Ask away

Those two words were like a spell; one that opened a dark, swirling portal. I could not see beyond, but it promised so many things... even if safety was not one of them. What to ask? There was so much I wanted to know, so many thoughts and feelings swirled in my mind as we moved onto the dancefloor. Father had taught me to dance as a girl, twirling around the heart while mother stitched from her rocking chair, watching us.

To my relief, the memory of those steps had more or less remained, and I followed my partner as he led us through the steps. My heart raced, my cheeks flushed, as I was entirely swept away from myself. Before long, I had simply let go of my body, flowing and spinning, instinctively reacting to his movements and nudges. It was beautiful, in a way, like some deeper level of trust and balance than I was used to.

"Who are you?" Finally my question came out.

The simplest and most complicated question one could ask; not merely a request for a name, but to beseech the man for his very essence, his core, what made him... him.

Whether he chose to answer it as the simple request or the complex one, or indeed at all, was up to him.

We continued to dance, and I found it exhilirating and enthralling, an intoxicating ride... until he swept me into a dip... and whispered in my ear.

It was as though someone had speared the moment with a shard of ice, instantly freezing everything in its tracks. My gaze sharpened and snapped directly to his, my breath snatched away in a gasp and my heart suspended between beats. For a moment I said nothing, as he pulled me up again and we moved into a three step.

Then, came his question.

Why?

As we danced, I looked directly into his eye, my gaze solemn.

"Because I'm afraid."

Afraid of the church, afraid of the unknown, afraid to end up like father and mother, afraid to sully their memory or die away from my homeland... He was right, Salvar had made me her prisoner.