LV: My African Dance Partner

LV was a lady in my African dance class. She was black as night and she was married to a white guy with blond hair and blue eyes. Her children were an interesting mix. Some of her kids looked like one would expect like her, but with a lighter skin tone that reflected her husband’s Caucasian ancestry. However, her youngest boy had blond hair and blue eyes like the father. She would often joke that people in the grocery store would not believe that she was the biological mother.  

LV was a faithful participant at dance class with me. We would go to LS's dance class regularly. We would always stand next to each other and feed off each other’s energy.  There were no assigned positions on the floor at class, but LV and I always commanded the same spots, and everybody else in class respected it.  LV could move and dance like a sistah, and she would joke with me that I could move pretty good......kind of..... for a white girl. LOL.  We were the salt and pepper of the dance class. We had so much fun together. Sometimes after class she would break down some dance moves for me that I could not quite catch in the moment. 

LV was sassy, fun, always wore fashionable clothing, and just a all around fun person to be around.  There was an instance where we had a sub for African dance class.  It was a black guy.  LV was all excited at first thinking this guy would have soul and rhythm.  He had neither.  After class in the parking lot, as we would often park our cars next to each other if spaces allowed, she was lamenting that she never saw a black guy with such a lack of soul - and he had NO rhythm.  Whaaaaaaaaaa?  A black man with no SOuL??????  WTF?????

Sadly, LV got cancer and died about six years ago. I miss her a lot. When I walk by her house, as she was a neighbor of mine, I still see her car in the driveway with that familiar personalized license plate. It's obvious that it's not driven a lot. 

 For whatever reason, I was thinking about her tonight while I was driving home from the office. I spoke to her out loud while I was driving home about all the fun memories I had with her, and how much I cherished our time together and thanked her for the dance classes, plus all the fun and giggles. I told her she could come visit me anytime.

It was at that very moment. My motion detector for the house went off on my phone that there was motion at my front door. I didn’t really think anything of it as sometimes a leaf blowing in the wind or something will set it off. However, when I pulled up into the driveway I saw this huge, black crow looking at me from my front porch. 

My heart stopped as I knew it was LV.

I said to the huge, black crow, "Hello LV it’s good to see you. I see you’re still black. I told you I wanted a visit and here you are.  I'm so glad you're here."

 I then chuckled to myself. The crow then flew up to the light post. I thought the whole scenario was kind of a funny, little coincidence. I then turned around to speak more to LV the crow, but the crow was gone. It was not flying away. It was not in a nearby tree.  It was gone. It disappeared into thin air.  I don’t know how it could have disappeared that quickly.  It was only a fraction of a nanosecond that I averted my eyes.

In honor of LV, here is a song of 1970's funk that both of us related to.  I miss you, LV.  Thanks for the visit today.  I always blow you a kiss when I walk past your house and see your car that is still in the driveway.  I think your daughter is driving it from time to time.