Anatomy of a Dance

6:50pm-"Hurry up, mom. We have to pick up S. before the game. It starts at 7:30pm."
"It's ten 'til 7. It takes five minutes to get to her house. If we leave now you'll be too early."
"Nooo. We have to go now."
"Okay." I'd rather drop them off early then listen to anxious whining by my child for the next half hour. I've been down this road before.

7pm-The drive to the game is filled with non stop chatter. Was I this loud at that age? Surely not. I'm sure I wasn't. Well, maybe a little. Hmm. Probably just as loud.

8:50pm-I drive back to the school to pick up the girls so they can change into their dresses. The parking lot is a maze of hazards like poorly parked cars and careless teenagers ambling around in search of each other. Whoo. This brings back a lot of memories. I had forgotten how big of a deal that first Homecoming dance was.

9pm-The drive back home is filled with loud rap on the radio and giggling...incessant giggling. Where does it all come from? Can it be bottled for use on a later, more depressing day?

9:15pm-I peruse the web, my ears are filled with the sounds of teenage girls giggling their way through preparations for their first high school dance. "Oh my God!" (insert Valley Girl voice-and if you don't know what that is then you're too young to be reading this) "Zip me up!" "What makeup are you wearing?" Close your eyes and imagine high pitched voices rattling like boiling tea kettles stopping only long enough for a dramatic pause or a scream of excitement. Picture flying hangers and shoes, scattered makeup containers and hair, hair hair. There is way too much energy in this house for this hour. Way too many voices and way, way too little bathroom. Lord help me, I don't have the strength for this tonight. It's been a long week. I think Hubby is going to have to pick them up later on. My energy..is...gone.

9:45pm-The drive back to the school is punctuated by "Shook Me All Night Long" on the radio. We bond over a little AC/DC, all of us singing loudly to a song that played during my first Homecoming. How ironic. Ah, the memories are rampant tonight.

9:48pm-The girls bound from the van in a hurry to get to the action. "Bye! Love you!" Followed by my "Be good. Have a good time." They hardly look back. Sigh. That phase has begun. You know, the moving forward, hardly looking back at mom and dad stage.

10:33pm-I set the alarm for 12:15am for Hubby so he won't sleep through his shuttle duty. I'm going to bed now. I'm sure I'll hear all about it in the morning. For now, I'm off to dream about a certain satin outfit, a little AC/DC and a little dance we liked to call The Hustle. And maybe a certain boy with braces. I smile because Teen Angel will be dreaming tonight, too.