The Direction of the Wind, Part VI

Posted on Wed 16th May, 2018 @ 2:15pm by Lieutenant Damion Ildaran & Elizabeth Anderson M.D.

922 words; about a 5 minute read

Mission: Brushfires
Location: Orchids and Jazz
Timeline: Evening of the day that Hermes docks.

And now the conclusion of the evening that takes place Somewhere Over the Rainbow ....

"I've never heard of that song," Damion said to Elizabeth as Jade Lantz left their table. "I look forward to listening to it."

"If she knows it," Elizabeth reminded him. A young man in a white jacket, buttoned up one side and with a purple orchid on the left upper arm, came by to clear the table, and she leaned back in her seat to give him room. He smiled an acknowledgement and was soon finished.

"Music is very personal to each culture, isn't it?" she asked after the young man finished and left them alone again. "I mean, listen to Klingon Opera ... if you can!"

Damion laughed. "Or, God forbid, Ferengi music. It sounds beautiful to them, but I found it difficult to take." He cocked his head to one side. "That was actually my first mind-widening experience--when I asked myself what they thought of my singing. Turned out, they were no fonder of it than I was of theirs, and I was considered a decent singer, back home." He sipped from his water. "Do you sing?"

Anderson looked at him blankly. "I don't know," she said. "It never occurred to me to try. I wonder ... perhaps I shall try it. Find out if I need a bucket to carry my tunes." She grinned at him as she pictured an old tin bucket with little black notes falling out as she walked along the promenade. "I'd like to hear your decent singing."

The sultry voice of the singer interrupted their conversation. "I have a special request this evening, a song that goes back to 1939 and was covered by many of the greats of the United States of America for more than a hundred years. The original rendition of the song by artist Judy Garland is still preserved in the National Recording Registry by the former American Library of Congress as being culturally, historically, or artistically significant. On top of all those honors, here's my rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

Her backup began the musical introduction, and Elizabeth stood and reached for Damion's hand. "Shall we try that dance now?"

"Assuredly, Madame," Damion said with a smile. He moved his left forearm so that her right arm rested in the crook of his elbow and led her toward the dance floor. Damion counted the beat of the music as he shifted his palm so Elizabeth's right hand rested in his left, and he slid his right hand down to her waist. "Sounds like 4/4. Can you dance a foxtrot?"

Elizabeth laughed, "Damion, I know all the steps, I just haven't done any of them. I'm not sure we should start with anything complicated. Anyway, isn't this song too slow for that? I thought it was all bouncy." It was pleasant standing still, being next to him, a new experience. Damion had been good for her, because he always treated her well, but she didn't think he ever forgot exactly who she was. He accepted it ... he accepted her, just as she was.

"Mm... You're right," Damion said. "Slow dance, then." As the vocalist began to sing, he stepped forward on his left foot and moved with Elizabeth onto the floor. Then he shifted into a simple side-touch-side sequence.

He had intended to just listen to the song, in case it might explain what a rainbow was. But one glance down at Elizabeth's face, and he lost all thought for anything else. She was beautiful, with her reddish hair lying about her shoulders, and the smile playing about her lips as she listened to the music. He couldn't remember being conscious of that before; her inner self was what had always drawn him the most. But now tonight, it was as if everything about her coalesced into a singularity of everything he most admired. She felt right in his arms as their bodies slowly swayed together in time to the music.

Once Elizabeth realized that the steps were really simple, she relaxed and let Damion guide her around the small dance floor. The song was as beautiful as she remembered, and the singer did it well. Dreamily, she asked, "Have you ever seen a rainbow? I would love to see one from a planet. I understand it feels magical, as if it has special properties, because it only appears occasionally. Do they have them on Turkana IV?"

"I don't know; I've never seen one," Damion said. "It was rare that we'd go up streetside from the tunnels, and we avoided doing that if it was going to rain. But if you ever make plans to see a rainbow planetside, I'd like to see it with you."

Anderson smiled at him. "I'll save you a ticket on the seat right next to me," she said. The dancing was comfortable, the music just right, even the jazz riff the combo did in the middle was perfect. At the end, she swallowed a little sigh before it could get out. "Thank you, Damion. I enjoyed that," Elizabeth told him. She realized she meant that in a very human way. It had nothing to do with electrons connecting ... she'd enjoyed it. She smiled a little.

"I enjoyed it, too," Damion said and smiled back at her. "Would you like to dance a bit more? Nothing says we have to stop at just one."

"I think ... yes!" Elizabeth laughed. "It's rather nice not to be logical."

 

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