that some thought, Charles?” she said, sounding a bit concerned.
“No, Mom,” I said laughing, “Just rambling off the top of my head. It’s kind of fun actually thinking about what could be? Maybe Kalista Susan instead?”
“That little girl has gotten under your skin a little, hasn’t she?”
“When I first met her, I thought that she could have been my sister so easily,” I said sitting and coming to tears.
Mom answered, her eyes moistening as well, “I know, Charles. I wish you had a little sister, too.”
Standing back up, I put out a hand and asked, “Mrs. Newman, would you care to dance?”
“Why Mr. Newman, I would love to. What music are we dancing to?”
“How about “Moon River?” I offered.
“Oh Charles. If I were only twelve years old again.”
I started humming the song, while starting the song and dropping it back in my shirt pocket...
ANDY WILLIAMS
“Moon River,
wider than a mile,
I am crossing you
in style someday.
Oh, dream maker,
you heartbreaker,
Wherever you’re going,
I am going your way.”
“Two Drifters,
off to see the world,
And such a lot of world to see...”
The song continued on. Mom leaned her head on my shoulder until it was over. When it ended, we bowed and curtsied to each other, and I said, “I can’t thank you enough for sending me to Cotillion, Mom. I have become more confident. I found something I really enjoy doing, and I may have found the girl I end up with. I love you.”
“But soft, what light through
yonder window breaks.
It is the east and Antoinette is the sun.”
She responded,
“O Charles, Charles.
Wherefore art thou, Charles?
Deny thy father and refuse thy name.
Or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love
And I will no longer be a Moynihan.”
Laughing together for a moment I took her hand and softly kissed it, saying, “Goodnight, my fairest Antoinette.”
“Goodnight, my sweet Charles.”
I woke up the next morning to hear my mother yelling, “The phone, Charles. Pick up the phone — it’s your fair lady.”
“Hello, this is Charles?” I answered, rubbing my face with my other hand forcing myself to be ready to talk to my girl.
“Hey, X.”
“Hey ... you!”
“I thought you were going to call me?” she said.
“I was. I just hadn’t completely woken up yet,” I admitted.
“Ohhh, did I wake you? I’m sorry. You can go back to sleep?”
“No, No, No, no ... that’s OK; I am up now,” I said scratching my head feeling a dull pain.
“Well?”
A pause.
“Well? What?”
Now, that was a pregnant pause.
“What are your plans for today?” she asked.
“Oh. I hadn’t ... given any thought to it, yet. My eyes are still coming into focus.”
“What time do you want me to come over, so we can work on this new dance you want to teach me?”
“Hold on CC,” I put the phone down and ran downstairs to my mom in the kitchen, “Claire and I wanted to practice a new dance. Can she come over?”
She looked at her watch and said, “Sure. I can take her home when you are finished. I wanted to check out this new Junior High School you two are all agog about.”
“Perfect Mom, can we look at it too?”
“Sure. Get back on the phone. Never keep a girl waiting on the phone ... Ever.”
Chuckling, I said, “Sure Mom.” I ran back up the stairs skipping two steps with every stride.
“Hey. I’m back. Sorry? I was talking to my mother.”
“Well?”
“Yeah, Come on over any time? We can start work on the Quickstep and then tackle the Cha-Cha and Tango until we’re tired of it. After that, we will take you home by way of Independence Junior High.”
“Great X. See you in about thirty minutes.”
“Bye, pretty girl.”
Mom had walked into my room saying, “She’s already got you wrapped around her little finger, hasn’t she, Honey?”
“What’s wrong with that, Annie? There are worst things that could happen. Leave, I need to take a quick shower before she gets here!”
I showered, brushed my teeth, sprayed my pits, and got into some comfortable clothes, and waited outside for Claire. She arrived in a very expensive looking car, a Mercedes Benz, I believe.
After opening the door for her, getting a peck on the lips, I walked around to her father and said, “My Mother and I will bring her home, Sir. Is that all right with you?”
“No problem, Son. Someone will be home all day — there’s no hurry.”
He drove off.
Walking inside with her on my arm, I said, “You look nice, Claire.”
“You say that as though you weren’t expecting me to, Charles,” she replied.
“I can tell right now I won’t win this discussion. Let’s go inside.”
“OK X. Hello, Mrs. Newm ... Annie.”
“Hello Claire. What are you two up to today?”
“Mom. It’s kind of a secret for Cotillion,” I responded.
“Well, all right. I will gather intelligence and we can reconnoiter later,” she responded.
“Huh?” we both said to her in confusion.
“Have fun you two,” she smiled and left.
“I like your mom, Charles, she’s really neat,” Claire said with a grin.
“Yeah, she’s kind of cool most of the time. When I can make sense out of what she’s talking about?”
We went to the living room, that I had made large enough to dance in. I explained to Claire that the Quickstep was different from anything we have ever done. I told her we would take things as slow as necessary.
I described the first step, Quarter Turn to Right, as slow — quick - quick — slow. This took some time for us both to get.
After about a dozen or so tries at it, we finally got it — sort of. Next up, were the Progressive Chasse and Checked Chasse. Again, it was also a bit of a struggle for us at first, but we persevered and eventually got it. We practiced these three steps for about forty minutes and decided to take a break.
As soon as I said “Break,” mom entered with refreshments saying, “That sounds very difficult, whatever it is your learning.”
“If you can keep it a secret, we will tell you.”
“I can keep a secret. Your father didn’t know I was pregnant with you until I was almost five months along, young man!”
This made Claire laugh out loud.
Claire spoke, “It’s called the Quickstep, Annie. I often hear on TV dance shows that it’s easy to learn, but really difficult to master.”
