Dance With Me

     After my ten-year-old son Jesse and his new friend G finish their cookies, they dash into Jesse's room to play.  As I'm cleaning up the kitchen, they come running back, and Jesse is waving an old photograph.
     "Mom, you are not going to believe this!" says Jesse.  "G went to camp with me!"
     Jesse shows me the photograph of his JCC camp group that he asked me to frame many years ago and has been sitting on his desk.  He points to a small boy with curly hair.
     "That's G! Can you believe it?"
     "I only went to that camp for one year," says G.  "I can't believe you were there!"
     "I went for a few summers," says Jesse.  "I liked it there, mostly.  The only thing I couldn't stand was that stupid end of camp dance show!"
     "I remember that," says G.
     "Oh my God, Mom, do you remember that one year?  I was maybe, I don't know, five?  And we had these costumes--black shorts, no shirt, and a white sash.  We were supposed to be warriors or something."
     "I remember!" says G.  "That was the year I was there!"
     "Oh my God, that was the most embarrassing day of my life!  Do you remember that show?"
     "No, I don't remember."
     "Oh my God!"  Jesse wails, and I cringe because I know what's coming.  That WAS the most embarrassing day of his short life, and we have the whole thing filmed on our video camera.
     "We started out with the whole group dancing together, " Jesse demonstrates by taking two exaggerated step-together-steps to the right, then back to the left, "and then we paired off with our partners.  But my partner didn't show up!  I was this little kid, and everyone was dancing with his partner, and I was standing there all by myself in front of all these people.  I didn't know what to do.  So I started crying in the middle of the stage! The counselor had to come on stage and carry me off.  It was horrible!"
     "I don't remember that!" says G, and pauses thoughtfully.  "I think we went on vacation the last day, and I missed the show."
     It only takes a split second for the boys to realize what this means.
     Jesse takes a run at G and wrestles him to the ground.
     "YOU!"  he screams.
     But then the boys start laughing--ten-year-old boy laughing.  The are rolling on the ground, holding their stomachs, and kicking their legs in the air.  They are laughing so hard they can't stop.
     "YOU!" Jesse keeps screaming, over and over.  "YOU WERE MY PARTNER!"