The Height Of Happiness

*****

            Enjoying the high of her successful interview, Serena was sipping a Manhattan in a dark and crowded room. She ran the words over in her head again, still surprised that she’d mentioned some of the aspirations of the business that Serena had otherwise kept quiet. In the moment after the surprise offer of the feature, it seemed right to reveal the plans for the newly purchased orchard across the road and the product development of apple brandy. The journalist took it as uncharted territory, and it was on paper. Moonshiners in the region would have thought of it as no big deal, and Serena was simply taking advantage of the rich (yet illicit) local history.

            Besides, Serena had decided to push boundaries at work and for herself. It was a drastic change from her old habits to be sitting amongst fanfare and festivities when she would usually be having a party of one with pizza in the room she’d booked upstairs. However, the success and the excitement of the industry event had Serena feeling adventurous, and she forced herself to be somebody else for a change.

The hotel was putting on a farewell event in their biggest room that had Serena in awe. The smooth dark wood of the bar and the deep golden wallpaper brought a cozy feeling to the extravagant space. People laughed as a jazz band played on the stage across the long room. Listening to the sound of a trumpet solo, Serena smiled at the large crystal chandelier, and wondered what it would be like to swing from such a massive fixture.

“Do you like it because you two match?” she heard a velvety voice say behind her.

Serena turned to see a debonair man with electric green eyes smiling at her. His suit was perfectly tailored to his body, and his dark brown curls were almost the shade of the mahogany bar they sat at together. His smile however was captivating. Everything about it seemed genuine and warm, and Serena felt at peace as she looked at his handsome face.

It didn’t help that it looked like Michelangelo had carved this stranger from marble. His roman nose looked flawlessly symmetrical. His jawline as if could cut diamonds. Serena looked at his name tag to find that her roman god had the very un-god-like name of Teddy.

“Excuse me… Teddy?”

He pointed up at the chandelier. “You were admiring that chandelier so intently that I wondered if you loved it because it matches your dress?”

Serena looked down at herself, and saw what he meant. Her gold sequin mini dress did sparkle even in the dim light of the party. The wood around her caught the light she was refracting and reflecting like a human disco ball.

“Well, not exactly.” Serena felt unsure of what to say. “This was a gift from a friend, and the chandelier is original to the room. It’s something to see a big lamp like that last a century.”

“So you like sentiment?” He sat down beside her. “That’s somehow refreshing to hear.”

Serena smiled, adding, “sentiment and glitter.”

He laughed, and the sound was warm and deep. Serena felt like the waves of his laughter enveloped her like a blanket on a cold night. Teddy was a stranger, but somehow Serena felt more at ease than she ever had before. Throwing back the last of her drink, Teddy took the stool next to her, motioning to the bartender.

“What can I get for you?” the young bartender asked.

“I’d like an Old-Fashioned, what would you like Serena my dear?”

She blurted out absentmindedly, “Um, I would love a White Russian.”

With the bartender hurrying off to take care of their drinks and other guests, Serena was left to look at her new companion. She noticed that he smelled of citrus and something warm like wood shavings and incense. It pulled her in as they began to talk.

“So where are you from?” he asked her politely.

“Not from here,” Serena laughed. “I’m from North Carolina.”

“Really?” Teddy raised his eyebrows in faux surprise. “I couldn’t tell.”

“Well, you might think my accent is thick, but it’s pretty tame compared to the rest of my hometown.”

“It’s not bad. You sound like a movie. What’s the one with the burning of Atlanta?”

“Gone with the Wind?”

Teddy nodded, “Yeah! You sound like that Scarlet lady.”

“She’s awful!” Serena scoffed.

“But she was beautiful like you.”

Serena couldn’t help but feel flattered. Sipping their drinks, they talked about the south and food. Teddy told funny stories from his childhood, such as being sunburned to a crisp on a beach vacation. Serena talked about the time she got drunk at the age of thirteen because she didn’t know about the alcohol content in wine.

“I thought it was just fancy grape juice!” Serena laughed. “My parents were so embarrassed, I don’t know if we ever had another Labor Day party since that fiasco!”

The band changed to something soft and slow. It called to Serena, but it seemed that she would only watch the pairs of people float onto the dance floor.

As if he were reading her mind, Teddy leaned in and whispered in her ear, “Would you care to dance with me?”

Serena smiled at him, “Is it written all over my face?”

He laughed, “No, dancing with an amazing woman is just something I haven’t been able to cross of my bucket list.”

Smiling, he took her hand and led her towards the dancers. Stopping them just under the divine chandelier, Serena looked up and then back down at Teddy. They began to move to the music, circling around together in their own spot on the wide floor. She felt his hand brace against the small of her back. As they made their little circles , Serena recognized the band was playing a song not from their generation. It was one she had heard on a vinyl record years before when she was eager and lovesick.