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“So you’ve got someone to go to the dance with, that’s great! A miracle, really!” Joe laughed as he passed the cigarette back to Vito.
“I don’t want to go though! I don’t even like her like that!” Vito complained before taking a drag from the cigarette.
They were sitting on an empty dock, listening to the shitty little radio they had pooled their money together to get, talking about the dance that was coming up in just about a week. Vito was leaned up against one of the posts on the end of the dock, while Joe had his legs hanging off the side, and was currently trying to cheer his friend up.
“C’mon, don’t be a wuss about it, Donna’s a nice girl, she even thinks you're cute, your Ma would like her.”
“She just doesn’t want to be the only one of her friends without a date, and it doesn’t matter what Mama thinks, we aren’t dating! I-I’m not being a fucking wuss either! I only agreed to go with her because you were gonna be there with Ellie!” Vito shouted, not accepting any of his buddy’s comforting words.
“And now I’m not,” Joe laughed, “but the difference between you and I is that I had a date, that I actually wanted to go with, you were just tailing me.” Joe had asked out Ellie Wheeler, a sweet girl that Vito couldn’t tell how he felt about, and she had said yes, but backed out just last week, saying a guy from a different school asked her to his dance on the same night. Joe tried not to seem upset, and Ellie had slapped him when he laughed at her after she cancelled on him, but Vito knew Joe was feeling a little down about it.
“You could still come, just hang out, save me from having to hang out with the other guys who are coming with the girls.”
Joe shrugged, “Maybe.” Before he took another puff from the cigarette they had been passing back and forth.
“‘Could save me from having to dance with her, too.” Vito said, picking up Joe’s flat cap from the planks of the dock, focusing his attention on it instead of Joe.
Joe studied Vito before letting out a loud laugh.
“Isn’t that the point of the dance, to actually dance with someone?”
“Ha-ha, asshole, you and I both know I can’t fuckin’ dance!” Vito said glaring at Joe.
“It’s easy! How do you not know-“
“How do you know how to dance, huh?” Vito said cutting Joe off.
“Incase you’ve forgotten, asshole, I regularly take broads out dancing!” Joe said while snatching his hat back from Vito.
Vito just rolled his eyes and mumbled, “I didn’t know we were calling “fucking,” “dancing” now.”
“I oughta drown you right here…” Joe said as he went back to watching the water.
They were quiet for a while, both boys letting their tempers cool off for a minute or two. “I’ll be Seeing You,” crackled over the radio quietly as Joe hummed along.
Finally, Vito said, “but I can’t dance, and I don’t wanna look like an idiot.”
“Sounds like you’re asking for me to teach you.” Joe said, with a chuckle.
Vito didn’t say anything and instead looked out over the city skyline, but Joe interrupted any thoughts he might’ve been having.
“You gotta ask, if you want me too.”
Vito let out an irritated noise before asking, “fine, will you?”
Joe smirked at him, “will I what?” He wasn’t done trying to piss Vito off, even more, and unfortunately for Vito it was working.
“Will you teach me to dance… please.” Vito growled out, trying not to let Joe win.
“Hmm,” Joe mused, pretending to think about it, as he leaned back on his elbows and scratched his chin, “… No.”
Vito made an indignant squawking noise, which caused Joe to laugh at him. In retaliation Vito snatched his hat and placed it on his own head, and finished off the cigarette.
“Fucking asshole!”
“Alright, alright,” Joe laughed, “I’ll teach you, let’s meet at Sal’s tonight, he closes shop at six, so sometime after that.”
Sal, a buddy of Joe’s dad, owned a little store, “Sal’s Mercato,” on Joe and Vito’s block, and they’d often help him when he got deliveries, or if he needed any work done around the place. In return he’d pay them in candies when they were younger, but now that they’re older, he usually gives them cash or cigarettes. Another piece of payment he offered the boys was a space away from home. He’d given them a key to the back garage, and so long as they continued to help him, and kept it relatively clean, he’d let them use the space as a sort of hang out area. It was unused anyway, except as an occasional storage room, when he needed it, but other than that, it was all Vito and Joe’s.
They had posters and magazine centerfolds pinned to the walls, several cigarette cards decorated the walls, along with a few photographs and newspaper cuttings. There was a table with some empty bottles on it, beer and soda they drank a few days ago, and a couple of chairs around it. A little side table on the other side of the room held a gramophone, which they had grabbed out of a dumpster and ran like shit, with a few 78’s stacked next to it, most of which had been stolen.
It was early in the evening when Vito showed up with some drinks and a few sandwiches his mother made him take for him and Joe. Joe had the key so Vito waited outside for him, and when Joe got there a little later he was carrying a few records under his one arm and a six-pack of beer under his other. Vito gave him shit for being “late” before they sat down at the table to have their supper.
“I’m tellin’ you, Vito, the way your ma makes these sandwiches is incredible, the best bologna sandwiches ever!” Joe said between bites of his sandwich.
“She says it’s love.” Vito said after taking a sip from his drink.
Joe laughed, “of course she does.”
“What’d you bring?” Vito asked after a few moments of eating, nodding towards the stack of records.
“Oh, just a few different ones to make sure you know all the dances.”
Vito rolled his eyes and once they finished eating Joe began setting up the player with a record while Vito cleaned up. When they finally started dancing Vito found that Joe’s teaching-skills weren’t horrible, to his dismay, as his learning-skills were, but Joe tried to keep his spirits up, offering words of encouragement.