“The Quickstep! They plan on teaching twelve-year-olds how to Quickstep? That’s a difficult dance for even adults to learn. Why on earth are you trying to learn something so difficult?” mom asked.
“Actually, it’s all your fault, Annie!”
There was a long pause in the room.
“Explain yourself, Buster,” she said with a sly grin.
“Well, you said there were colleges that let you specialize in dance.”
“That’s right. I did. So?”
“Well, I thought Claire and I should ‘Learn way ahead,’ and be prepared for when it’s ‘officially’ taught to us.”
“Are you sure you are only twelve, young man?” Mom said, looking at me with a cocked head for a minute.
“I don’t know anymore, Mom. With both a beautiful Mother and an equally attractive girlfriend — I feel much more confident, and older these days.”
Claire broke the short silence with, “When’s your birthday, Charles?”
“The day after the Summer Memories Dance, Claire — July 28th.”
“Oooh! My birthday is only five days before that; July 23rd. Maybe we could have a BBQ on that Sunday in between the two birthdays? Daddy certainly loves to have BBQs.”
Mom came back into this conversation with, “That’s fine, Claire. We’re planning on having a special dinner for Charles. Would you like to join us for Charles’ Birthday Party?”
“Mother!“ I said berating her a little, “Could you leave us alone for a moment, please?”
With a flourish, my mother said in a French accent, “I believe I have overstepped my authority, Mon’ Capitan,” she saluted us and left.
I sat down next to Claire first taking both of her hands and saying, “I was going to ask you over for my birthday, but I guess my mom beat me to it? Can you come over? Brian will be here. I told him to ask Susan. No dancing, I promise! Unless you want to?”
“I would love to, although I will have to ask my parents, but they will say ‘Yes.’ What do you want for your birthday, anyway?” she asked me with a slight tremor in her voice.
My voice seemed to drop in timbre as I said, “You! All I want, is for you to be there, Claire.”
I found myself getting very emotional.
I knew what was about to happen before she even did it right on my lips. This kiss lasted nearly a full minute. I am starting to get used to this. Is that a good thing?
“It won’t be as fancy as one of your BBQs,” I offered.
“Let’s practice the Quickstep some more. We can do it better,” Claire said getting up and pulling me by the hand.
This has got to be what love is!
So, we went over all the steps again, this time using some music. Our album collection of music was mostly from the 40s, 50s, and 60s, so I found Bobby Darin’s version, of “I’m Sitting on Top of the World” and we practiced it for a solid hour.
I asked Claire if it was all right if I brought my mom in, to watch and critique us. She said she was fine with that.
“MOOOOOOOM!”
“What Charles? Is everything all right?” she asked, coming into the room from the kitchen.
“Sure. Claire and I want you to look at what we have taught ourselves. Critique us, please?”
“OK Charles, but I don’t know the Quickstep. I can only look for anything obvious.”
“Exactly what we need, Annie,” Claire said, very sweetly.
So, we started to Quickstep.
Occasionally, my mom would stop us, and bring our arms up a little or remind us about rise and fall. After a while, Claire and I fell down together into the sofa, giggling.
“What’s so funny, kids?”
“You sounded a little like Jimmy, Mom,” I remarked.
“Yes, Annie,” Claire said, “When he’s talking to someone who’s not getting it, he always starts all his comments with, ‘Remember,’ just like you had been doing.”
“Well,” mom said, “You two are ready for Cotillion and your Summer Dance. Take a final break and Claire can call home to tell whoever’s there that you will be home in about an hour, OK?”
“Sounds great, Mom. We can re-schedule to learn the Cha-Cha and Tango another time. Is that all right with you, Claire?”
“Sure Charles. Thank you for all your help, Annie,” Claire said.
We danced for about thirty more minutes when we heard Mom announce, “Stage leaves in five minutes...”
Claire came up to me and planted a nice kiss on my lips and said to me, “Charles — I like you a lot. I know we’re boyfriend and girlfriend now, so can we start holding hands all the time, instead of just only when we’re dancing?”
“Claire, that’s a great idea. I really lo ... like you too.”
“LET’S GO,” mom yelled, likely having heard that.
As we walked towards the car with our fingers interlaced, I quietly spoke into Claire’s ear, “I think that I am falling in love with you, Beautiful Girl.”
Flashing those dimples, and with her arms around mine, she leaned into my shoulder and quietly responded, “I know.”
After dropping off Claire on our way home and moving to the front seat with my mom, I said, “I need to talk to you about something ... something rather important.”
Looking straight ahead at the road, she said, “What is it, Charles ... Is this about Claire?”
“How did you know that?”
“It’s written all over your face, Honey,” she said glancing over at me and smiling.
“Mom — How do you know when you are in love?” I surprised myself by asking this, but she was a girl and might just understand.
“Well, Charles — I was hoping to NOT have this conversation with you until you were fifteen or sixteen. I don’t know if I am prepared to talk to you about this?”
“Mom,” I paused before continuing, “I am really confused. Don’t worry. I know better than to do anything stupid with Claire. I need to know if this is a crush or real love?”
“That is a very mature question, Charles — Let me ask you a few questions that might help. Are you OK with that?”
“All right Mom. Sure. Ask away.”
“All right. When Claire walks up to you, what do you feel?”
“Like, I have a stomachache ... Every time I see her. It has gotten a little better since we first met, but I still feel it.”
“All right. When the two of you are talking to each other, do you look at the ground or into each other’s eyes?”
“Into her eyes, Mom. Into those big, beautiful, brown eyes!”
“Calm down, X-man! A few more questions, OK?” Mom said, barely suppressing a snort.
“OK Mom. Sorry. I was just visualizing how she looked for a minute there.”
“That’s OK, honey. Now, when she isn’t around you physically, how often do you think about her?”
