Dancing With the Devil

by Maria Herren

  At the end of the semester Professor Kline was the guest of honor at a dinner hosted by the students. Food would consist of a large chip selection and several pizzas.

  Charly had been inviting Simone to the upcoming party when from the corner of her eye she happened to catch Margaret's shadow in silhouette against the wall. "Hey Margaret!" she called out, "Come on in here!"

  The shadow backed up before it came forward. "I was just in the kitchen!" Margaret announced, "What do you want?"

  "Not a lot from you with your forever nasty attitude, that's for sure," Charly smiled up at her. She kept the smile pasted to her face and gritted her teeth. "There's a party tomorrow night that Simone and I are going to and we're wondering if maybe you'd like to go with us?"

  "As long as I'm back by 11:00," Margaret said, leaving the room.

  ⇼

  Simone's eyes were wide with incredulity. "Exactly when was it that you totally lost your mind?" she asked.

  "About thirty seconds ago when I saw her shadow standing in the hallway," Charly answered.

  "What was she doing, eavesdropping?"

  "No, she was just listening," Charly said.

  "Fine, I don't care if she goes with us, but I'm looking forward to meeting some people at this party and by that please understand that I mean men."

  "Understood," Charly said.

  "So do you understand that you, little girl with the big heart, will be babysitting our roommate on your own?" Simone asked, raising her eyebrows questioningly.

  "I got it," Charly said.

  "Do you, really?" Simone asked.

  "Yes, I really, really do," Charly answered, honestly. They sat together in a comfortable silence.

  "Don't you even try to make me feel guilty," Simone finally said.

  "Starting when?" Charly asked.

  ''Now would be good!” Simone laughed.

  "Now's too soon," Charly said, turning her eyes up to her friend in supplication. "Okay, okay! That's enough, already! We'll take her with us and we'll both try to make sure she finds one moment of enjoyment. Let's make sure she eats before we go because there's going to be too many toppings on those pizzas!"

  ⇼

  It was the next night. They were all at the party and Charly was regretting her impulsiveness. She's introduced Margaret to almost everyone there but Margaret wasn't good at holding a conversation. Which left her attached to Charly's elbow. Like a leech, Charly thought.

  She glanced down and was confronted by Margaret's large brown eyes peering up at her. What am I going to do with you? Charly wondered. Her glass was getting warm and Margaret had devoured all of the chips from the bowl in front of them. She was about to get up when she heard a familiar, sunny voice.

  "Charly! Good to see you!" She turned to see Vincenzo's smiling face.

  "You made it, Vincenzo!" she said, "What a nice surprise!"

  "Nice to see you, too, my favorite student! I brought along a friend of mine. Anthony, please meet my friend, Charly," he said politely, "and what's your friend's name, Charly?"

  "Oh! Right!" For a brief moment Charly had completely forgotten about Margaret. "This is one of my roommates, Margaret!" Margaret blinked owlishly back at them.

  Vincenzo stepped forward and took Charly's arm. "Excuse us, please!" he said, steering her toward the kitchen.

  "Thanks, Vincenzo," Charly said, "Margaret can wear on you, sometimes."

  "You told me that her father's Dr. Levitus, the neurosurgeon, right?"

  "Yes, that's right," Charly said.

  "Good," Vincenzo said, sounding pleased. "Anthony's specializing in neurosurgery. They'll get along just fine."

  "No kidding! That's beautiful!" Charly said, helping herself to a slice of cold pizza.

  Just then Simone walked into the kitchen. "Charly!" she exclaimed, "I just saw Margaret talking to a man all by herself. “Pinch me because I know I'm dreaming!"

  "He's a friend of Vincenzo's," Charly explained, ''I know I've mentioned Vincenzo to you, the professor's assistant, remember?"

  "You did not go into enough detail, darlin'," Simone drawled comically, tossing a handful of red hair over her shoulder and extending her slim hand. "My name's Simone," she said, smiling up at him.

  Charly felt the instant connection between the two of them. "Well, okay, then, I guess I'll be over there," she gestured vaguely.

