That Last Little Spark

When the song ended, Jess pulled away from Bam with a smile.

“I’d like to ask the bride and her father to come out to the floor, for the traditional father-daughter dance.” the deejay said. Jess pulled Bam off the floor as Erica and her father met each other in the center.

“This is one of Erica’s favorite songs: Cinderella by Steven Curtis Chapman.” he said over the intro to the song.

Jess watched them from the circle of Bam’s arms, and for the second time that night, she felt that twinge of sadness and pain, knowing she would never get to dance with her father at her wedding, something that she knew every little girl dreamed of. She could remember dancing with her dad to this very song, one Father’s Day while they were in church. She remembered all the girls in her class being picked up by their dads, but she remained determined to stay on the floor and dance the right way. In her stocking feet and light blue dress, her father had spun her around a lot because he remembered she always liked the way her dresses flared up. She remembered him singing this to her.

But what hurt the most was that she couldn’t remember the sound of his voice. Or her mother’s voice, laughing and calling to them from the side of the room.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Bam asked softly, wiping under her eye. It was then that she had noticed that one small tear had escaped.

“Just...remembering...when my dad and I danced to this song. He sang it all the time, too...and...now I realized that I can’t even remember the sound of his voice. Or my mom’s.” she sighed and shook her head.

“But you know they’re watching you right now. And I’ll bet you anything that they’re so proud of you.” he smiled down at her before kissing her forehead. Jess didn’t say anything as she simply nodded and returned to watching Erica and her father slowly swaying back and forth on the dance floor.