Two-Stepping

By Kate

"And, you see, that's why I am afraid," I said to Dr. Leal.

"Hmm," he replied, "well, the simple answer is to not use that voice on your computer. I know," he said, raising his hand, as I started to protest. "I know that you can not simply turn it off. So we must help you conquer your fear."

Now I sat in a small darkened room, awaiting my treatment. The night before, I had told my friend Nicki what Dr. Leal had said, and how he felt a more drastic treatment would be necessary for me. She smiled the dreamy smile of a chica on the road to recovery. "Don't worry," she said. "I'm sure Dr. Leal knows what he's doing." I sure hope so, I thought as I sat awaiting my treatment.

Suddenly light shown through an opened door. Two men approached me. Che and Nestor. Che walked around behind me as he crooned "Good morning." His hands rested on my shoulder, and his voice was softly whispering in my ear as Nestor's chocolate brown eyes gazed into mine. Nestor's face drew close to me, and I heard Che whispering, "Stare into my friend's eyes. Look inside him through them. Now, as you stare, you will start to become sleepy. Yes, yes. That's right. Concentrate on his eyes. As you become sleepier, you will slowly close your eyes, and drift off to sleep. And you will not awake until you hear the words you fear. Isn't that right, Kate?"

"Yes," I whispered staring into the brown never-blinking eyes of Nestor. Slowly my brain was numbing to any other sounds, only Che's whispers in my ear. My eyes slowly closed. I felt I was in a dream world, except I could still hear Che and see Nestor, but suddenly I was on a dance floor. The two of them were dressed in tuxedoes and I was in a beautiful strapless ball gown, complete with white gloves reaching past my elbows and gorgeous diamonds dripping from my arms and neck. Che's hand beckoned to me as the strains of waltz music began. "But I can't do this!" I protested. Che only smiled as he took me into his arms.

We floated around the darkened ballroom, and I stared into his eyes and as we twirled around the floor. He smiled and said, "You were saying?" I glided around the floor in Che's arms as gracefully as Ginger Rogers. He guided me over every inch of the floor, and I never stepped on him once! But alas, the song came to an end. We halted right in front of Nestor. He had a gentle smile on his face as his hand reached out to me.

"You know what we are going to do now, querida?"

"Oh, no. I can't!"

"Yes, you can. Don't be afraid."

The strains of a Tito Puente song filled the hall with a hot Latin beat. Nestor took my hands and gave me no time to protest any more. My feet had to move or Nestor would be dragging me around the floor. I started by trying to watch him, but he was moving so fast, I just had to wing it and hope I wouldn't hurt anybody. But it was like a little voice in my ear, one, two, and my feet seemed to anticipate what the voice was telling me. And I realized it was Nestor's voice, but as I looked as his face, his lips weren't moving. This was the strangest, most wonderful dancing lesson I had ever had.

The song ended, but before I could even breathe deeply, another song began. It was a different Latin dance, fast paced as the first, but with an entirely different beat. Nestor smiled and took in his arms again, and once again, I could hear his whispered instructions, even though he was making no sounds with his mouth. My dancing seemed flawless and I began to relax and enjoy myself. One song after played. Nestor and Che took turns dancing with me. Slowly the voices stopped giving me instructions, and I danced to the different songs as if I had known them all my life.

As one song ended, Nestor met Che and me with glasses of champagne. He lifted his glass in a toast, "In the name of the mambo the rumba and the cha-cha-cha."

"Now, querida. The moment of truth as they say." Nestor leaned over and whispered in my ear. "Why don't you come dancing with me?"

My eyes opened, and Che and Nestor were standing there smiling at me. Che asked, "Well, Kate, do you feel better?"

"Yes! Oh yes, but… but you must have spent hours with me!"

"No, Kate, look at your watch."

I stared at it. Only ten minutes had passed since the start of the session. "But, how…"

"Nestor, I think you would agree that we need to give Kate her full hour, si?"

"Oh, I think so, Che. Any suggestions, Kate? No? Let me suggest…" as his lips slowly met mine.