I didn’t have to think at all to answer this one, “All the time, Mom. Absolutely, all ... the ... time.”
“Lastly, Charles — when she is around you ... Please remember that this is your mother who’s asking you this question ... What do you feel like doing?”
“Mom,” I said not realizing I was on the verge of tears, “I want to be around her, hug her, maybe kiss her a little, maybe even kiss her ... a lot!”
“OK, Charles ... Do you want my professional assessment?”
“I am ready for it, Beautiful.”
“Don’t push your luck, Honey.”
‘Sorry,’ I snickered.
“You sound absolutely, positively, and completely in love to me, but you didn’t officially hear that from me. Be very careful about what you may think is appropriate behavior. I expect you to be a perfect gentleman around her and don’t abuse her sweet kindness.”
She went on, “She’s a lovely young lady, Charles, but she seems a bit impulsive — nothing’s wrong with that, but lack of impulse control can cause many issues, including unwanted sexual advances and consequently, unplanned, and unscheduled pregnancies.”
“MOM!”
“I am treating you like an adult because you came to me with the concern of a loving, caring young man. DO NOT, I repeat, Do Not let your ... hormones dictate what goes on between the two of you around others or when you are alone! You have a beautiful heart Charles, and a very pretty girlfriend.”
She followed that up with, “Don’t let societal pressures cause you two to do anything. To use an expression, I have heard you use, ‘Don’t let your mouth write a check that your butt can’t cash.”
“That’s not exactly how it goes, Mom,” I said with a smile on my face.
“Whatever, we’re home — I won’t tell anyone about this conversation. I suggest the same to you, even Claire and Brian.”
“Mom, while I don’t understand these feelings rolling around in my head and stomach, about Claire, I do know that I love you very much. Thanks for talking to me about this like a grownup. Love is very confusing.”
“Charles — the fact that you understand that, should help you get through this.”
With just Mom and me at home, we prepared a late supper of one of my favorite warm snacks. I helped make it.
You take a little butter and a lot of cinnamon sugar, mix it up to the consistency of quicksand, spread it on un-buttered toast, and cook it open face on a cookie sheet. I have fixed it by myself often. I usually fix myself at least six pieces. She has only two, since she is always worried about how much she eats. She isn’t fat, not even a little.
A quick description and comparison of my mom and Claire’s:
Sarah McArthur, 45, looks like a redheaded version of Amanda Righetti, from the TV series THE MENTALIST, but with shorter hair. Bustier than my mother, but not as large as Christina Hendricks. I watch the TV show MAD MEN, because of John Slattery and ‘JOAN.’ I wonder if Claire could get that big?
Annie Newman, 42, similar looking to Connie Britton, from NASHVILLE, but keeps her hair right at her ear line. What she lacks in endowment, she makes by her energetic smile all the time, despite being married to ‘Him.’
I have been using a website I found called ‘BallroomDancers.com’ which, after joining, shows you all the dances, all the steps, and all the variations of the step, with video clips of their trainers showing it all, literally, step by step. You do need Flash Player to see the videos ... good luck!
The next morning, I woke up feeling pretty good about myself. I still can’t believe I have learned how to dance, much less the Waltz and the Fox Trot.
And with a girl, a very pretty girl who has brown eyes, red hair and a smile with dimples, that lights and lifts my heart. My mom and Dad both approve of her. I am actually going to her school dance and I am not trembling ... anymore!
It’s ten o’clock in the morning — I wonder if it’s too early to call her? I guess all they can say is ‘She’s not available’ or ‘She can’t come to the phone?’
The phone started ringing and a male voice answered, “Hello, McArthur residence. This is Robert. Who’s this?”
“Hello, good morning, Robert — this is Charles Newman. May I speak to Claire, please?”
“Sure. I will get her. I want you to know that she can’t stop talking about you. All the time, its ‘Charles this’ and ‘Charles that’ ... whether you are friends for the summer or for a lifetime, please treat her nice? She’s my little sister and I love her.”
I decided to let him in on my secret, “Robert, I love her too. I want to dance with her ... forever. We’re going to Independence Junior High School this next year together, and I am not going to let her out of my sight. You have my word of honor. Just don’t tell your father all that I have said, or he will put her in the proverbial tower, lock the door, and bury the tower!”
“Well said, Charles — very well said,” he said laughing loudly.
He had put down the phone, and I was waiting for that voice that makes my heart pump a little faster when, “Hello. This is Claire — Who’s calling?”
“This is the young man who has given his heart to a fair maiden with hope that she may return the fondness in kind.”
“That’s so beautiful, Charles. Is that Shakespeare?” she asked breathlessly.
“Nope. It’s Charles Xavier Newman, who wants to practice dancing with his girl and favorite dancer today. Can you come over?”
“Just a minute. Let me see who can get me to you ... hold on.”
She’d put down the phone. That question Mom asked about how I feel when I am not around her is haunting me. I think I am not only in love, but as I have said before I feel tagged and branded — It’s OK. Breathe, X!
“Charles. I can be there in about an hour. Russell is going to bring me there. Can you get me home?”
“We will ride on the back of an eagle together.”
“O-Kay,” she chuckled, “See you in an hour.”
Realizing that Claire was less than fifteen minutes from being here, “Oh, shi ... shoot. I need to look up the Cha-Cha and Tango.”
I ran to my computer and looked over the four Basic steps; the New York Step looked cool and the Spot and Walkaround Turns looked simple enough.
Taking a look at the Tango, it appeared rather straightforward. There’s NO rise and fall in the Tango. Remember that, Knucklehead?
OH — boy.
“MOM!”
“Yes, Charles — you bellowed?”
“I called Claire...”
“And she said ‘Yes’ and the wedding is on Saturday?”
