It was around 6pm Saturday night, Grey just got out of the shower and was shaving while humming in tune with the classical music that was playing in the stereo. He felt a little bit on the edge because of the fact that he will have to do a ballroom dance number with Samantha which was the tradition during Dr. Peters birthday party. They will perform the first dance while everyone's eyes will be fixed on them and only them alone.
During the first year of their friendship, Grey invited Sam to take ballroom dance classes with him at the local community college to refresh their skills in dancing. Grey had a talent in ballroom dancing, he was a well skilled dancer during his teens even winning first place in a junior amateur city wide ballroom dancing competition in the Philippines, he was only seventeen then. Even though he was only five-feet four inches tall, he was able to beat the competition because of his crisp moves, graceful delivery and amazing choreography. It never mattered if his dance partner was a little taller than him, which often created giggles from the audience before the start of their dance number which turned into sheer awe after their dance number ended. He was amazing in leading and was very nimble on his feet. Winning first place and receiving two trophies, one for him and another for his dance partner was the best feeling he ever had in his young adult life, although it was the first and last time he ever won in a ballroom dance tournament. Even though dancing was his forte, he never thought of taking it to the professional level because his priority was to join the Navy then go to college. After his honorable discharge from the Navy, and at 22 years old, he tried competing again with different partners but never again did he place any higher than fourth place in any ballroom dance competition. One of the reasons was because good amateur and semi-pro female ballroom dancers didn't want him as a partner because he was short. They were used to being led by taller men and winning with taller men as their dance partners. Besides this, he knew that judges were biased towards short men during dance competitions, he even heard a judge say, "It just doesn't look good". Grey would always end up partnering with less skilled novice female dance partners who would agree to dance with him just to gain experience in dance competitions.
Samantha on the other hand took ballet lessons for 13 years starting from the age of seven. She also learned to dance ballroom dancing through her parents. While growing up, she loved to watch her parents dance the tango, waltz, cha cha cha and swing in their living room and during parties, then after awhile, she would cut in as her dad would teach her how to dance. This was her parents form of exercise and leisure.
Grey and Samantha continued to take lessons for two years with private professional instructors until their skills developed up to the semi-professional level in ballroom dancing. Samantha was the best dance partner he'd ever had who didn't mind having a shorter man as a dance partner. As dance partners, they fit together like hand and glove. Despite Samantha being two inches taller than Grey, she would always wear flat shoes to keep her height advantage less noticeable. When they danced, Grey could lead Sam on the dance floor with style and grace. Samantha matched Grey's technical ability with the beauty of her artistic movements and elegant style which she learned early on with her ballet lessons. Their passion and flare kept their audiences on the edge of their seats and even radiated envy to other ballroom dancing pairs who wondered how to create for themselves the same chemistry that they saw from Grey and Samantha when they danced.
Wincing from a razor cut, Grey got irritated from worrying too much. It wasn't the dance with Samantha which bothered him but the fact that they were not on speaking terms. This dance could re-open deep emotional wounds. He remembered how long it took him to get her out of his mind, much more out of his heart. The only gift Dr. Peters wanted was for them to do a dance number at his birthday party since he was an avid novice ballroom dancer himself who loved to dance when his wife was still alive. Grey on the other hand was not at all thrilled about dancing again with Samantha, he was afraid that the second he looks at her, that he'd fall head over heels in love again. He hated how long and hard he worked to get her out of his system and how fast and overwhelming those feelings could come back just at the sight of her beauty. Will he tell her he loved her still?, while dancing?. If not, will he get a second chance to tell her he still loved her?. What if she had already moved on and has a boyfriend, or maybe worse, a fiance. What if he see's her wearing an engagement ring, will he still go through with the dance?, knowing how painful this would cut into his heart?. Should he just leave her on the dance floor and leave the scene for good and forever?
Returning to his senses and realizing he was getting overly paranoid and ahead of himself, he whispered to himself, "Get a hold of yourself Grey, you're not even in the party yet and you're already falling apart. Wiping off the mist on the mirror, he focused on his reflection as if he was desperately waiting for his reflection to give him some sound advice. After a minute, he came to a conclusion that what ever happens, there's no turning back. This was something he had to do.
