Saturday Night

"Congratulations!" The room almost shook, as sixty plus people welcomed the newlyweds as they entered the reception hall. It was summer and one of my best friends had just gotten married. We sat at our bridal party tables, on display for the rest of the guests to see. But to me, they were blurred out faces, gathered around circular tables. Except her. I knew she would be there. I had been warned. You see, I never did well around my ex-girlfriend, especially not with the open bar that lay before me. But did she feel the need to drag her boyfriend halfway across the country to a friend’s wedding, that he had only met a handful of times? It wouldn’t be much of a story is she didn’t, now would it?
I passed on the glazed chicken and potatoes that the waitress brought over. I took off my suit jacket, which was heavy with my plans for then night, and walked to the bar. "I’ll take a bottle of your local," I said, one elbow on the bar, my gaze away from the bartender and towards her table. She was looking at me, as if she was anticipating something. "Liquid courage?" asked the bartender. I snapped out of my eye contact with her and faced the bartender, a look of confusion on my face. "I work allot of weddings." she said, as she handed me my beer. "Just keep em coming." I said, as I slipped a twenty into the tip jar and walked back to my seat.
I passed on dessert and stuck to the never ending stream of local beers that flooded my table. That bartender sure knew what I meant when I said "keep em coming." perhaps he noticed the constant eye contact between me and my ex. perhaps he saw the sadness in my eyes. Maybe a twenty dollar bill goes a long way in small town Wisconsin. I waited until dinner was done, speeches were made and toasts were drank. I never once took my jacket, and I never once took my eyes off of her. Her stares started becoming few and far between, most of them belonging to her boyfriend. It didn’t matter. I owned this night.
I nodded at the bartender as I digged into my jacket. I grabbed the CD from the inner breast pocket, gave myself an unsure smile, and headed towards the DJ booth. I slipped him the CD and a five dollar bill. He informed me I had two songs before mine. I had six minutes to decide if I was going to stay or bail on the party, which I had done too many times to count. The last sip of my beer sealed my fate. I was going to see how this turned out.
I headed back to the bar just as the first chords of my song filled the hall. "More liquid courage?" the bartender asked, cracking me a new one. "Just make sure there’s a beer at my seat when this song in finished." I turned my head towards her, she was already looking. "Saturday Night" by the Misfits. Our song. Well, not officially, but that song always brought me back to this one night three years ago. We weren’t even dating at the time, but we slow danced to this song in my living room. I’ll always remember the coolness of her hand in mine, the way her lower back welcomed my other hand, the way her head nestled so perfectly into my neck. I was trying to bring her back to that moment, and judging by the look in her eyes, she was there.
I nodded to the dance floor. She looked at her boyfriend for a few seconds, turned and stood up. I turned to smile at the bartender and headed towards the dance floor. It took all I had not to turn my head to her boyfriend and see flash him the shit eating grin I was currently wearing. But as many times before, she had trapped me with those brown eyes. We met each other on the dance floor. My hand fit exactly where it did that night in my living room. Her head fell into my neck and it felt like I had been missing a part of myself, now complete. I closed my eyes. The dance felt like a lifetime.
"I remember when we danced to this song." she said, right before it ended. I felt tears drops fall onto my neck and roll past my collar. I still had the smile as the song faded, and I let her go. I walked past her boyfriends table and gave him the look I had longed to give him. I picked up my jacket and the beer that was waiting for me, turned and smiled at the bartender. I took a hit and looked to the dance floor. She was still there, a tear falling from her eye. I smiled. I grabbed my beer and walked into the cool Wisconsin night.