I enter the rainbow stream of light, grass, shadow and people outside on the lawn, a lawn that's big enough to house an entire small college campus.
My steps are leisurely, because I want to soak in all the sights and sounds of this party. After all, who knows when I'll be attending an event like this again, if ever.
"Well of -course- this is a smashing party, darling! It's the good Baron throwing it after all, with a teensy amount of help from yours truly!"
Something about the voice draws me to look in that direction and standing there is Melody, all glitter and ancient Greek beauty in an airy, white gown scattered with diamonds.
Wait, it's not Melody, but an older Melody. One with much shorter hair, once my eyes fully adjust. But in that sensuous sway, the way the fingers curl around her flute glass, her hypnotic voice... it's all Melody.
"Well, you did a splendid job, April! You should be quite proud!"
At her side, a chubby woman with three chins and badly spiked, rusty hair in a purple dress so shapeless and so large for a moment I think she robbed a sporting goods store of a tent.
"But of course, Bess" replies the blonde vision, who I've by now figured out is Melody's mother.
Her eyes, the same blue as her daughter's lazily drift about, passing over everyone without looking at them. It's as if we're all just props for her perfectly staged party. I can't say where that impression comes from or when and how I started thinking like this, but women like Melody and her mother have the ability to draw the poet out in all of us, even those who aren't like that usually, like me.
I walk closer, quietly, so as not to draw attention. This should be interesting.
"It's a shame Gerald couldn't be here tonight", she sighs at last, "But he's networking with the Countess de Macon's eldest daughter tonight and he's a very private kind of boy."
Heh. Whoever Gerald is, I'll just bet he's networking with her all right.
"But at least Melody's here, so you have one of the children present!" remarks the purple cow after retrieving a champagne glass from one of the silently rotating waiters.
"Oh, Melody..." sniffs the Baroness, "That girl has far too many of the Baron's bad habits. I told her it was simply absurd to go to a third-rate college, but would she listen? No! Just said that's what the Baron did, so that's what she was going to do. But at least she hasn't been fooling around with the boys at that school. They're beneath her, you know. At least Gerald knows the importance of getting to know the right kind of people."
I choke back a laugh as Bess emphatically agrees. If only they knew.
"Funny, isn't it?"
What the? That was right in my ear!
I turn and there's a bearded man who looks suspiciously familiar, dressed all in black, with a preposterous cape and top hat to boot.
He grins and tips his hat.
"Hey Nick! Fancy meeting you here!"
....Oh.fuck.
"Caveman?! What the fuck are you doing?"
"Shh!" he hisses, darting quickly about with his eyes to make sure no one's paying attention to us, "Keep your voice down!"
"How did you even get in? There's guards and everything!"
He laughs, green eyes sparkling with glee behind his glasses.
"Well, as it so happens, I found out while doing some research online that I bear a very strong phsyical resemblance to the bachelor Count von Richtenberg, so I hunted up his vital details and here I am!"
..Is he serious?! Wait, this is Caveman we're talking about. Yeah, he is.
"Um, that's really sweet that you pulled that off Caveman, but what if he's like, you know, actually here? You're going to be in a bit of trouble."
Caveman shrugs as he adjusts his top hat, "Not really. It'll be the real Count that gets in trouble if he shows up because I got here before he did if he shows up. Otherwise they wouldn't have let me in."
As much as I hate to admit it, he's got a point.
"So, what are you doing here anyway? How did you even know to find this place?"
"Becky told me and Becky's why I'm here, actually. I want to apologize to her and see if we can fix things."
I just stare at him in disbelief. -Caveman- of all people wanting to apologize to somebody and fix things? With -Becky-?
"Is this just because she dressed up as a kreisha or whatever?"
"Kisaeng", he corrects, chuckling a little, "I don't know. Maybe. And anyway, it's not important why I want to. It's that I do."
I can't believe this. He thinks he can just impersonate a freaking Count, waltz right in here, make some apology to Becky and it'll be all better? After all the shit he put her through and how horribly he treated her? Fuck that!
"Yeah well, see the thing is Caveman... I might be falling for her. Becky, I mean."
He blinks, eyes wide with disbelief before narrowing as he leans in closer to look at me closely.
"Well, all right. I'll just go introduce myself to Melody then."
"You can't do that!"
"Why not? It's not like you can date both girls at once. Not even you can pull that off. Hell, I don't even think Terry could've pulled off dating Melody and another girl at the same time."
That gives us both a laugh and calms us down. Afterwards, Caveman nudges me, looking serious now.
"Come on, though. Really, which one are you going to choose? I'll pursue whichever one you don't."
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THANK YOU ALL FOR COMING HERE THIS EVENING! WE'D LIKE TO FORMALLY BEGIN THE DANCE PORTION OF THIS PARTY WITH MR. JON MCLAUGHLIN SINGING HIS NEW HIT SINGLE OFF THE VERY RECENTLY RELEASED ENCHANTED SOUNDTRACK!"
We look up as the boom of the PA announcer spreads itself over the lawn. Further ahead, we see a stage, with some balding, chunky guy in a tuxedo who's apparently the MC, a full-scale orchestra behind him.
Walking up the steps to the stage is apparently the Jon McLaughlin guy who's going to sing.
In the press of bodies starting to gather around the stage, I see Becky. She's on the left.
I sweep my eyes across and there's Melody, on the far right.
The singer's making some introductory remarks and Caveman's looking at me, solemn-faced still.
"Now's the time, Nick. This is the perfect moment to decide."
I nod and take a breath.
The past four months have all come down to this.
The first slow notes begin to swell forth from the stage and I begin walking towards the crowd.
As I walk, I think and I come to the realization that after everything that's happened this semester, there can be only one choice, one girl for me.
And it's to that girl that my footsteps now lead me.