Walking into his bedroom, he opened his cabinets and inspected his suits. He used his index finger to file through them until he was able to part his tuxedos from his other suits. He had about four sets of tuxedos to choose from, but only one was brand new, one set was a hand me down and the other two he bought 50% off during a time when a tuxedo rental store was selling off their used rental tuxedos to make room for new ones. Looking at them, he could not tell which was brand new and which was used. Grey was a very thrifty person when it came to buying his personal things but was generous in treating friends and giving to charity. Even though he made over a $100,000 a year as a registered nurse, $50,000 a year in his rental property business, $10,000 a year from the sales of his songs in iTunes and $3,000 a year from sales from his e-book, he still bought some of his clothes from the, "Salvation Army", thrift store. He would calculate how much he saved compared to buying brand new clothes then donate the difference to charity. Growing up poor in the Philippines, he was sensitive to the struggles of poor people.
After tucking in his white tuxedo shirt, he grabbed his shiny black tuxedo shoes and smiled proudly remembering how he found this slightly used pair of shoes in the thrift store, and it was exactly his size too. A brand new pair of this shiny brand of shoes would cost around $200.00, but his find cost him only $15.00. After splashing on some cologne he bought from a dollar store, he started moving with haste. It was already seven in the evening and it would take him an hour to get to Dr. Peters party. They were scheduled to perform their dance number right after dinner which would be around eight thirty or nine. He briefly rubbed his trophy with both hands for good luck, the only one that he won when he was seventeen years old. He always did this before every dance performance or competition as a sign of good luck. Opening the door to his garage and turning on the light, he paused for a minute to decide whether to drive his Porsche or BMW. He would normally use his Porsche Boxster when driving down the coast on day dates, while he regularly used his BMW 4-door sedan on more formal occasions like tonight's party. Unable to decide, then remembering that everyone in the party were multi-millionaires and billionaires which irked him, he decided to drive his old beat up pick-up truck which up to now still has not passed the smog test. He wasn't going there to impress anybody, besides, he always enjoyed belching smoke from his truck to those wealthy guests driving Lambourghinis and Ferraris behind him with their convertible top down. With the long line of cars flowing into Dr. Peters Mansion, it usually took between 20 to 30 minutes to get from the gate to the front of the mansion were valet personnel took over to park guests cars. Grey would always rev up his truck's engine to blow out more black smoke from his exhaust as cars behind him would raise their convertible tops as fast as they could while they were hacking and coughing. It always gave Grey a sense of satisfaction to do this dastardly deed, and by the time he reaches the valet and gets out of his truck, he looks and gives a contemptuous smile to those behind him. He then waves at them but often times gets the finger with some profanity laced verbal response. He didn't care because most of them were owners and executives of oil companies who were responsible for polluting air, land and seas. They use Dr. Peters party to meet and bribe politicians into passing more laws that favor oil companies and add laws that
discourages alternative sources of energy.
Back during the 21st century, the world was 100% dependent on oil to keep everything running, but now, oil is only used 40% and the rest is from alternative energy sources like solar power which runs factories and provides electricity to 99% of all homes and businesses. Solar energy is also now combined with wind energy. Green companies are now able to turn water into a form of energy thus rain and snow that drops on roofs of houses are directly converted into energy during the winter months and solar energy during the summer months. They are also able to produce de-carbonized electric supply which is used against global warming. Vehicles around the world are now 70% all electric while Arab Sheiks are now pinching their pennies knowing that their years of vast riches are slowly fading away.
Then there were the pharmaceuticals and HMO executives who loved to hobnob with politicians urging them to pass bills to end Universal Health Care and go back to HMO's from the 21st century so that they may enrich themselves again. For the last four years, during Dr. Peters birthday parties, Grey always witnessed and heard this types of lobbying, everytime he walked around, he couldn't help over hear conversations between rich businessmen, executives and politicians. He always felt disgusted that majority of the guests present were not there to celebrate Dr Peters birthday but to offer and get deals done under the table with politicians. He even heard one Executive from Kaiser Permanente tell a senator that his childhood hero was the late ex-President Richard Nixon who from the 1970's supported the implementation of HMO's which were good for businesses creating more profit while giving less medical care to people. For a minute, Grey wanted to punch the guy on the mouth but realized that everyone was entitled to their own opinion.
