“You were right. It is a weird combo, but it’s a fun place.” We resume eating, and I ask, “Who’s been your dance partner during class?” For some reason, the thought of Phoenix dancing with another woman makes me irrationally jealous.
“Oh, let’s see,” he says, tapping his chopsticks against his lips. “First there was Maria.” I suddenly hate Maria. She’s probably short and sexy with big boobs and long, raven hair. Then Phoenix continues, dulling the sharpness of my stupid jealousy. “She was almost seventy and wanted to learn the foxtrot for her fiftieth wedding anniversary. Herhusband was a professional dancer back in the day, so she wanted to surprise him.”
“That’s so sweet.” I mindlessly take a bite of ramen with some kind of garlic butter wine sauce. It’s not horrible. “Who did you dance with after that?”
“That would be Annie. She was in her nineties and about to get married to Rodney, who was her high school sweetheart.”
My eyes pop wide in confusion. “Why did they wait so long to get married?”
“It’s a long story but a beautiful one. See, they were planning to get married when Rodney got home from the Korean War. Only he didn’t come home.”
“Oh my god, what happened?”
“He was declared missing in action, but he’d been captured and held for a couple years as a prisoner of war.” Phoenix takes a sip of his water and shakes his head. “Rodney suffered a head injury while in captivity, and after he was eventually released, he suffered from amnesia for many years. He didn’t have his dog tags on, so no one in the U.S. government even knew who he was, just that he was most likely an American soldier. He was hospitalized and treated, and when he finally regained his memories, he went to look for the love of his life, Annie.”
My heart sinks. “But he didn’t find her?”
Phoenix lets out a humorless chuckle. “This was way before the internet so he couldn’t simply do a Google search or look her up on Facebook. But he did ask around their hometown, which is just east of Houston. He was told Annie and her family moved away a couple years prior, though no one knew where.”
“Oh no. Poor Rodney.”
Phoenix nods and eats his other potsticker. “Apparently, Annie’s dad got a job in Houston, so they moved there, and after waiting for Rodney for almost ten years, she finally married another man. Rodney eventually got married too.” He leans over the table. “And get this. Rodney and his wife moved to Houston.”
I gape at him. “So they were living in the same city and had no idea?”
“None. Houston is a big place, so it’s not unfathomable that they would never cross paths.”
“So how did they meet up again in their nineties?”
Phoenix’s smile turns soft and pensive. “This is where it gets weird. Annie’s husband and Rodney’s wife died on the exact same day. And they ended up at the same funeral home.” He lifts his eyebrows. “That’s where Rodney and Annie met again after seventy years.”
I make a little explosion gesture beside my temple. “This story is blowing my mind. What happened next?”
He shrugs. “They went out for coffee to catch up, and while they were both heartbroken from their recent losses, they found that being together brought them comfort. So they saw each other again and again. After two months, they decided to get married.”
“Two months? Holy cow. That’s crazy.”
Phoenix chuckles. “Annie likes to say that at her age, she doesn’t even buy ripe bananas, so they didn’t feel like wasting time piddle-farting around. Her words, not mine.”
My hand goes to my heart, trying to keep it from bursting out of my chest. “This is the sweetest and most tragic story I’ve ever heard. What did their families think about their fast-track wedding?”
He winces a little. “They were concerned, of course, but after seeing how much Annie and Rodney adored each other, they finally shut their mouths and went along with it. Well, one of Annie’s sons threatened to not come to the wedding, but he ended up showing up after his granddaughter read him the riot act.”
“So they already had the wedding?”
Phoenix’s head bobs up and down. “They did, and I was an usher.”
I hold up one hand. “Wait, so why did you partner with Annie for the dance lessons instead of Rodney?”
“He’d just had hip replacement surgery a few months prior and was still in physical therapy. But he drove her to every lesson and watched every move so he would know what to do.” He rolls his lips between his teeth. “Their very first dance together in decades was at their wedding reception. It was a slow waltz, and there wasn’t a dry eye in the whole place.”
Tears leap to my eyes at the profound beauty of this story, and Idab at them with a paper napkin. “Okay, we have to change the subject before I lose my shit right here at the table.” I clear my throat. “Tell me more about you not letting Reece date until she’s in her forties.”
Two lines appear between Phoenix’s eyebrows. “Maybe not even then. She informed me the other day that she has a boyfriend named Big Dawg, and I almost had a heart attack.”
“What kind of name is Big Dawg?” I ask, taking another sip of water.
Phoenix jabs his chopsticks in my direction. “That’s what I said. She told me her friends told her that’s his street name. Can you believe that shit? Why the hell would a little kid need a street name?”