“No,” a disturbing chuckle came out of me, “We haven’t learned all the dances yet -- You silly goose. What I was going to say was Claire would be here within the next fifteen minutes to practice the Cha-Cha and Tango. Her older brother Russell is bringing her over. I should have asked you first, but is it OK?”
“Like I am going to get between my son and his first love?”
“SSSHHHhhhh, Mom ... keep that on the down-low, please?”
“OK Loverboy. Remember to treat her with respect both when dancing and not.”
“Thanks, Mom — I love you.”
“I know, X.”
“I deserved that one, A.”
“I think I like that nickname better than Annie. How about I start calling you C?”
That caused me to laugh out loud, “Well played, Mom.”
I went back to the website again and looked over the details of the Tango. The only thing that may give us some trouble is this step called the Sixteen-Count Basic. I hope Claire will have some patience with me today.
A car horn honked outside, and I ran out to greet Claire and say hello to Russell, “Hey, Russ — thanks a lot for bringing Claire over. I hope I didn’t make you go out of your way.”
I opened the door and got her out of the car,
“When she has a smile like that on her face, I will take her anywhere,” he countered.
“Russell!” Claire blushed very deeply.
“Hey Beautiful. Glad you could come over,” I said as I gave her a kiss, holding her face with both of my hands.
“I am leaving before I see something I shouldn’t — Too late.” He honked to break us up, waved and left.
“Charles. You have never kissed me like that before?”
“Well, CC — to steal a line from DISNEY’S BEAUTY AND THE BEAST, ‘There’s something there that wasn’t there before.’ Are you ready to learn how to Cha-Cha?”
“That’s what I’m here for, X.”
“That and you are here for me to look at, which is almost as much fun as dancing with you.”
“What’s going on?” she giggled, “It seems that you are happier than I have ever seen you.”
“That’s because you are here, Claire. I don’t have to think about you when you are here to look at. Does that make any sense to you?”
“I’m not sure. Oh, Hello Annie — nice to see you, today. Do you know what’s gotten into Charles? He seems, what’s the word I am searching for, giddy, maybe?”
“Without stepping on any toes, metaphorically speaking, I think it’s because you are here,” mom answered, knowingly.
“OK then, where are we dancing today, Charles?” she asked.
“In the living room again, so we can play some music to help us learn the rhythms and the steps I am about to teach you,” I responded.
I took her hand and we went into the living room. When I stopped for a moment Claire leaned towards me, held my face in both of her hands and kissed me. It felt so fantastic. Whoa Nelly!
“All right now. Let’s focus and get warmed up. How about a little Waltz?”
“OK X.”
“Mom. Could you please play, “Sunrise, Sunset?”
“You play the piano, Annie?” Claire said sounding surprised.
“Yeah. Not nearly as much as I used to, but Charles asked me to play this when he knew you were coming over. Here we go, kids.”
The music started. I stepped up to Claire and we assumed the ‘position.’ Then, we danced the Waltz effortlessly gliding from one step to the next and back again like we danced it only yesterday.
When Mom was through, she left the room ... dabbing at her eyes.
The lyrics of this song go...
Is this the
little girl I carried?
Is this the little boy at play?
I don’t remember growing
older, when did they?
When did she get
to be a beauty?
When did he grow to be so tall?
Wasn’t it yesterday
when they were small?”
Sunrise, Sunset
Sunrise, Sunset
Quickly flow the days
Seedlings turn
Overnight to sunflowers
Blossoming even as they gaze
Sunrise, Sunset
Sunrise, Sunset
Quickly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears
What words of wisdom
can I give them?
How can I help to
ease their way?
Now they must learn from
one another, Day by day.
The Announcer came on: “Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls; school’s out and guess who’s back joining us? Charles & Claire!” A wonderful round of applause came up from the crowd, the returning kids smiled at us, the new kids glared at us. “But they are last today, so let’s get started.” He went on to announce the first competitors and it began. Things were moving along, I felt a bit more nervous than usual. Claire came up to me and said, “Charles, remember we’re waltzing today, this...
About three hours later, we’d gone through our new routines, polishing them all up a bit—also going over every routine we’d won a trophy using. Some of those were quite fun, since we hadn’t performed them in such a long while. “LUNCH!” The three of us all came in to see a layout of food that was amazing; we had lasagna or meatloaf to choose from. Also, there were Pan-fried home-made French fries, which is a specialty of the ladies, and the usual Salad Bar, but it had more things to choose...
“Wow, Charles—that’s quite ambitious and crazy, like you said. The minute we touch down, I will do all I can to make that happen. You certainly have been the showman this past year, introducing me, special guests that I sprung on you at the last minute like Idina and adding those fantastic musical routines that include all of your ... harem,” Michael said. “That’s what you pay me the big bucks for Michael,” I said, feeling a pull on my shirtsleeve. It was Claire, who wanted a kiss. Never...
By the time I looked it up, Claire had gone back into our room, Kalista was looking for a suit and the ladies went back to their room to change. “Charles, I may need you to put some sunscreen on me, later?” Kalista said swishing her hips as she went into her bathroom. She knows how to turn me on! I got up and saw my fiancée walking out of our bathroom, with a delicious red bikini on. “Come on X Man, we want to get there before they leave for the day,” Claire said. As quickly as I could, I...
Excusing myself from the ladies for a moment, I went back upstairs to take a shower and shake the ‘Claire-webs’ from my mind. I quickly got dressed and went to BallroomDancer.com, (real!) to see which steps I wanted to add to our various routines and there was a knock on my bedroom door. Rather than my usual ‘come in,’ I asked, “Who is it?” “It’s Claire, Charles ... Annie and my mom said I should come up and talk to you. We need to talk.” “Just a minute — All right?” I was feverishly...