After 45 minutes on the road, Grey finally reached Hillsborough, and as expected, there was already a line of stretch limousines and other expensive fancy cars lining up to get inside the gate. Just like last year, guests driving behind his old truck were all disgusted from the smoke they've inhaled, all convertibles behind him had all their top on. Grey sneered as he watched from his side mirror and as his turn arrived, the valet attendant opened his door as it gave a squeaking sound while rust particles from his doors hinges fell like snow on the ground. The valet attendant was worried that the door might come off anytime now but Grey told him not to worry. After getting out, he tossed his keys to the attendant while smiling and said, "Take care of her ok?, i don't wanna see a scratch on her...". The parking attendant stared at a one foot size dent on the driver's door with rust covering some of his truck's worn down paint. "It's such a privilege to park this kind of vehicle sir...", the attendant blurted out with a sarcastic smile as he quickly wondered whether his tetanus shot was up to date before getting into the truck.
As Grey walked through the front door, he felt overwhelmed at the beauty and elegance of this mansion. The house was about 18,000 square feet, and sat on a four acre land. The house had eight bedrooms and ten full and 2 half bathrooms, it had a theater, music room, gym, library, 3 separate living rooms and 4 separate dining rooms. Indoor and outdoor swimming pools and a ballroom that was as wide as a basketball gymnasium., While walking around and looking at the high ceilings and beautiful chandeliers, he felt someone tap his shoulder from behind him, and as he turned around, he recognized Maria who was smiling at him. They hugged tightly and were excited and happy to see each other again. After speaking to each other briefly, Maria noticed that Grey was more worried than happy to be in the party, and she knew exactly why. She then whispered to him to relax and not worry, telling him that Samantha was still in love with him but that he needed to take it slowly. She noticed a big grin on Grey's face knowing that this gave him a guarded assurance that he still had a chance to make up with Samantha. Suddenly, their attention shifted to the sounds of beautiful orchestral music which was resonating from inside the ballroom. Maria hurriedly excused herself since she had to be present at the presidential table before Dr. Peters and Samantha were introduced to the guests.
Guests were leisurely making their way to the ballroom, men in their black tuxedos and women in their glamourous evening gowns, as they searched for their respective seats. Their were about 1,200 guests invited which were the filthy rich, the rich, the not so rich, the average middle income earners and even the poor. Dr. Peters always made sure that those who could not afford the proper attire was specially taken cared for by his personal wardrobe specialists and his tailors, weeks in advance. Majority of his guests were his cancer cured patients and their spouses
Walking through the double doors entrance to the ballroom, Grey quickly pulled up on his sagging pants with both hands and adjusted his bow tie which now was tilted to the side. He was starting to get nervous in anticipation of seeing Samantha again for the first time since a year ago. He nodded at strangers who greeted him and stared at his crooked tie while he reminded himself to stop fidgeting. Walking to the window and peering outside, he was fascinated at the beauty of the gardens, verandas and walkways. To the north were the tennis house, tennis courts, basketball court and playing fields. It's gardens were surrounded by mature lush landscaping. Looking to the south, he could see the pool house, pool pavilion and guest quarters. Grey switched his attention back to the party as the music changed to a more dramatic tune. Guests stood up from their seats smiling and applauding as Dr. Peters entered the ballroom with Samantha by his side. He walked shoulder to shoulder with her as he held her hand. Dr. Peters wore a white tuxedo suit with a red rose pinned to his left breast pocket, while Samantha wore a beautiful glittering midnight blue evening gown which accentuated the contour of her shapely body. Her hair was shoulder length and she wore a pair of dark blue diamond ear rings which was a gift from her father. She humbly smiled and welcomed their guests as her beauty radiated through all who cast their eyes upon her as they made their way to the presidential table to join Maria. Grey was barely clapping his hands as feelings of trepidation overcame him. Just the sight of her even from a distance brought palpitations to his heart. He felt a little short of breath and light headed thinking, "Oh Lord!,...she's gorgeous...", as he slowly walked towards the bar section almost tripping over himself, he quickly ordered a shot of something strong to calm his nerves.
