Hailey’s Last Dance

Eddie opened the door to his twin sister’s room to find her twirling to a stop in front of her full-length mirror. There was something to be admired. The emerald green prom dress matched her eyes almost exactly. Piling her soft brown hair in a makeshift updo, she cocked her head side to side to assess all the angles.

Stepping inside the room, he quickly pulled the door closed. “Hailey, what the . . .” his pulse pounded inside his head and a loud, steady thump beat the inside his chest. 

She giggled and swished the silk folds around her like a three-year-old modeling her first tutu. “I know, I know. It’s time to go to school, but I couldn’t help it. It’s finally prom day! And, I’m sure, absolutely sure, that we’re going to be king and queen!” Her eyes sparkled as she moved closer.

“But, Hailey  . . .  we can’t  . . .  ” the wall halted his backward progress. Short, raspy breaths were all he could force out.

“Of course, we can.” Her dimples flashed as she plopped onto her bed. “It’s our destiny. Why so serious, Edster? I know, school first. Can you remember my home room? Craziest thing, but I can’t remember where I go first  . . .  or the rest of my schedule.” She scrunched her nose as if the lack of memory was an unpleasant smell.

Eddie crossed the room and sat arm’s length from her. His hand trembled as he reached out and touched her arm, recoiling slightly at the contact. 

“Seriously, bro, what’s going on with you? And do you know where my clothes are? My closet’s like empty, and I know I can’t wear this all day.” She sprung up and began opening her dresser drawers.

“They’re not there. Mom gave them away day before yesterday. To the clothes closet at church. She just couldn’t give up the dress.”

“Ha ha. Very funny.”

“No, seriously. You’re  . . .  I mean, Hailey  . . .  do you know how you got here?”

“Yeah, I think the stork brought me. Give it up, Eddie. What’s going on?”

“Just tell me. How did you get here? This morning? In this dress?”

“Well, duh, I just got out of bed, and  . . . ” her voice trailed off as she picked up a pillow from her perfectly made bed.

“Think about it, Hailey. When did you ever make up your bed?” He gave her a moment to think, then thought of another question. “What about what we ate for dinner last night?”

“Well, we had . . . something Mom made.” She lowered herself to the bed. “Or Chinese food? Why can’t I remember?”

“Because you’re not real. I mean, I want you to be real. But you can’t be.”

“I don’t understand.” Tears filled her eyes and perched precariously behind her lower lashes.

“The wreck . . . three weeks ago . . . you died.”

Her lips parted in silent argument as she made eye contact. A forceful blink pushed the tears over their dam. “You’re right, of course,” she whispered before throwing herself into his arms. “Oh, Eddie. I didn’t mean to.”

There was nothing more natural for him than to wrap his arms tightly around her shivering frame. He’d done it countless times the last eighteen years in consolation and celebration. Mom said they clasped onto each other from their first day home as if weeks spent in separate NICU beds had traumatized them.

Was he losing his mind? Obviously, this wasn’t real. But he could feel her warm breath on his neck, smell that body spray she always used, and hear her soft sobs. He ran his hand through her hair as hot tears spilled from his eyes.

“Eddie?” His mom called his name as she opened the door. His eyes flew to hers; his mind frantically grasped for a way to explain Hailey’s appearance. But she didn’t look shocked to see Hailey, as he was certain he did when he opened the door. Her face just fell into an overwhelming look of heartache, the look he’d seen so many times these last three weeks. He realized she didn’t see Hailey; she only saw pitiful him sitting on his sister’s bed, holding her prom dress, and crying.

In a flash, she moved the dress aside and took him into her arms. “Oh, baby. It’s okay.” He knew it was her go-to for comfort, but her own sobs called it a lie. 

***

Eddie slogged through the torturous school day. No matter the distractions in classrooms and hallways, he couldn’t get over the sensation of Hailey in his arms. Fortunately, he was being given a wide berth for weird behavior. All of the faculty and the whole student body of the small school still grieved the sudden loss along with him.

Once home, Eddie eased the door to her room open wanting with equal desire for her to be there and for her not to be. No sign of her. He sunk to her bed and buried his face in his hands. “Oh God. I don’t understand. I mean I believe you know what you’re doing . . . usually . . . but, this . . . I know you can’t really bring her back, but if I could see her just one more time.”

“I don’t think it really works this way most of the time.” Hailey spoke low and soft as she ruffled his hair.

The muscles in his shoulders instantly tensed, then relaxed. He wrapped his hand around her wrist before he looked up. She still had on her prom dress; she still looked one hundred percent alive.  He pulled her hand from his head, scooted back to brace against the headboard, and patted the bed beside him. “Come on, Hailster.”

She flashed her happiest smile, flounced up to sit beside him, and took his hand in hers. “I’ve been thinking.”

“Oh, you have?” He raised an eyebrow. “About what?”

“You’re gonna laugh.”

“I hope so. I could use a laugh.”

“Well, I’m pretty sure I went to heaven, even though I don’t really remember anything . . . you know, like golden streets and bright lights and all. Anyway, I think maybe I got one more wish and God let me come back to go to prom.”

“Prom? Really?”

She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout that was almost always a golden ticket to whatever she wanted. “I knew you’d laugh.”

“I’m sorry. It’s just heaven . . . ” he moved his hands as if balancing scales, “ . . . or prom. Not sure it makes sense.” He could see she didn’t like his observation. “Besides, how would you get there? Pretty sure I’m the only one who can even see you.”

“That’s the thing, Edster.” She brightened and turned to make eye contact. “You have to take me!”

“And how, am I supposed to do that?”

“Well,” she sat up on her knees like an excited puppy. “I’ve been thinking about that, too.”