“E-rog-en-ous Zones – look it up. They are places on a woman’s body that, when touched ... or kissed, can produce the female equivalent of your ‘problem,’ at least it makes us feel really good all ‘inside.’” “A young girl like Claire or Kalista doesn’t know they have places on their backs that control specific parts of their anatomy, and can create a lot of sexual feelings, and in your and their cases, sexual frustration. Be Careful, dude,” Sarah finished. “Since this doesn’t sound like...
At that point, Sarah and I had scheduled seven days off to recharge and refresh in Dallas, only three hours away at the Cooper Hotel & Conference Center. The place was awesome. I even scheduled a Swedish Massage for everybody in our group - each in their own rooms, which costs extra, but we’re all worth it. While in Dallas, we went off to Six Flags Over Texas, only thirty minutes away from our hotel. We even got Annie and Sarah to go on some of the rides. The place was pretty cool. While...
Leaning into Kal, I said, “I think you can do this better than Claire could, but you know I can’t tell Claire that and you can’t either, ever! You promise me? Pinkie Swear?” She put out her Pinkie, attaching hers to mine. I heard her say, “Pinkie Swear, Charles.” I looked over and saw a delicious smile on Claire’s face as K started to try the cut time tempo. She was hesitating. “Look at me, Princess? This song is called, ‘Hold On’ so you can hold on to me and I know you can do this. Try it...
2nd City Grand Rapids, MI Radisson Hotel Here, we performed at the DeVos Place Convention Center in the DeVos Performance Hall, which seats 2,400 people. Mr. Bublé told me we got in here because Harry Connick Jr cancelled, and we got the date. The irony of that is that the two of them have reasonably similar singing styles as well as they sing a lot of the same old crooners’ tunes. From there, we schlepped to, 3rd City Detroit, MI Holiday Inn Woodhaven 4th City Akron, OH Sheraton Suites...
We all got out of the Spa, changed and had something to eat. Both refrigerators, as well as the chest freezers in the garage were quite full, so we have enough food to last until we leave on tour, maybe even longer. I suppose we could pack some food to go with us? Annie spoke, “Today is July 25th guys, midway between Charles & Claire’s birthdays. In celebration of this, kneel, Claire McArthur and Charles Newman.” Kneel? Claire and I looked at each other, not knowing what was about to...
Having brushed up on all of our routines the past couple of days; we were ready to begin rehearsals for the US Something Special Tour. We made our way to the Battelle North Room at The Performing Arts Center in Columbus and found Mr. Bublé there, along with his twenty-nine-piece orchestra and the Arts Center Staff working together to get ready to rehearse. Michael waved at us, as we came into the room. “So, Charles – did you really create a routine to ALL of my recorded music?” Michael...
Sarah went to her daughter and hugged her, tightly. “Yes, I do,” she said just loud enough for us all to hear. My mother started back up, “Claire, calm down. I believe you, but I need you both to be thinking clearly these next few days ... about only dancing! You may become stars whether you win this competition or not, if David Letterman has his way. He may even ask you to go on his show. I believe it broadcasts from Manhattan. I had better go and talk to Jimmy about this.” “Go ahead and...
I blushed deeply as we started to dance using our classic routine we’d made so long ago, to this—her favorite song. She glowed as we danced close enough together to push the ‘girls’ up and against my chest. I glanced quickly down at them, but I just as quickly, returned to the beautiful face of my future mother-in-law as we danced alone on the dance floor. The music ended as I rolled her out and in, ending with my arms completely surrounding her from behind. The audience had been as...
Even Pam and her cameraman Eloy, from WSYX-TV, were there, along with Dave the DJ and his following. I saw my girls changing into their slippers as I mulled over in my head which dances to perform. I quickly decided on ‘The Only Exception’ a Waltz with Kalista, and our new ‘Encore piece’ ‘Xanadu.’ Out of breath, Pam came up to me and said, “National in two minutes, Charles, please?” “Thank you - two,” I responded. Pam laughed. An energy always pulses through me every time I know we’re...
“I am glad you like it so much, Loverboy. If we move into your grandpa’s home, we better have a spa in the backyard, if not inside somewhere too.” “Yeah, inside—that’s the term your mother was using on me too.” We went out to dinner and got back early enough to work on our new routines some more. First, I got Kalista and we worked all of our numbers, then I got Claire to do the same. Lastly, we did out group numbers and the Claire/Kallie numbers as well. It was after eleven pm by the time...
I came back down dressed for the spa, Sarah was already in, so I checked and asked, “You do have a suit on, right Sarah?” She stood up and had on a beautiful one-piece swimsuit, that had the American Flag on it, but there was a mesh portion over the bosom area that flashed a bit more ‘skin’ than I had been expecting. I got in and turned my back to her saying, “Be gentle, Mrs. Robinson,” which caused her to laugh a bit. Just as she was starting to rub my shoulders, everybody came through the...
We all looked at one another and did not understand what she was saying to us. She tried again, “That man who just left here ... is ‘John McArthur,’ not Daniel. It was Daniel who died in June’s arms, all those years ago. John swapped ... all their credentials and took over the life of Daniel, including, being the f-f-father of all of my children.” She was sobbing very hard again. I remarked, “It seems like John and Daniel played the same kinds of tricks on everyone, being twins? Including...
Last year, being thirteen-year-olds meant we danced on Tuesday, but this year (2013) since we both will be tuning 14 in late July, we’re probably moving to Thursday nights. However, we got a letter from Jimmy with the upcoming Cotillion schedule. Things have changed considerably; Monday is now 17/18-year-olds, Tuesday 13/14-year-olds, Wednesday 11/12-year-olds, Thursday 15/16-year-olds, Friday is the 9/10-year-olds, and Saturday at ten am, will be the 7/8-year-olds. This was explained by an...