The party's emcee walked up to the stage and formally introduced the celebrant, "Ladies and Gentlemen, it's such an honor to have with us tonight a living legend in the field of medicine. As a former cancer patient of his and I'm sure most of you were too one time or another, this man has given us a second chance at life and given us and our loved ones a precious gift which is time. So without further ado, may I present Dr. Mark Peters...". A standing ovation with a loud applause followed. Dr. Peters smiled, kissed his daughter, hugged Maria then stood up and walked towards the podium. The applause kept going for another full minute until he motioned with his hand for everyone to take their seats. Looking around trying to find the right words to say, "I really didn't prepare a speech just like last year or the year before...", as the guests laughed. "What I can say is that I wouldn't have found a cure for cancer if my wife didn't get cancer....It was because of her illness that I focused my research on cancer and it's cure....I know it sounds self serving but the truth is that if it wasn't for my wife getting cancer and dying from it, we would not have this cure...", he paused for a moment trying to hold back tears as he remembered his wife. "Ironically, I feel like the price I had to pay for receiving this gift from God was the life of my wife....As much as I miss my wife, and I still do...very much,..I am very glad that something wonderful came out of her death...and that's all of you whom I've cured,...the old and the young....and I wouldn't have it any other way...So from the bottom of my heart, please join me and my daughter tonight in this feast and celebration of life and living...May God bless you all...". Dr. Peters pulled out his handkerchief as he wiped off tears from his eyes as the crowd once again stood up applauding. Samantha walked towards her father as she gave him a tight hug with tears also flowing down her face as she remembered her mom and feeling happy for her dad's accomplishments.
As they went back to their seats, waiters started moving around serving appetizers and drinks as the main course was being prepared for serving. Suddenly the double doors to the ballroom opened as Chase Brassman appeared, he felt a little embarrassed for being late. He had to drive all the way from Travis Air Force base after a de-briefing about their rescue mission of Sheila Price with Brigadiere General Charles Tate who was the head of Special Forces Pacific Division. Looking around, he couldn't help notice several single ladies in their early to mid-twenties smiling at him. He looked down at his naval officer's service dress white choker uniform which had hard black shoulder boards that each had four golden stripes which showed the rank of a, "Captain", as he dusted off particles of lint which were unnoticeable. His uniform had a standing collar, single breasted and fully lined with five golden buttons as well as two removable golden pocket buttons. His uniform had three layers of military ribbons for awards and medals he received during combat which was pinned to his left upper chest area with a golden Naval Aviator's wing pinned above his ribbons. To his right upper chest was his name tag and a silver star pin above it signifying his position as a commanding officer. He took off his officer's hat and held it with his right hand. Being six-feet five in height, it was hard not to be noticed specially when he was wearing a dazzling white military dress uniform. He looked like a prince in a fairy tale story, as the women he passed all gasped in excitement as they tried to get a glimpse of this hunk of a man. Single ladies started whispering to each other making plans on how to catch this stud's attention.
As Chase was trying to find his seat, he looked to the presidential table which was on the left side of the dance floor while to the right was the orchestra. He saw Samantha who was looking his way as he briefly waved and smiled, she waved and smiled back at him. He couldn't believe how beautiful Samantha looked. She was pretty in high school when they used to go out as friends but she always dressed like a, "Tom Boy", but now she metamorphosed into a goddess unmatched by any mortal woman he ever met. Grey in the meantime noticed Chase from old pictures of Samantha and him he'd seen in her old albums from high school. A surge of anxiety came over him as he saw Chase and Samantha wave at each other, wondering whether he was her new boyfriend. He then remembered what Maria told him a few minutes ago about Samantha still being in love with him. He held tight to that belief and was convinced that he won't let Chase steal Samantha from him. He thought of being in a physical confrontation with this giant which he wasn't too thrilled about, though he knew that even David was able to slay Goliath in the Bible. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall...", he whispered to himself.
