hootenanny
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Jake was trying to have fun, he really was. But it was just so far out of his comfort zone that he did not even know what to do with himself. Everyone else was having fun. They were dancing and singing and laughing. And people were playing fiddles. Not violins, but honest to god fiddles. The people not making music were doing some dance that involved a lot of big steps and spinning around other people. He had no idea what was going on.
He did see his girlfriend, Susie, dancing with a huge smile on her face. At least one of them was having fun. Of course, it was understandable it was her. This was her family, after all. She was always the “small town southern gal” and he was the “big city northern boy.” Of course, the fact that they had both grown up in large suburbs of major cities did not change that. She still loved parties like this.
Parties where the music was being made up on the spot by the singers, and the dancers kept going no matter what the song was about. Parties where even the salad had enough calories for an entire day. Parties where two people could be drinking together one moment, then punching each other the next, and then go right back to drinking together. There was no rhyme or reason for anything to happen the way it did.
Jake could only stand at the side at watch, confused by what was going on. He had no idea what anything was, why anyone was doing anything, or even who anyone was. But the longer he looked, the more he thought he saw some kind of pattern to the chaos. Some unifying thread that kept everything running smoothly. But whenever he tried to grasp it, it fled, never to be known by him.
Maybe if he joined in, he would find something out? But he dare not do that. This was Susie’s family. He did not want to upset them by making a fool of himself by messing up whatever was going on. They were already on the fence about him dating Susie, and messing up here could only make things worse. But at the same time, he could see a few people take notice of his lack of participation.
He needed to do something, but what? He knew he was not capable of joining the dace floor. And there was not enough alcohol in the world to get him to sing. Maybe a casual conversation with one of the others who were also doing neither? There were not too many of those. Although, doing that ran the risk of getting his teeth knocked out. It was a real worry, considering he saw several people with missing teeth already. He did not want to tell his dentist about that.
And so it was that he stayed where he was. He nursed a cheap beer in a plastic cup, likely the least fattening thing in the whole place. And he watched. He watched his girlfriend dance with her family. Maybe someday he would figure out what was going on. And when he did, he might just dance with her.
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I'd be miserable at a party like this. I don't like parties in general, but this kind would be so much worse for me.
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