  ⇼

  It was a fun party and she enjoyed herself. It was several hours later and the party was winding down when she thought to look for Margaret. It was a surprise to find her still deeply absorbed in conversation with Anthony. "Anthony asked me to go for coffee with him," Margaret said, happily, "You go ahead. He'll walk me home."

  The second surprise was Simone was ready to go. Generally she was one of the very last to leave a party. "You feeling okay?" Charly asked. "Where's Vincenzo?"

  "If by Vincenzo you mean Vincenzo Cabrera, I could hardly finish a sentence without another female interrupting me. He's not really my type."

  "Really?" Charly said, doubtfully. "In what way is he not your type?"

  "You know what I mean!" Simone said, "He's just too ..."

  "Good-looking? Funny? Smart?" Charly suggested, helpfully.

  "Conceited!" Simone pronounced, triumphantly.

  ''No, I guess I hadn't really noticed that," Charly said. "I've got to tell you that I really think he's a fun person to be around. I really like Vincenzo. I think he's a lot more sophisticated than the guys you generally like who hang out at the gym all day. I didn't see him encouraging any of the other girls to hang around. Just you."

  They walked a little ways accompanied by the crunching of their boots in the hard snow.

  "Do you really think he's interested?" Simone asked.

  They decided to wait up for Margaret, flipping through the channels before settling on the Cartoon Network, munching on popcorn. It was after two in the morning when they heard her key in the lock.

  "Quick! Look casual!" Simone yelped, burrowing beneath the blanket.

  "Okay!" Charly shouted, grabbing the blanket and yanking it around her ears.

  "Hey!" Simone yelled. They were in the middle of a tug of war when Margaret walked into the room.

  "Uhh, hey look! It's Margaret!" Simone said in fake surprise. "Want some popcorn?" she asked, proffering the unpopped kernels.

  "No thanks," Margaret said, putting her coat in the closet. "What're you guys watching?"

  "Right now it's The Road Runner, but we know how this one ends," Charly said, clicking off the television.

  "You weren't just waiting up for me, were you?" Margaret asked, suspiciously.

  ''No!" the girls said together, in mock horror.

  "Good, because I'm a big girl now," Margaret said, seriously.

  "We know!" Simone said, cheerfully, "So where've you been and what have you been doing?"

  ''Not yet!" Charly said, "Margaret, go get into something more comfortable," Charly commanded. "I'm still hungry so we're going to pop some more popcorn."

  Margaret dutifully marched to her room.

  Minutes later they were sitting cross-legged with the bowl in the middle and Chris Isaak playing softly in the background. "So what happened? Tell us everything!" Simone demanded.

  "Well ..." Margaret started slowly, "He's beyond question the most fascinating man I've ever met. Not that I've had occasion to meet that many," she added quickly.

  "We know! Tell us what happened!" Charly smiled at her.

  "I will! It's just that I've never had a man act like he was interested in me before unless it was to get my class notes," she said, slowly shaking her head at the painful memories. "I can't remember what he first said to me, but we talked about art and about history and about school ..." her voice slowly diminished and she paused. "Do you think he'll call me?" she asked, uncertainly.

  "I think you're as interesting to him as he is to you," Charly said with a soft smile, hoping it was true.

  "We went for coffee," Margaret continued, d
reamily. "He walked me home, and he held my hand. I was so glad it was cold enough for me to be wearing my gloves. He'll never know how much my hands were sweating!"

  Simone yawned, noisily. They all agreed it was a good time for bed. Simone had to point out Margaret's toothbrush to her when she sleepily reached for Charly's.

  Charly's last thought before she fell asleep was, Margaret is interested in a man! Who would've thought?

  ⇼

  Anthony called the next day. Early. Margaret had left her cell phone on the table and Simone heard it ringing. It was the first time she'd ever heard Margaret's cell phone ring, although Margaret carried it everywhere with her. She dashed out to answer it, knowing it was a matter of great importance, whoever happened to be on the other end.