The dinner was uneventful as the orchestra played music by Mozart and other famous musical composers of the 16th and 17th century. Grey enjoyed the music so much knowing that this was the closest he'd get from watching a live symphony, although he wished that the people were less noisy. Dr. Peters and Samantha on the other hand were enjoying their conversations with guests who approached their table to greet them. Their were leaders of foreign countries, senators, congressmen and women and military brass. Meanwhile, while most guests were done with their meal, Chase was still unable to finish his because of the constant interruption he'd get from different women who would pass by and try to start a conversation with him. After a few minutes he'd always ask if they could speak later so he could finish his meal. As soon as he starts eating again, guests sitting around his table would start asking him questions about his military experience, he was courteous enough to answer their questions even though he was still famished from skipping lunch that day and wanted to focus on finishing his food. But just then, three young ladies approached and stood behind him as they introduced themselves to him, as he wiped his lips with his table cloth and cleared his throat with a drink of water finally giving up on his food. This was not an unusual occurrence for Chase as he just had this natural magnetism in attracting the opposite sex. Chase only wished that when Samantha see's him talking to these pretty ladies that she won't think that he's the one flirting with them. He had waited for a long time to have this opportunity to see Samantha again. His goal was to somehow find time alone with Samantha since he knew that she did not have a boyfriend at this present time, so he can tell her that he was still in love with her and wants to spend more time with her hoping to win her heart. Meanwhile, Grey was finished with his meal and was stuck sitting beside Mrs. Jenkins, a talkative widow suffering from manic psychosis who was in her late sixties and who kept on complaining to him how she hated her son-in-law who always ignored and disrespected her. She said that he always walks out on her whenever she was lecturing him. For a minute, Grey wondered whether Samantha had something to do with assigning his seat for this party, as he painfully listened to Mrs. Jenkins yap and complain as his arm got numb from supporting his head on the table from total boredom. From time to time, he would look over at Chase's table with envy and wonder how Chase was able to attract such beautiful women to come to his table who could each pass as, "Victoria's Secret", super models. Then he would hear Mrs Jenkins yell at him when she notices that he's not paying attention to her as he tries to make it up by showing signs of interest to everything she says. Every time the waiter would refill his champagne glass, he would waste no time in drinking it all hoping this would get him drunk which would numb up his senses specially his hearing. While pretending to be listening to her stories, the only thing that was swirling in his mind was how he could get away from this lady. The only thing that kept him from leaving his table was his constant glimpse at Samantha and her beautiful smile. Finally, when Grey couldn't stand the old widow's constant complaining, he stood up and excused himself saying that he needed to use the men's room. The old widow grabbed his arm not wanting to let him go as she continued her list of complaints. Cutting her off in mid-sentence, Grey gave her an alibi that he has urinary incontinence and that he needed to go to the men's room because he wet the adult diaper he was wearing and needed to change into a new clean and dry one. The old lady quickly released his arm as she advised him to go and take care of his urinary incontinence and put on a new clean diaper before he stunk around their table. As he was walking away, he could hear her tell the other guests in her table how her late husband had the same problem who not only had urinary incontinence but also had erectile dysfunction. The last thing he heard was the old widow yelling towards him wishing that Grey did not have erectile dysfunction like her husband had while guests who heard her started laughing at him. Grey walked briskly pretending not to hear the embarrassing comment and the laughters that followed.
As Grey approached the bar, he let out a sigh of relief as he ordered a glass of champagne. Turning around, he suddenly saw Samantha walking towards him, his heart started beating faster in anticipation, but as she walked closer to him, he noticed that her face looked mad, the same look he remembered seeing just before they got into one of their big fights. He quickly turned around facing the bar tender and asked to change his drink into a double shot of tequila even though he knew there was no time to numb up is senses with alcohol. "Can I talk to you in private!?...", Samantha asked firmly, standing behind Grey with her hands on her hips in readiness and aggression. The tone of Samantha's voice rattled Grey as he turned around to face her, "Su-Sure...is..the-there...so-something wrong?...", Grey stammered as he felt a rush of cold sweat start to overcome him. Samantha turned away and walked briskly looking upset as she headed towards the ballroom's exit doors. Grey quickly took the glass filled with tequila and swallowed it as the bitter taste caused a facial distortion while he pounded his chest with his fist unable to breath for a few seconds. Fifty-feet away, Chase noticed Samantha leaving the ballroom upset and was being followed by whom he guessed was her ex-boyfriend. Chase remembered three years ago when she got a letter from Samantha telling him that he was dating Grey and was falling in love with him. She even gave him a physical description of him in which the only thing he remembered was him being short. This was after Chase opened up his feelings for her telling her how he was falling in love with her. Unfortunately, the only thing she could offer him was friendship. Coming back to his senses, Chase quickly excused himself from the young ladies surrounding him as he proceeded towards the door where Sam and Grey exited from. He knew that if he had a chance to win Sam's heart, it would be now while she was not in a romantic relationship yet. He also wanted to make sure that Grey doesn't get a second chance of making up with Samantha and one way was to keep them apart if he's able to.