When they stopped for a break, Joe said, “have a beer, you need to loosen up, ya fuckin’ tight-ass,” as he offered Vito a beer. Vito knew he was getting frustrated with himself, and really didn’t want to take it out on Joe, who was genuinely trying to help Vito at this point.
So, he accepted the beer and drank with Joe. They continued dancing and drinking, and slowly Vito’s mood was improving as he got the hang of the dances, and got a buzz. He even actually laughed and joked with Joe, who was thrilled Vito was enjoying himself. Eventually they finished off the beer, but they found a long-lost bottle of hard liquor that Vito had stolen from his father. As they continued drinking, they began to get distracted from the task at hand: actually dancing. Before the task could be completely lost, however, Joe put on the last record he had brought.
“Hang on, you still gotta know how to slow dance with her.” Joe said as he cranked the gramophone just a few more times, to ensure it wouldn’t stop in the middle of the song.
“What? No way, what the fuck even is this?” Vito asked as the soft music filled the room.
Joe shrugged, holding his arms out to Vito, “its a slow song, and you gotta know how to slow dance or you’ll step on her, you gangly fuck!”
Vito huffed, “alright, fine, shut up.”
Joe instructed him to put one of his hands on Joe’s waist and the other in his hand. Vito was just grateful that he could blame the color in his face on the alcohol. Slowly, and with a lot of stepped on toes, they danced through the awkwardness, and eventually found a rhythm that they swayed together in. When the song came to an end, they stepped apart and Vito thought they were done, and leaned against the table, taking a few swigs from the bottle before passing it to Joe.
Joe drank before saying, “ok, ok, there’s only one more song. Y’can do a slow dance like that,” he paused to take another drink, “or another way.”
Vito chuckled, taking the almost empty bottle back from Joe, “how many ways can you sway with a person?”
“Well, after this song you’ll be able to do it two ways.” Joe said as he flipped the record and music filled the space again.
Vito smiled seeing Joe excited for the next song, and took a long drink before setting the bottle on the table and making his way to the center of the room.
Joe met him there and said, “s’ you’ll just do what I’m gonna do, alright.”
Vito nodded and quietly agreed, “sure.”
And once again Vito’s face turned red, as he held Joe’s shoulders and Joe put his hands on Vito’s waist. Had Vito been sober, he’d have noticed the color in Joe’s face as well.
Save the last dance for me, sweetheart…
The music began with the soft crooning, as the two boys swayed together. It was surprisingly nice, Vito thought. He wasn’t sure how close they were supposed to be, but when he stumbled and Joe “caught” him by pulling him close to his body, they just stayed that way, neither bothering putting space between them again.
I’ve been waiting the whole night through…
Vito closed his eyes, he would blame it on the liquor and the swaying doing him no favors together, not the peacefulness that had settled over him.
For my chance to dance with you…
He felt Joe’s head come to rest on his shoulder, he’d blame this on the alcohol as well, and never admit how it made his heart stutter.
Just a moment to hold you tight…
Vito moved his hands to rest on the back of Joe's neck and leaned his own head against Joe’s, sighing as he felt his hair against his cheek.
Just a moment and then goodnight…
Vito felt Joe’s own arms tighten their wrap around Vito’s waist, leaving practically no space between them.
You can keep on dancing with others romancing…
They stood there, in the middle of that little garage off of a family friend’s grocery store, holding each other, like if they’d let go everything would come rushing into the space between them like a black hole. They weren’t even dancing anymore, just swaying and holding each other upright, enjoying the music. Nothing else existed past that, not the alley, not the dance, not their parents, not even Ellie or Donna. The only real thing at that moment was each other and the music.
But save the last dance for me…
Eventually the song ended and the gramophone crackled and popped before going completely still, and even then the two boys held onto each other. Somebody throwing their trash in the alley outside was enough to remind them of the world beyond their little hide away, and they sheepishly let go of each other and stepped away.
“Well… yeah, s’now you know how to dance, at least a little.” Joe said, avoiding Vito’s eyes as he began gathering the records he had brought with him.
“Yeah… t-thanks for the uh, help, Joe.” Vito said as he began collecting the empty bottles to toss in the garbage, turning his back to Joe in an attempt at hiding his face. They were quiet for a few more moments before they went to leave, at which point, Joe locked the door and they said goodnight before walking home.
Next week was the dance, and Vito did all the right things, he got dinner with Donna, he escorted her to the dance, he even sat and talked with a few of her friends and their dates. He danced when she asked him to, although it wasn’t great dancing, and he definitely felt stupid out there, but he still even asked her to dance to a few of the slow songs, but it was never like how it was with Joe. To Vito’s relief, Donna found another boy who seemed to be getting along well with her, and even though he was bored, he stayed, not wanting to stick her up.
Towards the end of the night, when the band announced the last song, it was the song he and Joe had danced to, “Save the Last Dance for Me,” and Vito was glad Donna had that other guy to dance with. He told himself he was tired and just didn’t want to dance anymore, just wanted out of here to go hang out with Joe like they had planned. Deep down, though, he knew it was because it’d never be like that dance with Joe, and to be honest, he didn’t want it to be like that with her, and he didn’t think it’d ever be like that with somebody else.
So, Vito enjoyed the song alone, and wondered if Joe could teach him some of those other slow dances.