Prom Night in Purgatory(73)

Maggie knocked at Jillian Bailey's door and waited on the top step, the traditional roles on Prom Night reversed. Johnny answered almost immediately, and they stared at each other in awe, memories of another prom fresh in their minds.

"That's my girl," Johnny breathed. "How is it possible that you look even more beautiful than you did that night?"

"Modern make up and no nylons." Maggie grinned and stuck out one of her smooth, bare legs in her new red pumps. The original shoes had stayed behind in 1958, and Irene hadn't kept them the second time around.

Maggie beamed and straightened Johnny's lapels. "No pink carnation this time, Mister. You and I need to match." She pulled the red rose from behind her back and proceeded to pin it on.

"Let me get a picture." Jillian Bailey stood just beyond Johnny's right shoulder and ushered Maggie inside where the light was considerably better. Dusk had descended, and night was crawling into the sky.

Maggie and Johnny looped their arms around each other, and instead of smiling into the camera, they ended up looking at each other.

"Hey, you two," Jillian smiled. "Yoo hoo! Can you look right here?" She snapped away, but in the end the best shot was the first one, where they couldn't seem to tear their eyes away from each other. Jillian promised Maggie that she would send the pics to her phone.

Maggie tossed Johnny the keys as they headed for the car. Johnny smiled and opened the passenger door, helping her in.

"The old girl looks almost as good as she used to. Maybe just a little rusty around the edges," he commented as he pulled away from Jillian's house. "The transmission feels nice and tight."

"It should. You just repaired it a few months ago."

"I did?!"

"Yes, you did. I sorta helped. Well...not really. But I kept you company. Told you blonde jokes and stuff."

“Now that I can believe.” He grinned.

The prom was being held in the parking lot of the burned out Honeyville High School. The Ladies Historical Society had held their auction the night before the big dance, trying to raise money for the new school that would be built on the very same site, and giving the community a chance to rally around the seniors who had lost not only their school a few months before graduation but all the decorations and supplies they had painstakingly gathered. Irene had found the record player she was looking for and donated it as well as several other things that she claimed it was time to let go of. The auction had been a huge success, and the townsfolk then helped to set up the space for “Beneath the Stars - Prom 2011.”

It worked out that the prom was actually held “Beneath the Stars,” which seemed fitting. Maggie couldn't help but notice the similarity of the prom themes in 1958 and 2011, but was grateful she would be dancing with Johnny in the fresh air, where she would be safe from the pull of the past. Hundreds of silk trees lined the perimeter of the parking lot, and each had been densely strung with white twinkle lights, creating an enclosed dance floor. A popular band from Galveston had volunteered to play at the ravaged high school free of charge. Huge generators were brought in to power the band and the lighting, and several local businesses had donated tables and chairs, refreshments, and flowers to the senior class.

There is something very sexy about a guy who can dance, and apparently Johnny had been practicing some modern moves in the three days since Maggie had popped the question. It's amazing what someone can learn from satellite TV. Maggie was stunned and thrilled in equal measure. But the slow songs were the best, and Johnny held her like there wasn't another girl in the vicinity, which of course, there was. And the girls were all aware of him. Maggie caught several of them gawking and pointing and practically drooling when Johnny let loose on the dance floor. The boys seemed to be increasingly angry over the attention he was getting from their dates; there was even a bit of a dust up at one of the tables. Derek and Dara were arguing quite publicly about the looks she was giving Johnny, and Derek ended up pushing away from the table, knocking over his chair, and storming out of the circle of lit trees to where all the cars were parked. Several of his friends seemed unsure of what to do, and Trevor ended up being the only one who followed him out. Maggie shrugged. She really didn’t care about Derek or Dara.

Unlike most of the couples who made an appearance at the dance to see and be seen, get their pictures taken, and quickly leave, Johnny and Maggie lapped up every song and every second. Nobody else existed, and nobody else mattered for one night. If Maggie could stay in a moment forever, this one would have been a contender; purgatory had become paradise, and Maggie happily lost herself in it. Even the blackened remains of the high school, foreboding in the velvet moonlight, cast little shadow over her bliss.

Unfortunately, it appeared that Derek's jealousy got the best of him, and when the last song ended and Maggie and Johnny left the prom hand in hand, they discovered all of the tires on Irene's car had been slashed. The car sat in an embarrassed slump, and Maggie cried out and Johnny swore, closing the distance at a run, squatting down beside the right front tire, which was completely flat, the gash puckered and gaping.

Maggie bit her lip to keep from screaming out in vexation. She wished suddenly and fervently that she and Johnny could just run away together. She was so done with Honeyville and high school. But just as quickly, she stopped herself, quelling the thought. On this night especially, she was mindful of her blessings and grateful that for the first time, maybe even since her parents died, that she had hope for a future with someone she loved.