After leaving the ballroom, Grey followed Samantha as she entered the music room. As Grey entered, he saw Samantha waiting for him with her arms crossed over her chest. Grey looked at her and couldn't help think how beautiful she was even when she was mad. "What the hell were you trying to prove blowing smoke from your truck's tailpipe exposing our guests to air pollution?...". Grey smiled sheepishly as he thought of the best alibi to say then responded, "I-I...just forgot to have my truck fixed...", wondering whether she'd accept this lame excuse. "You have a Porsche, a BMW and an electric car and yet you drove tonight in your smoke belching truck!...If this is your way of getting back at me then congratulations cause I'm pissed!...You hypocrite!...You buy an electric car and yet you pollute the air with your smoke belching truck!...You also pretend to be thrifty so you can give more to the poor and yet you bought a Porsche and a BMW in the same month?...". Suddenly, the double shot of tequilla gave Grey a slight buzz making him a bit agitated and emotionally hurt as he responded, "Hypocrite?...you call me a hypocrite?..before you judge me, tell your private investigators to dig deeper and get their facts straight before they report to you....I guess they never informed you that the Porsche and BMW is only 25% of it's blue book value....that's right...the Porsche is 13 years old and I got it for only $12,000,...the BMW is 19 years old which I got for only $3,900.00 with an additional $3,000.00 in repairs. I got them both from a friend who desperately needed money to avoid his home's foreclosure....I bought it as a favor and because it was dirt cheap...". Suddenly, Samantha's expression softened, as the information she got was that Grey's cars were both only slightly used and expensive. Grey quickly turned away rubbing his forehead with his eyes closed as he felt a headache starting. Samantha rebuttled but in a softer tone saying, "That still doesn't excuse you from exposing our guests to your truck's engine smoke....you could have given them respiratory problems...". Grey turned to face Samantha as he responded in a softer tone matching hers as he said, "Respiratory problems?....you speak as if I don't care about people and the environment...Will you please look at the mirror?...You're the CEO of a billion dollar corporation with over 8,000 CURE treatment facilities around the world and only 10% of them use solar power as it's energy source...You have around what?...20,000 to 30,000 company cars, trucks and vans and 75% are all gasoline powered because it's cheaper than switching to electric vehicles...A lot of your guests are major stock holders and owners of greedy oil companies who legally bribe or should I say....hmmm...what's the politically correct word?...oh...lobby congress into adding laws to make it harder for electric car companies to survive. They just killed a bill which would build charging stations for all electric cars 30 miles apart on all interstate highways and freeways across the nation....Now, since Obama's term ended, seven out of the last ten Presidents we had are all major stock holders of oil companies who had stopped all federal tax incentives and discounts on buying electric cars and who prevents any federal prosecution of oil companies who are accused of polluting our sea's. We have hundreds of miles of oil spills in the Pacific ocean, the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and oil companies are just pointing fingers at each other refusing to accept responsibility for this mess. Meanwhile, some of the Sheiks in Arab nations who are getting richer by the minute are the one's secretly funding terrorist groups who are bent on destroying our nation....just look at the Osama Bin Laden group of oil companies who make hundreds of millions of dollars each year...". Samantha has heard enough and was pinching the bridge of her nose. With her eyes closed, she rebuttled saying, "Please Grey.....don't talk to me about your false righteousness and piety....when you're just as guilty as the rest of us....What about you?....you've got people believing that you give to charity because of love for the poor?....or is it because how you once told me you felt guilty for having sex with prostitutes all over Asia when you were still in the Navy and how one day your eyes were opened to the fact that most of these women you had sex with were mere poor peasant women who needed money to buy food and medicines for their siblings and parents....Do you really want me to believe that you give out of the goodness of your heart or are you looking for some kind'a absolution for the guilt that you carry in your heart?....".