“MOTHER!” She was on a roll, so Sarah kept going, “Sorry Claire, but the truth is the truth. Most girls your age are getting ready to go to high school and plan to sleep with every boy they meet, until they find the one to bring home to Mom and Dad. You, however—hit the mother lode; he’s cute, he’s smart, he treats you like he’s known you for a dozen years, but it’s been barely over a year and a half, from when you first met.” “I know I didn’t originally understand what was going on with...
“You had me worried there for a minute, Tiger,” she said giving me a new nickname. “I thought I felt your hands moving towards my butt.” “They did ... a little, but I was in control of my hands the whole time, OK Love.” “OK Love,” she repeated quietly. Jimmy told us that during the next week we would likely still be working on the Tango and Cha-Cha. Claire and I only needed to refine our steps and learn a few more. We must keep Jimmy satisfied. ==== It was Saturday night, and Annie and...
“I am in a spa with four very healthy and attractive women; my mother, my girlfriend, my soul mate and my potential mother–in-law. The last thing on my mind is having fun. Wait a second ... that didn’t come out quite right.” “Charles,” Claire said swimming over to me, “Do I make you nervous right now?” “Not n-nervous, Claire. More uh — uhm, well ... uncomfortable,” I lied. Claire started to walk towards me with water dripping off ... everything. “Claire,” said her mother, “Don’t tease...
The next couple of days were something of a haze, with the practices, the new routines and such. Mom repeated that the musical guidelines for time are, to avoid a penalty, between 150 and 210 seconds. “Annie’s Song” was 180 seconds, but a song that goes 223 seconds, like “Footloose” does, might be stretching it just too much. Claire told me that Josiah could trim music from the front or the end of the song to make it fit the 210 maximum. So, I asked her to have him cut the opening eight...
Breaking the mood, Sarah said, “He’s not the greatest dancer ever, but he’s darn close. Thank you for stopping by,” she added, rubbing my back saying, “She’s not too far from the truth, Charles?” I leaned into Sarah and cried for a bit. Fed, showered, and dressed - we showed up early for our second Carnegie Hall Performance, these folks paid $2,500 each to see us, so we really needed to be jazzed and ready. Walking up to Michael, I saw he’d actually put on the T-shirt we got him. “Hey...
“Back to the Countdown, all right?” I hopefully asked. That settled them all down, at least a little. Claire said, “You were at 14, Charles.” “Thanks honey,” I said with a kiss. “Number 14;” 955,000 Sarah “Marilyn Monroe” pose “What’s that mean?” Kalista asked. I said, “There was an actress in the 40s, 50s and early 60s named Marilyn Monroe, Kalista. She exuded sexuality and one of her many famous pictures was with her bent over in a low-cut all-white dress, with her ‘girls’ pushed...
“Let’s get back to the hotel everybody,” Annie said. “Michael, when do we leave for Russia?” “In three days, we fly from here to Novosibirsk, Russia, about 2,950 miles, then on to Moscow, an additional 1,730-mile leg, after that to St. Petersburg, our final Russian stop,” Michael said. “Good, I might just sleep for the next two days Michael,” I said. Claire leaned in close and said, “Not without me, you won’t?” The realization of the previous evening, hit me when I woke up. I had my arms...
When they saw us walk up to their ticket windows, there was a scream from within, and they called their supervisor who gave us all free passes for the day. Ever-present Sarah showed me she had autographing pens with her. First thing we did was to take the Behind the Scenes Tour that showed off their zoological support area, and Jonathan, our guide, made a prideful point of mentioning all of the endangered species they had at their park. After the Tour was over, our guide, Jonathan stayed...
What was that? Did they say we had moved on, or were they telling us to leave the floor? The crowd was stunned and started to applaud very loudly. I guess that meant ... We made it! We waved back to the crowd, and Claire took me by my collar and kissed me in front of everybody there. I knew this was likely to come back on me, but I responded and kissed her back causing the other dancers around us to start applauding as well. We broke up both equally embarrassed, but happy as can be — we...
FIFTEEN YEARS LATER (2032) “Charles?” K said, now 28. “Yes, Princess?” I responded, now 33. “Everybody’s gone, leaving us alone.” “Where did they all go to?” I asked. “Claire, Annie and Sarah with Rose and Michael, along with Ken and his brood, went to check on the newest Charles & Claire Dance Studio in Pittsburgh. On their way back they were going to Columbus for the day, to check on the studio that Brian and Susan, and their family, are in charge of.” “That leaves us all alone,...
We got up, showered and met up with the group for a small and quick breakfast. Sarah got us a room in the hotel to practice in, we went through all of our newly restored routines two additional times letting the girls flash them up a little. We took a cab ride out to Wembley Stadium to check it out. We saw a very large dance floor being setup, it was maybe 80ft across by 100ft deep, easily the biggest we’d seen so far. As fast as they were setting it up, Michael and his merry men were...
That caused Jimmy to smile big as he said, “Now ... Charles & Claire will show us all, the Tango,” starting “Hernando’s Hideaway,” a different version than we had danced to before, but quite lyrical. Claire turned to me and said, “Charles remember, No rise and fall!” What a wonderful dimpled smile was on her face. We proceeded to Tango ourselves into a lather using steps that we know Jimmy wouldn’t be teaching tonight, but when you love to dance ... you do what you do, and what you...
“OK, last subject – turning professional and going on this tour. I am beginning to believe, that we are going to like dancing for people on this tour more than anything else, so I suggest we all turn professional right away, informing the NDCA at the proper time. We go on this US Tour, and maybe even Michaels’ World Tour as well.” “Then we maybe find out about going on the World Dance Council International Tour, or starting our own Tour, something along the lines of ‘The Claire and Special K...
