I knew immediately that it was you. Even though you were turned away from me, I have studied your back and your arms and the curl in your hair for so long that I recognized you even in the dim, scattered light of the dance floor.

    I watched you for a moment, how you walked so tentatively in your unfamiliar dress. It was no soccer uniform, that's for sure. But there was also a hint of assurance in how your shoulders moved, in an echo of an athlete's cocky stride.

    But it was when I saw your arms that I knew it was you. They're like the rest of your body, sleek and compact and strong. And small...you fight so hard to overcome your size out on the field that you sometimes seem larger than life. Here, though, as an urban beat pulsed and growled through the gym, you were so tiny.

    Your hair was styled in the same Baroque cascade of curls that countless other girls were wearing - but on you, it seemed like some revelation of beauty.

    As I waited for you to turn towards me, I watched the shy flame of your smile flicker on and off. When you saw me - your face became lit by the white flash of a grin, cutting a swathe of brilliant light through the dusk of the room. The joy in your voice as you said my name brought you tumbling into my arms, and I held you for a frantic second.

    But it was your eyes that caught me, those deep emeralds that you so willingly gave up to my glance. I have looked into your eyes, brimming with friendship and laughter and glee, so many times before, but tonight they were transformed by the alchemy of your dark green dress into precious gems of the rarest kind.

    Later, as the night moved on, I saw you in the arms of some awkward adolescent, rocking back and forth in a slow dance. That made me smile. I wondered if you were happy, or if you were uncomfortable, or if you were tired, or even if you wanted to dance with me again. Your back came into my view again; a solitary string was tied into a bow across your shoulders. And I thought of your eyes again.

    I didn't think you could look so beautiful.

    I was wrong.

December 1997