When she entered, she found Justin had finished taking off his black Chuck Taylors and was reading a note he had found on the kitchen counter. “They went to the Moose Paddy to get a beer,” he said, relaying the contents of the note.

Justin didn’t know how he felt about Aunt Belinda getting a beer with Father Tom at the Moose Paddy.

“Oh,” said Michelle.

Justin went into the living room and turned on the radio, which Aunt Belinda had tuned to the country station out of Presque Isle. An up-tempo number about what people do in small towns on Friday nights was playing.

Justin immediately turned the dial to the classic rock station.

“No! Wait!” Michelle had kicked off her boots and was hurrying into the living room. “I love that song!” And she went to the radio and put it back on the country station and listened to the song about what people do in small towns on Friday nights. And one of the things the song said people do in small towns on Friday nights is dance.

And Michelle looked at Justin and pointed at the radio.

“What?” Justin asked.

“It’s a sign!” said Michelle, still pointing at the radio.

“Huh?”

“The song says that one of the things people do on Friday nights is dance. So come on!”

“No,” said Justin, and he plunked himself on the couch.

“Yeah! Just you and me! Come on!” Michelle took off her jacket and threw it on Uncle Clair’s big plaid puffy chair.

And then she went to the couch and stood over Justin. And Justin thought she looked so young—too young to be a mom. And he worried about her. Because his mom was Michelle’s age when she had him. And her life was his dad’s life. And nothing more.

“Please. For me,” said Michelle. And she held her hands out to Justin. “We can really do it in here, too.” She looked up at the vaulted ceiling of Aunt Belinda and Uncle Clair’s A-frame house. Justin followed Michelle’s gaze upward and saw that there was plenty of room for them to execute the lifts and jumps they used to do.

And then Justin looked at Michelle. And she held out her hands to him again.

And Justin gave Michelle his hands. Because—even though he didn’t want to—Michelle needed to dance.

Michelle pulled Justin up off the couch and onto his feet.

And she started moving to the music.

And Justin started moving with her.

And they let their bodies remember how they danced. And did some simple steps and spins.

And then Michelle started moving some furniture around.

She pushed the oak coffee table Uncle Clair had made up against the fireplace.

And she pushed the couch up against the back wall.

And she moved Uncle Clair’s big plaid puffy chair into the corner.

And Justin moved the honey-stained maple end tables into the other corner.

And they rolled up the red-and-black checked rug and pushed it up against the wall so the polyurethaned pine floor could be their dance floor.