When the White Doves flew high in the Sky

I had known Alida Zappone for many years.  I consulted on the equipment list for her summer hiking trip to Switzerland, when she was a teenager. Now I was at her wedding to a strikingly handsome young man named Lloyd Angulo. Alida herself could only be described as stunning, as she came down the isle of the oldest mission church in San Diego.

The ceremony was moving. Filled with symbolic ceremony and humanism, the bride and bridegroom were setting a mood for the entire day. Family and friends had a prominent part in the ceremony which was permeated by beautiful music. On the steps outside the church the newlyweds released two white doves which flew high into the sky.

Later we drove to the Prado at Balboa Park for pre dinner drinks and Mariachi music.

Inside the banquet hall everyone awaited the arrival of the bride and groom. After they arrived, each danced with a parent, and toasts were made. Both Alida and Lloyd clearly loved their families, friends, and each other. If there was a more attractive couple in San Diego, I didn’t know where they were.  The couple then disappeared for some minutes, until the band leader told everyone that something special was about to take place.

 At that moment Alida and Lloyd came back in the room. Alida was dressed in a form fitting white dress, and Lloyd had on a suit with a fedora type hat.  I knew that Alida was a professional dancer secondary to her social work job in Los Angeles. She often danced with Salsa groups, and in fact she had met her husband at her dance studio. Though these facts rattled around in my head, I had little idea of how spectacular the couple was about to be.

From the first beat of the Latin band, they had the guests in the palms of their hands. Twirling, spinning, and jumping, they glided across the floor like ice dancers. They were electric! Like seasoned Vegas performers, they made precise moves that the rest of us could only dream about. It was if Tiger Woods and Anika Sorenstram had come out to hit a few balls with the local players. They were the Torvel and Dean of the floor. It was if “Dancing with the Stars” had come to Balboa Park. But it was better because these two people were being led by their caring, charisma, and good will.

 I think most people there realized they were witnessing something special, not to be seen again any time soon. Following the initial dance Lloyd and Alida danced with some of their guests before dancing together again. As soon as they began moving to the music, a circle formed around them. It wasn’t because they were the newlyweds. We all had no choice, as they were like magnets pulling us toward them. Like Mikhail Baryshnikov and Gelsey Kirkland, they glided across the floor. Guests spontaneously left their chairs, unable to take their eyes off the two of them, as they spun and whirled in grace and laughter.

Young and tremendously in love they made the night alive, tender, and exciting through their passionate, sensual dancing. Too soon the evening began to draw to a close, and the older crowd began moving toward the door to head back to the suburbs. Alida and Lloyd were honeymooning on a cruise to Barcelona, Venice, and other romantic ports. I laughed as I thought of the passengers witnessing their dancing. They would be signing up for cruises for the rest of their lives. There was no doubt about that. As I walked back to my Jeep in the parking lot next to the Science Museum, I thought I saw a white dove basked in the light of the silver moon, and I was sure I heard Latin rhythms emanating from the darkness around me.