***

“Here we go.” Eddie felt the attention of the room turn group by group to gawk as he entered the gymatorium. In his imagination, the DJ scratched a record to a stop so everyone could gasp in unison and feel sorry for him . . . the president of the senior class standing on the edge of the silver and blue balloon-festooned dance floor, an emerald green silk dress draped over his arm.

His best friend was by his side in seconds. “Dude.” In one word, Eddie heard all of the implied questions. Dude, what are you doing? Dude, are you cracking up? Dude, maybe you should have stayed home.

Hailey’s best girlfriends reached him before he could answer. The rest of the room drifted back into the flow of the dancing as the girls encircled him, tears in their eyes. He held his hands up to stop their questions. “I promise, it’s not as pathetic as it looks. She was just looking forward to it so much. I thought it would be a cool way to have her here.”

Her bestie, Stacie, stroked the green silk. “She would love it. You’re the best brother ever.” She stood on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. “Why don’t we put it here?” She steered Eddie to a chair at a table near a three-level chocolate fountain. “She insisted we have that fountain tonight.”

Eddie laughed as he arranged the dress on the chair. “She loved her chocolate,” he mustered as normal a voice as he could to convince his friends he wasn’t having a mental breakdown. Then he whispered to the dress before he stood. “You, behave.” He winked and turned to the dance floor.

One song at a time, it appeared the Seniors in the room forgot the awkwardness of Eddie’s entrance and threw themselves into the music, line dances, and slow dances closely monitored by attentive chaperones. Eddie, too, managed to enjoy the prom he had planned to skip. Every so often, he would glance in her direction.

She sat dutifully in her chair as he made her promise on the drive over, though neither really knew if she could even move without him. Her eyes sparkled as they darted around the room, taking in every scene of the friends she loved most–dressed formally but dancing with teenage abandon. A couple of times, he saw her shimmy her shoulders. If she could, he knew she’d be on the floor breaking down her best Beyoncé impression.

Principal Miller stepped onto the stage with a microphone. “Wow! You guys look great out there!” She paused as her eyes scanned her students resting for a moment, Eddie thought, on his face. “Well, it’s that time. I’m honored to be asked by the student council to announce the king and queen you voted for.” Her hands shook as she opened  the beribboned envelope. 

The silence grew thick in the room. Eddie’ throat tightened. Surely, they didn’t.

She scanned the card and made eye contact with him. No, he wasn’t imagining. Her voice cracked as she read. “Your king is Eddie Williamson. Your queen is Hailey Williamson.” 

Eddie tried not to stare at Hailey, but couldn’t resist. She bounced in her chair, curved her hands into a heart shape and thrust them toward her brother. His legs wobbled and he swallowed hard. Ninety-eight pairs of eyes riveted to his distress with a weight he could feel. 

Mrs. Miller saved the moment. “Standing in for Hailey tonight, will be Stacie Adams. Eddie and Stacie, you lead the next dance.”

A spotlight shone onto the middle of the floor. Eddie found Stacie, took her hand, and moved to the circle of light. Stacie and Eddie, de facto friends bound by the girl both of them loved the most, swayed awkwardly through a few bars. Eddie tried to look at Stacie’s face, but was drawn to Hailey’s instead. Stacie obviously noticed his longing toward the green silk dress.

She whispered, “Just a minute.” Dropping his hand, she maneuvered through their classmates to the chair by the chocolate fountain. She gathered the dress into her arms with the tenderness of a new mother picking up her baby, and glided back to Eddie. Without a word, she resumed their hold, folding the dress over their entwined arms. 

And they danced. Eddie clearly heard Hailey laugh, deep and light, as she wrapped her arms around them. He laughed, too, not even worried that no one else could see her. Stacie relaxed and laughed. They spun until the music ended, then huddled in the center of the floor, laughing and crying at the same time in the way reserved for those who grieve together.

The rest of the students mounded around them, the shared heartache of the past three weeks welling out and healing them in a way that no amount of counseling ever could.

***

Eddie tucked the emerald green dress into the passenger seat, closed the door and moved to the driver’s side, where Stacie waited with her heels in hand.

“You’re going to think I’m crazy,” she twisted her hair with her free hand. “But, I swear, I could hear her laugh when we were dancing.”

“You’re not crazy. She was there.” He moved her hand from her hair and tilted her face to make eye contact. “Thank you, Stacie.”

She smiled and punched him on the shoulder. “Love ya . . . Edster.” She giggled and sashayed away, swinging her shoes and humming. 

Eddie climbed into the car and smiled at Hailey.

She met his smile. “I’ve been thinking.”

“Again?”

“I loved it tonight. Don’t get me wrong. But the music, the dancing, the pretty dresses, all of it. After a while, it just seemed like shadows of a much better place I know. I don’t think God let me come back so I could go to prom.”

“Yeah? Why then?”

“I think He let me come back so you could take me to prom.”

Eddie thought of the massive jumble of friends surrounding them at the end of the dance. There was comfort there and strength for him, for all of them. “You could be right.” 

“Darn right, I’m right.”

He laughed as he looked into her eyes. “I love you, Hailey.”

“I love you, too.”

He touched her cheek, then started the car.

“Edster?”

“Yes, Hailster.”

“Don’t let Mom catch you sneaking me back to my room. She already thinks you’re losing it.”

He laughed and concentrated for a moment on backing out of his parking space. When he drew his eyes from the rear view mirror to continue their conversation, Hailey was gone; her dress drifting into a puddle of green silk on the seat. Even though he knew, somehow, he wouldn’t see her again, his heart was light. 
Thanks Hailster . . . and God