“Ooooohhhhh — That was a joke, Charles? That was my soon to be fourteen-year-old sons’ idea of a joke. Ha-Ha. Hmmm ... you knew I was behind the door, didn’t you? Well, you got me pretty good there, Chuckles. I must admit.” She started laughing with us; so, I guess she was OK, but I am going to start being more careful, generally speaking. RING “Hello, this is Charles Newman, who may I ask is calling?” “This is Kalista McArthur, Mr. Newman. Calling to see how you are doing?” “Kalista. So...
Not having been there for over five years brought back memories. It was an all-new orchestra, with a new conductor, Herbie must have retired or passed on. After getting everyone settled, I walked up and introduced myself and met the new conductor, Harold Watson, better known as Hal. He was aware of who we were and had a large number of our music ready for us. There was no live singer this evening, just a nice meal and dance music. I sat between my wife and my daughter. “Daddy,” Rose said...
The next morning, after working out and coming back to take a shower, I looked at our list of cities we’d gone to so far and determined that we have been to 30% of the total cities, and we’re about eight months into our 24-month long Tour so far, which ... matches up. We’re less than two months from Kalista’s 12th birthday. Our second Anaheim performance was as electric as the first, then we had a day off, then Fullerton for a single, the next day was our ‘Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon...
I chuckled, put the phone down and ran to Mom in the kitchen asking her if Claire could come over in the morning to practice. Of course, she said, “Are you ready to be a proper gentleman this time, young man?” I bowed my head and said, “Yes, ma’am. I have got Claire holding on the phone. Could we get her this time, instead of one of her family having to drop her off, please?” That probably sounded a bit needy. “That was the perfect amount of groveling. Go tell her we will be coming to get...
The performances the next four days in Sydney, were quite outstanding. Kalista was extraordinary, and Claire was at the top of her game as well. I’d begun to go to the gym now and work out every morning. I did look up the latest news on Happy Birthday, finding that only three weeks earlier (On September 22nd) a judge in Los Angeles ruled that none of the companies that have collected royalties over the years, held a valid copyright claim. An attorney for the plaintiffs, Randall Newman (No...
Claire said, “I guess we’ll find out who wins the battle of the chesticles, won’t we, Mom?” Sarah did a shake and said, “In sheer size, dear – there’s no comparison.” They all laughed and snorted. “All right let’s go ... Dammit! The stat site is down, I need to call Ken about this!” “Oh,” Sarah said. “We got a request from Disney to make our posters available in the non-USA Parks. Without running it by anyone, I said to go ahead, but only in Japan. I figured we could find out how...
“Both of our mothers, along with our future stepdaughter, would kill us both if we did something as stupid as that,” she responded. “You’re right Claire, and when you are right – you are right,” I said, first looking over the delicious body of my soon to be wife, then starting another kiss. “I am so horny, and you are so gorgeous – a deadly combination, my dear.” “I am up for a little ‘afternoon delight,’ Charles?” she said grinning at me, reminding me again of that wonderful June evening...
After we got home, I changed into a swimsuit and practically jumped into the spa. Being that everyone else was of a like mind, within a half hour, I was joined by my entire C.A.S.K of ladies. Kalista came up to me and asked, in an alarmingly sexual tone, “Whatcha doin, Loverboy,” and she sat down on my lap, spreading herself out in a leisurely manner. “Well, Special K, you sexy lump of clay, you, I was looking at the final leg of our US SST tour.” I had my laptop on a stool...
“Can we wait and not have sex, until we’re married? Too many kids rush into their first time and end up regretting their decision.” “Absolutely Charles, that’ll make it that much more exciting, when we finally do make love to one another, for the very first time.” Of course, that was exactly when Sarah walked in, knocking and saying, “I want the two of you to know something about love. There’s lust, and it is a very powerful and strong emotion, that can break up friends forever. It can ruin...
“I am so excited,” Annie said. “How do you calm down when you get this excited.” Michael knew, so he walked over to her and gave her a nice kiss, possibly the best kiss they had yet shared. She touched her lips and seemed calmer. “He certainly takes after his father,” Kallie said. “Charles did that to Sarah once, and she was never the same again.” “Five minutes please,” our tech girl announced through my headset. I passed that along to the gang. Turning to my wife, I said, “Ready for...
We all laughed for the next hundred miles or so as we headed towards our, 31st City Salt Lake City One Night SLC Marriott City Center We arrived in Salt Lake City about three am. Sarah had gotten us a large suite with two queens and a rollaway. We’re performing at the Salt Palace the day after tomorrow. We were emotionally drained from the last six hours of things happening, so Kalista got in the rollaway, provided I give her a goodnight kiss, which I did, and I crawled into bed with my...
Eventually, we all changed into rehearsal clothes again. We had less than four full months before we leave on ‘The Next-Generation Tour’, and these routines needed to be automatic. I introduced the third set into our regimen, two weeks later we added set number four. Six weeks later all seven sets were worked into the rotation. Sammi was right — the kids were catching on, smiling as they were barely out of breath after a day’s rehearsal. My daily workout did its job; I was back in the best...
The rest of the day was a blast, the farthest thing from dancing we could do. Occasionally, Sarah grabbed my hand as we walked to the things we wanted to see and accomplish. We’d gotten tired, and let our guide give us a mini-tour, while we stayed in the cart. We weren’t being bothered for autographs that much, but if someone asked, we’d stop and gladly do it. We were all dried out now. I’d seen a place on the Park Map I wanted to go to, so I asked to go to Topper’s Hat Shop. I got a light...