  "Hold on a minute. I'll see if she's awake," she said calmly, then pushed the mute button and hustled into Margaret's room. "Wake up! Quick!" Simone yelled. "The phone's for you! I think it's Anthony!"

  Margaret sat bolt upright. "Are you sure?"

  "It could be your dad, I don't know. It's definitely a guy! Here!" she thrust the phone at her. "Wait!" she yelled, grabbing it back. "Try not to act too excited, you know what I mean?"

  "I know what you mean!" Margaret agreed. "Now go away!"

  Simone ran down the hall and darted into Charly's room, rousing her from a deep slumber. The two of them waited together patiently outside Margaret's door, straining to hear her conversation. "What did he say, what did he say?" they asked excitedly, tumbling in the door when she said goodbye.

  He'd asked her for a date. A real one. For that night. Just the two of them.

  "Margaret's got a date! Margaret's got a date!" they laughed. "What are you going to wear?"

  "I don't know, yet. I don't have a lot of really pretty things," Margaret said, honestly.

  "Don't you worry. We'll find the perfect little something for you to wear," Charly assured her. "Show us what you've got in your closet."

  Margaret led the way. It was the first time the other girls had ever been in her room. There weren't a lot of personal details. A teddy bear she said was from her father. A quilt from her grandmother. A lot of books. All related to neurosurgery. No pictures on the wall. One small framed photo of a newborn baby in her mother's arms.

  "My mother died a few hours after this was taken," she said matter-of-factly. "Internal bleeding. They couldn't stop it in time."

  "You've never talked about your mother before. I thought maybe your parents were divorced," Simone said.

  "No, I don't think my parents would have ever gotten divorced," Margaret said. "He still talks about her like she was just in the room. He loves me as his daughter, but he's never gotten over the loss. Ours is not a close relationship, although it's been the strongest bond I've had my whole life. I'm too draining for him. He doesn't have enough time to spend with me. He's off helping the rest of the world. It's okay, though!" she said, noticing the concern on her roommates' faces. "I wouldn't have had any idea what to say to Anthony if I hadn't read all of these books, right?" and she smiled as she looked at all of the books around the room.

  "Let's get busy!" Simone shouted, throwing outfits on the bed.

  Through a long, but always fun, process of elimination they all agreed that Margaret looked the best in Charly's little black dress, Simone's high heels and some red lipstick.

  They seated Anthony on the couch and knew they'd made the right decision the moment he saw Margaret. His air of confidence totally disappeared. "You're beautiful," he whispered.

  "Thank you, Anthony!" she replied coolly, while he jumped to get her coat. She gave a big wink to the two of them before she closed the door.

  ⇼

  They were both asleep, snoring quietly in the living room when she came home. She blundered noisily around the room to wake them up, without success. Finally she sat on Charly's head and yelled, "Simone! I'm home!"

  The three of them sat up for the rest of the night, listening to the account of her very first date. Charly and Simone were very tired and slightly bored when Margaret once again said, "He's so handsome! I can't believe he's interested in me!"

  Charly politely covered her yawn. Simone did not.

  "It's not just that, though. It's not that he doesn't know how attractive he is, it's more like he accepts it. Without arrogance. The way the two of you appreciate your beauty without conceit," Margaret said, smiling at her friends.

  "Thank you, Margaret!" Simone said. "It's the red hair. I'm not really beautiful."

  "Really?" Margaret asked with a small smile. "That's not what Vincenzo thinks. Anthony tells me that he hasn't been able to stop talking about you!" and she got up, danced down the hall to her room and closed the door with a solid click.

  Five

  The next semester passed quickly for all of them, and they spent a lot of their down time together. Vincenzo and Simone had quickly become an item and that left Charly as the odd woman out. She rarely felt the pressure of being single, though, because Vincenzo and Anthony almost always included Charly in their invitations. The five of them were quite comfortable together. Charly's favorite nights were when the two Italian men were cooking, which was often. Her constant comments of, "Wow! This is terrific! Would you ladle on just a little more?" began to turn to, "What exactly is in this sauce?" and finally, "Could you show me how to make this?"