Suddenly the door opened as Chase entered, "Sam, are you ok?...", Chase looked at her then at Grey. "Is he giving you any trouble?...", Samantha looked at Chase with a wary glance as she responded, "I'm ok...Chase I want you to meet Grey....Grey...meet Chase...". Grey and Chase stared at each other as two rivals who've heard of each other meet for the very first time. "So this is the ex-boyfriend...huh?...", Chase remarked looking down at Grey in annoyance, as he sarcastically asked, "So how does it feel to be the ex-boyfriend?...". Grey now feeling annoyed responded, "It's a feeling that you'll never ever feel with her because it's not you who she's in love with...". Grey retaliated as Samantha stared intently holding Grey in contempt for what he just said. Chase looked at Samantha and asked, "Sam, would you like me to get this guy out of your sight?...". Grey took a step closer to Chase as he looked up at him and said, "Sam, could you please tell, "Shrek", here that we're having a private conversation and that he better leave us alone...". Samantha took a step in the middle of Grey and Chase as she extended her arms sideways gently pushing them further from each other. "Could the both of you stop this!....", Sam looked at Grey and said, "We'll need to do our dance routine soon,...we'll pickup our discussion later...ok?...". Chase took a step backwards closer to the door as he pointed a finger at Grey as he said, " You know, I promised myself that i'd never beat up on hobbits...so Sam, tell your friend, "Frodo", to watch his step....", as Chase winked and gave Grey a wry smile which incited Grey's anger. With the shot of tequilla swirling in his veins, Grey lost his cool as he sidestepped Samantha and rushed to shove Chase out the door but before he could lay a hand on him, Chase instinctively gave Grey a mild swift frontal kick to his belly. Grey fell to his knees clutching his abdomen unable to breathe. Samantha quickly stepped between them as she stared intently at Chase and pointed to the door, "Chase!...leave now!....", Chase raised his hands palms up in guilt and remorse as he softly said, "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have done that...", he turned around and left the room in exasperation. Samantha knelt beside Grey trying to comfort him as she asked, "Are you ok?....", Grey kneeling on the floor with his arms wrapped around his belly with his forehead touching the floor softly whispered in a high pitched tone saying, "I can't breathe....", as he was trying to catch his breath. "That was really stupid what you did, you know that?...", Sam replied as she placed her arms around Grey hugging him, as she tried to comfort him and help him get up on his feet. "You can't fight Chase...he's an Olympic gold medalist in Tae Kwon Do and the leader of his Navy Seals team....". Finally getting his breath back while still wincing in pain, he gave Sam an annoyed look as he said, "Great!...that piece of information might have come in handy a few minutes ago....", he reasoned trying to be funny. Samantha controlled herself from grinning as she tried to maintain a straight face while still being mad at Grey. Grey knew that the way to dissipate Sam's anger was to say something funny and clever and to make her laugh. Sam knowing this, tried to keep their conversation serious, trying not to give Grey an opportunity to knock her off her defenses.
Once again the door opened as Albert entered the room, surprised to see Grey in pain as he asked in a British accent, "Are you ok Mister Grey?....", then looking at Samantha, he asked, "Should I call for a physician Miss Peters?....", Sam, stared at Grey's expression and said, "I think he's gonna be fine...no need for a doctor...he just got the wind knocked out of him...". Albert said, "Very well ma'am.....just to let you know, your father asked me to inform you that they are all ready for your dance routine...". Sam glanced at Albert feeling a little worried and said, "We'll be right there Albert....tell my dad....five minutes....". Albert nodded once more as he replied, "Very well Miss Peters....go break a leg...", as he smiled gently while he left the room. (End of Chapter).
