Fairy Tale Part 3 - At the Ball

I scrambled to get from the hairdresser's to get home to change and get my makeup on. I only had 15 mins before I had to meet Patrick at his house. Thanks to many recitals, I've a good hang of getting ready in a snap. I wore a red dress, with a pearl necklace and pearl/diamond earrings. Those earrings are really special to me. My friend gave them to me telling me to wear them at my wedding, but also to wear them as a reminder of God's promise when I doubt it would ever happen.

I was nervous to go to this ball. Lots of people to meet and a very different group of people than I would normally associate with. I did feel like Cinderella. Valet parking, country club... The last time I attended such an event, I was hired help as a pianist. That evening, Patrick always introduced
me with my academic title and my place card had it there too. I didn't want to be mistaken as a college student or a teenager.


Dinner was fine - salmon, asparagus and mashed sweet potatoes. We sat next to another couple. There was an awkward conversation. We were asked whether we each had been married before. I left Patrick to answer that question. He said it very plainly, "No, neither one of us have been married before. We're dance partners, strictly dance partners nothing more, but good friends, of course." Yay, I thought I was off the hook. Silly me.

The band started so we did dance together quite a bit. Patrick did tell me that it was alright if other men asked me to dance and I accepted. There were a couple people who might have but no one did. When he didn't want to dance, we sat down together. When he watched other dancers by the dance floor, I stood beside him. I was more than contented to be beside him. It was nice to be treated with such respect and to be made to feel so secure in a roomful of strangers. (Good to feel like a trophy.)

It was fun to be with him. I learned a lot about formal etiquette. Instead of feeling like Cinderella, I sometimes felt like Eliza Dolittle from My Fair Lady/Pygmalion. Who goes up or down the stairs first, how do you get on and off the dance floor, accepting a dance, declining a dance, etc.

After the ball, on our way home, Patrick remarked that it was strange that no one came and asked me to dance. No one attempted to steal his date. I was secretly pleased. I didn't want to dance with anyone else anyway. There were a couple guys there whom I preferred to not have them even set eyes on me. I had an amazing time.

As soon as I got home, it meant the clock had struck midnight and it was back to the kitchen to cook for the next day's Sunday School party. Beef curry, Malaysian style in the crock pot. It would be a short night as Patrick planned to come over at 8:00 am to pick me up.