Free Old Sins Long Shadows by B.D. Hawkey

on the other. When the music began the women would swing one way, then the other, with the man opposite. On the change of the beat the women danced up and down their line in a figure of eight, hooking their arms while the men walked a figure of eight in the opposite direction along the men’s line. Eventually the music would change again and the new couple at the bottom would walk behind their line to the top. At the top they would walk down the aisle together, formed by the remaining dancers who clapped in time to the music. As Mary explained the dance more and more people joined the line. Janey tried to concentrate on the instructions Mary was giving her but she noticed in her line of vision a pair of familiar legs join the male line. With dread she lifted her gaze to see Daniel Kellow standing patiently but he was not looking at her. He seemed to have someone or something else on his mind. He looked up and down the line, he seemed to be calculating something. Just before the music started he took a side step, swapped places with the man to his left and slipped into the line again without anyone noticing - except Janey. She was about to ask Mary if she had seen it when the music started up and the dancing began.
    Janey found herself swinging around with a rosy cheeked , middle aged man that was grinning from ear to ear. She was about to strike up a conversation when the next part of the dance started and she was encouraged to dance a figure of eight linking arms with women she did not know but were all laughing and calling to others in the line. Their happiness was infectious but they came to a stand still when the new couple formed and skipped behind their line to the top. The crowd cheered as the young man offered his arm to the young lady and they walked down the clapping aisle ready to begin the dance again. This time Janey was swung around by Matt. She had not noticed him joining and cried out in delight at seeing his familiar face, once again she was off and a new couple was formed and to the crowds amusement it was a very short man and a very tall woman making a very odd couple. They both laughed, she grabbed his hand and, to the amusement of the other clapping dancers, dragged him down the aisle. Again Janey was swung, this time by an elderly man, so she slowed her steps in order not to knock him over before leaving her partner to dance the figure of eight. As she started to near the bottom of the line she realised she would be one of the new couple formed and she looked across to the male line trying to work out who it would be. Realisation slowly dawned on her as Daniel walked the male line, coming nearer and nearer until he stood opposite her. They moved up behind their lines to reach the top, him with deliberate measured steps, hers faltering and slowing but she could not avoid the inevitable as they both finally reached the top. The other dancers, apart from Mary, started to clap out a beat forming the aisle for them to walk down. Janey stood there, her feet fixed to the spot. She felt unable to move or take his arm if it was offered. To touch him would be…  Daniel suddenly reached down and scooped her up in his arms as if she weighed no more than a child to the delight of everyone in the room and strode down the man made aisle.
    ‘ What are you doing?’ she whispered, embarrassment flooding her cheeks.
    ‘ Carrying my “wife” down the aisle,’ he said quietly.
    ‘ I’m not your wife!’
    ‘ Don’t I know it.’
    ‘ But I didn’t want to dance with you.’
    ‘ Well you can’t have everything you want in this life,’ he replied as he continued on.             
    ‘ Everyone is watching.’
    ‘ They are meant to.’
    ‘ It’s humiliating.’
    ‘ It’s dancing.’
    She reluctantly put her arm around his neck to give herself support.
    ‘Mr Kellow put me down.’
    ‘ I will not,’ he said nodding his head in greeting to someone in the crowd.
    ‘ You are not taking me