Part 5

There was always dancing. Every type of dancing every day of the week. Salsa on Thursdays were better than salsa on Tuesdays, and Fridays had waltzes. Wednesdays were swing nights. Each night had wonderful music that filled the dancers and the dance hall. The dancers held their partners close in their arms and let their bodies sway magnificently with the music. Friends were all gathered from their busy lifestyles to converge a few times a week, a few hours a night to succumb to the euphoric tempos and the grace of the dance. Her friends danced eagerly through the night, laughing and talking and catching up with weekly news updates. They perfected old moves and invented new ones. Even during the dances the sounds of chatter and laughter were familiar.

Salsa nights were her favorite. During salsa nights latin music would fill the room like a heavy blanket. No matter who was there within earshot, invigorating latin music would consume every portion of the person and compelled them to draw closer, closer into the world of latin dance. All around the room, men and women alike would gather and allow themselves to be engulfed into the sensual movements and sounds. After long hours at work, she and her friends would meet, have their favorite drinks, and surround themselves with other friends and strangers. Humid air would quickly fill the room and no one would notice. Their sensual movements and flamboyant stylings would whisk them away from their suburban lives and into the dark and exotic corners of Latin America. Vibrant music would pulse through the veins and limbs of everyone in the room and soon the entire room would be filled with euphoric dancers. Trumpets would be blazing in synch with the drum beats, and the sounds of a rich Latin singer would ring through the room. Eyes would twinkle, smiles would form, and the day and weeks’ troubles would be left at the door.

The passionate tones and beats still resonated in her ears as a smile began to form on her lips.

From her cramped little seat, the New York skyline stood boldly among the darkened landscape. Even though she was thousands of miles up in the sky, it was clear where New York stood amongst the land and the sea. Its numerous skyscrapers proudly reached up to meet her in the air and she let out a nostalgic sigh while she and her plane continued on across the Atlantic.

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