  Vincenzo looked at her with special interest the night she said, "I think this would be a better complement to the meat if there were less tarragon and just a touch of sage. Don't you think?" It was a very subtle change on a delicate recipe and he knew immediately that it was an improvement.

  Starting that evening Vincenzo began cultivating her opinions on flavors, textures, and tastes. Growing up in a family of restaurateurs he'd learned to follow a recipe, occasionally adding a flair of his own, but never with the authority she instinctively had to combine the spices, often ending with the beginning of a new dish.

  ⇼

  It became understood among them that Sunday dinner would be shared together. Initially the conversation centered around academics but as they gradually became friends the conversation grew with them.

  It was at one of their Sunday dinners when Vincenzo first mentioned Carlo. "We were born on the same day, in the same hospital, by the same doctor!" he said, smiling. "Our mothers were friends before we were born," he continued. "We're not related, really. Not by blood. Still, at home in Sicily they call us brothers."

  He watched Charly use her bread to absorb the last of the sauce and it made him smile and gave him pleasure to see how much she enjoyed to eat. "We like many of the same things, Carlo and I," he continued. "I think some day when you meet him he'll enjoy your company the same way I do."

  "Not a chance," Simone said, clearing the plates. "She found her true love already. If he won't have her she'll be a nun!"

  "Simone!" Charly said with a warning tone. "This is not dinner conversation."

  "Dinner's over," Simone laughed.

  "I don't want to talk about it. I mean it. Really," she finished, severely.

  Margaret and Anthony were standing in the doorway. "We've got the coffee started, but it looks like we're missing something interesting!" Anthony said.

  "You're missing nothing!" Charly almost yelled.

  "Oh, come on! They'll find out about Eric sooner or later. Everyone wonders why you've not been on one date since we've come to college. There have even been rumors that you might be ..." Simone hesitated.

  "Finish it, Simone," Charly demanded. "People think I'm gay?"

  "Well, some people," Simone sighed. "The kind of people you wouldn't go on any dates with, anyway."

  "I'll get the coffee," Margaret said, backing out of the room and dragging Anthony with her.

  "So who's Eric?" Vincenzo asked, ignoring the tension in the room.

  Charly shrugged her shoulders helplessly, knowing that all of her private business was about to be put on the table.

  Margaret and Anthony
brought the coffee in and sat down quietly together.

  "She met a boy she liked when she was just a kid," Simone said, eager to tell the story. "Now that she's a young lady I think she should wait for him to declare his undying love before she's an old woman. Or a nun," she added.

  "He must be blind. Or foolish," Vincenzo said, quietly.

  "No! It's not his fault!" Charly said, jumping to Eric's defense. "I've always been more of a little sister to him than anything else. A buddy. When we're together it's just so easy, for everything. To talk, to laugh, to cry. I know he likes to be with me, but I don't think he misses me that much when we're apart. I think I like him a lot more than he likes me," she admitted.

  "Love," Simone said.

  "What?" Charly asked.

  "You love him more than he likes you," Simone said, pointedly.

  "Maybe you're right," Charly sighed; "I just always hoped that someday..." her voice broke off. "I guess I'm just embarrassed to face the reality," she finished, simply.

  "Maybe there's room in your heart for my Italian brother," Vincenzo said, philosophically. "Maybe. Or maybe this is what we call in Italy "Un Grande Amore," which means "the big love." If that's the case, there's only room in your heart for one," he finished, looking searchingly at her.

  "How would she even know?" Simone snorted. "They've never even kissed, she hasn't gone on one date since she came to college to see if anyone else out there is interesting to her, and he hasn't contacted her in six months. If that's "the big love" it's highly overrated ... just an opinion," she added, pouring the coffee.

  "Why are we still talking about this?" Charly questioned loudly.

  "I'm just trying to be helpful," Simone answered, honestly.

  "You're giving me more help than I need," Charly said.