the first dance of the night

"... well, it should come as no surprise," the auctioneer continued. "It's Lot Number One, the traditional First Dance!"

Several members of the crowd clapped politely, and a soft hum of voices filled the air.

The auctioneer held his hand up to quiet the crowd. "As most of you know, the winner will get the first dance of the night -- but their dance partner will only be revealed after bidding is complete!"

Again, some of crowd clapped and cheered.

Terrence leaned toward Jan and quietly spoke. "This is ... interesting. We're bidding on dancing?"

Jan shrugged. "I'm just going to watch, I think. See how it plays out."

"I wanna dance!" shrieked Kat, waving her arms in the air.

"Ssh!" Kayla was instantly embarrassed, and quickly began to regret coming out with her sister.

Wyatt had been looking at each of the other tables with piqued interest. He got a vague sense that most of the people there were familiar with the circumstances of this auction. And he hoped that he (and his friends) weren't the only people completely in the dark.

The auctioneer tapped his gavel on the lectern. "The bidding starts at fifteen seconds."

Almost immediately, paddles went up in the air. The auctioneer kept a keen eye on the room, calling out each new bid as the time increments grew. At first, the action was swift and almost chaotic. After several bids went by, though, the number of participants waned.

"Three minutes, do I hear three-fifteen?" the auctioneer called out. He pointed at another paddle. "That's three-fifteen, how about three-thirty? Anyone for three-thirty?" Two more paddles went up to his left. "That's three-thirty, and then three-forty-five. Last week's first dance went for six minutes, are we going to get there tonight?"

"A dance that lasts six minutes?" said Kayla. "I don't think I understand."

"Six minutes seems excessive," said Jan.

Terrence took Jan's hand. "Especially not knowing who the partner is."

"Three-forty-five," continued the auctioneer. "I see four minutes over there. Anyone for four-fifteen?" A hush fell over the room. One more paddle popped up. "Four-fifteen, excellent! Anyone want four-thirty? Your mystery dance partner could be someone exquisite!"

Wyatt noticed a couple at a table nearby. They were giggling together, a bit more rowdy than the rest of the crowd. Maybe every table has their own version of Kat, he thought. The man nudged the red-headed woman he was with, and she responded by both elbowing him back and waving her paddle in the air.

"Four-thirty to the attractive redhead to my right. Do I hear four-forty-five?" The crowd murmured a bit, but no more paddles went up. The auctioneer raised his gavel. "Going ... going ... gone!" He smacked the gavel down on his podium. "The first dance, Lot One, is sold to the lovely lady over here for four minutes and thirty seconds!"

The redhead turned to her friend, and demonstrated body language that suggested she was both surprised and delighted to have won. The crowd applauded generously. The redhead turned to look around the room and waved a little at people she saw.

The auctioneer tapped his gavel to regain the attention of the crowd. "Madam, if you would kindly step up here to begin." As the redhead rose from her table and walked carefully up to the lectern, the auctioneer shuffled together a small stack of envelopes. He held out the fan of envelopes to the woman. "Please choose your song."

She thought for a moment, then pulled one of the envelopes out. She tore it open, and retrieved a slip of paper inside. She turned to the auctioneer and said something quietly. He whispered back, and then she faced the crowd and read, "Unforgettable! Nat King Cole!"

Jan turned to Terrence. "Okay, maybe I overreacted. That's a great song to dance to."

"Should I be making wedding band notes?" Terrence replied with a smile. Jan playfully pawed at Terrence's arm.

"It all still seems a little weird," said Kayla. "But I guess it's just a dance, right?"

Wyatt was still watching the action of the room. "Yeah ... for four minutes and thirty seconds."

The auctioneer rapped his gavel one more time. "And now -- the big reveal. Who will be our lucky winner's dance partner?"