Like at his concert, he wanted more. “I’m sorry. I didn’t hear that. How is everyone doing?” The noise blew the roof off the joint. Some of the children who were sensitive to the loud noises wore earphones but clapped loudly for their host. He rewarded them with that heart-stopping smile. “Welcome to our party,” he said after the applause died down. “There is someone very special I would like you to meet. It is my honor to present Count Gavin Tremwell of Aldayne.”
The crowd clapped and hollered as Gavin took the microphone. “Hello, Philadelphia!” he said. “Like the Duke said, we are so excited you could join us for our dance party today. Do you like to dance?” he asked, and several children nodded wildly.
It reminded me of Dash. I instantly regretted not bringing his tutu.
“I love to dance,” he said. “I’ve been dancing since I could walk. When I was seven, I begged my mother to enroll me for formal training. We have an amazing dance school in Aldayne, started by none other than Princess Sofia, the Duke’s mother.” He stopped speaking to applaud her name. Auggie responded with a grateful bow. “At the Sofia Agassi Dance Academy, we believe in the power of dance. All dance. And every dancer. It is the one thing where you can be anything you want to be. Like magic.”
He handed the microphone back to Auggie before he took a spin around the room, imitating different things through dance. He was a swan. A lion. A monkey, which made the kids laugh. A robot, which made me laugh. He mimicked everything from a dinosaur to their favorite cartoon characters. When he took the microphone again, he said, “Today we are going to teach you the magic of dance. We’ve brought our entire troupe, and a few guests,” he said, winking our direction, “to pair up with you as your instructor. Are you ready?” he asked.
Everyone bellowed their happy response.
“Let’s get to it!” he said before handing off the microphone again and heading for the first kid he saw.
The entire troupe did likewise, and Fern and I followed suit. She went right for the little girl with the artificial leg, crouching down to introduce herself.
I searched the room for the kid who spoke to me most. And there he was, every bit as beautiful as Dash, except he was blessed with an extra chromosome. I knelt to introduce myself. “Hi. I’m Peaches.”
He laughed. “That’s a funny name.”
“I’m a funny person,” I agreed with a smile. “Who are you?”
“Ryan!” he said in a happy little shout.
I shook his hand. “Want to dance with me, Ryan?” I asked.
“You might need this,” I heard Auggie say from behind. I turned to find him holding out Dash’s tutu in one hand, and in the other he had his phone set on a video call… with Dash.
“Auggie!” I said as I flew into his arms. I couldn’t even stop myself.
Auggie picked another child, a little girl whose hair had fallen out thanks to the medicine that had saved her from Leukemia. He planted a rhinestone tiara on her head, declaring her the princess for the day. He told her how beautiful she was and twirled her around like a ballerina.
Ryan and I tried our best to keep up. Dash clapped and cheered from the phone when Ryan asked to wear the tutu.
The hours we spent there felt like minutes. When it was over, none of us wanted to go. Ryan handed back the tutu and waved goodbye to his new best friend Dash before he went back to his grateful parents, who had hugged me hard for giving him such a beautiful day.
Honestly, I felt like I needed to thank them. Their joy inspired me. I turned back to Dash on the phone. He shamelessly wiped away happy tears. “That was so cool,” he said.
“Right?” I agreed, wiping away a few tears of my own.
“Thank Auggie for calling me and letting me join in,” he said.
“I will.”
“Did you hug him for me yet?”
“No,” Auggie said, coming up behind me. “She hasn’t.”
Dash gave me a stern look. “Pea.” I laughed. “You should hug him now.”
I turned to Auggie. “We should probably do what he says.”
“If we gotta, we gotta,” he agreed with that smirk. He took my hand and pulled me into his arms, so strong and so powerful. To Dash, he said, “Tell me when to let go.”