I opened the door to a wonderful scent, thank you Ken, and Claire and I quickly started a load of laundry, then stripped and got naked into our spa. I got a text from K, “Can I spa with U?” I asked Claire and she said ‘Sure’ and I texted K back. She was over in a flash. I was planning on putting on some boxers, but my legs felt so good, I stepped into the spa, naked. K came in already in a suit. “Princess, right now - naked only.” She got in, put Claire between us and stripped herself...
“Kallie?” I said pulling her to where we could talk and not be heard. “Yes dear,” she replied giving me again that smile that radiates love. “I found an ALS Research Center in San Francisco. They are expecting records from your doctor regarding your preliminary diagnosis. I have emailed you their information and would love it if you took care of doing that in the next 24 to 48 hours,” I asked. “It isn’t that important, Charles,” she said. “It is to me, please, Special K, do it for me,...
Things were breaking up and our group quickly surrounded us, as we exchanged hugs and kisses. I looked around and didn’t see Kalista anywhere, at least not until she was in the air, on her way to me and I caught her. I won’t be able to hold her much longer, she has gotten taller and thus, heavier; I certainly wouldn’t say that to her face. She went for the deep kiss, but Annie and Sarah were there in time, to stop it from happening. After signing autographs for over half an hour, Annie...
We laughed all the way down to the kitchen. I pulled the chair out for Claire and we went about our business. I made her a salad and brought it to her, then made us each a cheeseburger and grabbed some chips and took it to the table. Lastly I poured us a couple glasses of water and realized I was the only person moving at all. The ladies seemed perplexed over Claire’s ‘ensemble,’ but nobody actually said anything. Claire looked up and said, “Are Charles and I the only ones having lunch...
Our Three Sports Stadium Performances were not technical sellouts, but they were the loudest frikking amounts of people we ever had, with Dan the Man in his elements. Well, back to the Tour: 40 cities left in California; starting in Oxnard, then Ventura and Santa Barbara for 3, Santa Maria for 2, Bakersfield for 3 (In a new multi-use stadium capable of holding 125,000), followed by Visalia, Clovis, and Fresno for 2, Modesto, Stockton and Sacramento for 3. We were planning an extra two days...
“Yes, a Terrible Tango routine,” I said. “Must find just the right music,” as I started rummaging through our music collection. “What about ‘Hernando’s Hideaway,’ Charles? We have practiced to it a couple of times?” Claire suggested. “No, Claire ... it’s a great song to Tango to, but I want something that works for only you and me ... so nobody else will dare dance to it, after we do.” “Aren’t we getting a little full of ourselves, Charles?” mom asked. “No Mom, the music is important;...
Finally, we went back to dancing. I thought we could now practice the Cha-Cha and the Tango. Those were the dances we were expected to know for Cotillion later. We went back over the four Basic patterns, the New York step, along with both the Spot and Walkaround turns again. I added to that, the Crossover steps, and a really cool derivative step called The Chase. After going through this without music, I looked at their selection. They had the Eliane Elias version of “Oye Como Va;” a perfect...
Disney’s Hollywood Studios was impressive. With twenty attractions to choose from, including Rock ‘n’ Roll Coaster, Star Tours in 3D, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, that Annie and Sarah wanted nothing to do with, Toy Story Mania, the newly refurbished Fantasmic, and a 25-minute long Live truncation of ‘Beauty and the Beast,’ with five of the wonderful songs from the movie, including the Oscar winning ‘Be Our Guest’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast.’ We also watched the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt...
She pounced on my slightly diminished erection, enjoying it like a kitty cat that just got a fresh plate of milk. She got me clean and pushed me on my back. She dropped her butt down on my erection, causing her to practically scream bloody murder. I threw her a pillow, as she performed at first a ‘Cowgirl’ then without stopping turned it into a ‘reverse.’ I pulled out and got her on her hands and knees and I plowed right into that beautiful butt of hers, again doing most of the work. Only...
My girls all came up to me wondering exactly what I was going to say. As usual, I said that I didn’t know yet, I’d planned to wing it. The cameraman was getting instructions through his earpiece and I got Claire and Kalista on either side me. He backed up a bit and gave me a 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1. The reporter handed me her mike, and I said, straight into the TV camera in front of me, “Ladies and Gentlemen, and kids of all ages, from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Welcome to the Columbus Mall, in...
We got back to Caesars about twenty-five minutes before things started. The same gentleman we’d spoken to before helped us to our seats. The lights dimmed. As part of her show, she does many of her most popular musical selections, including practically all of her music that we had. After her first couple of songs, she took her microphone and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, last fall I was lucky enough to be part of a very special wedding event. It was at a football stadium in Columbus, Ohio....
“I plan to ask her to marry me at graduation, not to marry me at graduation. I know many teenagers as well as older folks seem to think two or three months is plenty of time to be engaged. I hope to be engaged for two full years so when we turn twenty, that year’s McArthur Family BBQ could become our Wedding Day.” “I know you usually hold it in June, Sarah, but that year it could be the Sunday between my and Claire’s birthday’s in July. Could that be planned? Maybe you can get that dunk tank...
We landed in Fairbanks, Alaska, for the first of four performances in the 49th state. Fans in Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau all loved our Next Generation Tour. Our hop from there to Hawaii was wonderful. Our Tour of Pearl Harbor was amazing. Michael explained it to his ‘girls’, causing all three of them to cry a little. Sammi did the same with Lily. My Great-great grandfather, Richard Noble Newman, was shipped to Pearl Harbor during the late summer of 1941. By the grace of God, he...
The next night’s performance was something of a letdown. Michael Bublé performed flawlessly, but every one of us fumbled something. After saying goodnight to him and getting our money, I called a meeting for when we got back to the hotel to pick up Sammi and her crew. After we all assembled outside our vehicles, I said, “What happened tonight was totally unacceptable! Even I messed up!” That garnered a laugh. “In the entire history of Charles & Claire, that has never happened. I don’t...