La Vie En Rose: An Adventure With Louis

I was still groggy from that terribly, dreadfully wonderful dream,

I picked up my phone, glancing at the time. 8:34 AM it read.

Geez... that’s way too early... my body had jolted awake on its own- as if it repulsed that dream so much it could no longer stand to sleep. A few more minutes my eyes pleaded with me.

I opened the internet page- ah, what do you know. As if I didn’t feel crummy enough, there was good ole young Louis, smiling big in the rain. A snap taken in 1934 Paris, France. While I sat stewing in bed, he was smiling big in the rain. He looked so happy, undefined; his big ole mouth wide open displaying a jaw dropping smile that danced along the tips of his teeth to his eyes and everywhere in between.

What made him so happy? The colors of the sun as they danced along the dripping pavement? I couldn’t see, the black and white refusing to give me an answer.

Was it the smell of the fresh baked bread, humming from the bakery around the corner- if there was one, no perhaps there wasn’t… Was it the sweet serenade of city bustle joining the chorus of chirps echoing from the birds fluttering above? Maybe it was the promise of adventure, laying hidden somewhere in the city- within the holy walls of Notre Dame, atop the Eiffel Tower, blended into the Mona Lisa, dancing along the Champs Elysees- washed anew by the sparkling rain.

I wanted in. I wanted to go, be anywhere but here, sitting in the rotten leftovers of a beautiful dream. I closed my eyes, kicking, tugging pulling, fought my way into dreamland and jumped into the photograph-

I balanced myself on the sidewalk.

“Glad to see you made it girl.”

I shook my head, and shook my head again. Shut my eyes, and shut them again. A lovely wind caressed my face and carried my hair above my collar bone, withheld by the grasp of my bonnet hat. Before I could tell, I was smiling. A bright yellow dress- no pastel-swayed as I twirled. I could see the colors of the sun reflecting from the pavement, the cobble rich red and much brighter than I ever imagined. I could smell the bread- and cakes and rolls and sweet nothings that permeated the city streets. I could hear the birds, the bells, the buses.

I could feel it. Adventure, sweet uncertainty, freedom- for this moment, it too was mine.

“Well, aren’t you comin’ doll?”

I glanced ahead, Louis smiling a sideways grin, held his hand out toward me, excitement shining in his eyes. One hand held my hat secure, while the other dared, stepped out, and found its way into his. We ran.

We ran toward- I don’t know! How can I describe? I suppose it was only a dream, but that didn't matter. The sky was so blue, the city was so real, it didn’t matter if it wasn’t- it was.

He laughed, hearty and full. I had never spoken to Louis Armstrong before, I had only heard him sing, on a recording- but it was him and he was exactly as I thought he would be. His big ole smile stayed just as that. I don’t think he stopped smiling once, laughing too. The kind that finds you laughing along although you have no idea why. The kind of laugh that tickles your soul from the inside and refuses to stop. Laughing at everything and nothing all at once.

While we ran I watched; I didn’t have to pay attention to where I was stepping or if I was stepping at all. Maybe I was flying.

The city was a blur of magic, crisp leaves crinkling below as we journeyed onward. The trees were dancing too!

The people smiled and waved, laughed, happy to see us happy. Joy herself was running beside us, bestowing her gifts upon the onlookers and all around. Rays of sunshine met the quiet raindrops and exploded into tiny fireworks of glitter and mist in the air. 

I felt so alive.

We darted along the cobblestone sidewalk, having lost all grips on reality, I never lost grasp of Louis’ hand-running forever, running toward the- what was it? It was getting louder, like a buzzing bee behind a fuzzy screen-music? It was music, of course! Music, one note after another, began moving my heart, calling me to like a siren on the sea- it was sweet and exciting, calming to my soul.

Time rushed to a halt and suddenly we were there. That little café on the corner. A stage, a band, a partner ready to dance. Louis twirled me onto the little wooden dance floor and spin himself onto the stage, joining his band of high class hooligans. I felt a sweet tap on my shoulder and turned to see a beautiful man standing before me. His eyes twinkled as twilight. My knees went weak beneath his charming smile. Offering me his hand to dance (how could I refuse!), we took our position as dancers often do.

Escaping this stranger’s captivating eyes, I broke free and glanced up toward the stage. Louis winked that big smile at me through the sunlight and began to sing as we twirled…

Time never stopped. The song never ended. We danced and danced and floated through the air. Sweet note after sweet note. I was addicted to the delicious music, my ears drowning in every sip- I would never get enough. Slow song, fast song, our song. Couples stood up, couples sat down, rotating like chest pieces. I never wanted the music to end. I would stay here, dancing, smiling, soul sinking deep into this lovely forever.

My head rested on my partner’s chest, lost in his arms, lost in this dance, this city, this world, dream- dream?

Oh, that’s right. That’s all this was? My head rocked forward as my dazzling dance partner began to fade away. I cried aloud and looked toward Louis, who for once, had not a smile, but a sad sigh upon his face. I looked back to my partner, who was all but smoke and speckles in the rays of sunlight-no no no! Frantically, I ran toward the stage, but the music began to fade as I noticed my feet sinking. I used every ounce of my strength to look up toward the stage, nothing but my head above the ground, eyes bubbling over with tears. Louis waved and said something, I couldn't hear but his face was full of sorrow. With his horn set down upon the stage, he too, faded into stardust and smoke-

10:17 AM the clock read.