Belle of the Ball

"Belle of the Ball."

  I'm not going to lie, all my life, I've desperately wanted to be a princess. "Belle of the Ball" is a pale yellow, light and soft in color. It reminds me of the dress Belle wears in Beauty and the Beast - my all time favorite film. When I was young, more than anything else, I wanted a magical night of dancing and massive puffy dresses and discovering I'd found my true love within ten seconds of meeting him. In short, I wanted to be a Disney princess. But, the older I got, the more I came to realize that this was not likely to happen. The closest I'd ever come was when I went to homecoming with some of my friends. And even then I hadn't really enjoyed myself. I'd all but given up on fairy-tale balls when a young man randomly came over to me and, very bluntly, asked if I would go to prom with him. I was in shock, I'd never been asked to a dance by a boy. Ever. I accepted, and then did what I do best. Procrastinated. I bought my dress online and didn't try it on until it would have been too late to buy another. I didn't plan or get too excited. I was convinced I would be socially awkward and make the entire night uncomfortable. In truth, I was just hoping not to make a total fool of myself. When the night came, and I got dressed, I felt like royalty. We went out and danced, my feet hurt by the end. What can I say? I was having fun. I didn't really think about what was happening, I was too happy to think about much of anything. Then, just when I though the night couldn't get any better, it was time for the slow dance. I told him I didn't know how to slow dance at all. He smiled and said he'd show me. My wrists ended up locked together around his neck, his arms went around my waist. We didn't say anything, I watched his feet for direction. Every now and then I looked up and saw his smile. Something happened inside of me then. I don't know what, but it was like a million butterflies decided to emerge from their cocoons at once. I felt like Belle, sharing that magical dance with her prince. I was one of those nights you can't forget, no matter what you do. And I swear, that night, I felt like the Belle of the Ball.