Dance of Shadows
When happiness beckons…
“I am starting to see I can be happy again,” she said. And she almost let herself smile.
But her eyes gave her feelings away.
They twinkled. Like the olive oil she had drizzled on her special rosemary focaccia bread that had taken 3 hours to bake. Three months ago.
The last time she had smiled was when she turned over the bundt pineapple upside-down cake (with the secret ingredient from her grandma) onto her white ceramic plate with the tiny blue periwinkles (also from her grandma). Four months ago.
Now she was in a city of dreams for many. A city where she had been a carefree child. A city that had takeout. So she no longer had to plan and cook elaborate meals for two.
Like the delivery service that was used to her orders now, she was getting used to the possibilities. She could finally break free from it all. Especially the shadows that had danced menacingly around her. And threatened her at every turn.
The cooking had kept her busy. And she had escaped from the threatening shadows of darkness, one dish at a time. But her attempts had failed. Like her husband’s who had tried to escape the clutches of time. Who can conquer old age?
As she looked at the glorious Fourth of July fireworks and the famed New York City skyline from her living room, she turned around and looked at her husband. Or what was a semblance of his older self. He needed her now more than she needed him.
But she was going to live again like her full self. And grasp tighter onto life. She got something to hold onto here. The city beckoned her to rejoice. And showed new promise in every cobblestone.
The endless meals and cooking will come to a stop now. She could focus more on what made her soul dance. And not worry too much about the health of her husband. Or the years of self-imprisonment due to a petulant virus.
“Funny how when you change places, you change too,” she thought as she took a bite of the world-famous banana pudding from Magnolia Bakery. “I can take on any identity I want. Like the actors in the Broadway show I am going to see tomorrow.”
The shadows now didn’t dance on their own anymore. As she was now in charge.
The city embraced her and melted the shadows away. The sparks from the fireworks warmed her soul. She switched on some soft music and swayed.
And this time, the shadows seemed to say as they departed, “Show us how you dance!”
— — —
A short story to lift your spirits. I hope you dance too!
