Tango and a New Life

Even after a year of weekly practice, Annie still had to focus on her steps when the music started. Backward, backward, forward ocho, backward, the cross. Luckily, Carl was a wonderful partner, and she soon relaxed and followed his lead.

She had lost her husband 2 years ago, and at 76 years old she thought her life was over. Michael had been her world for over 50 years. Her kids had been amazing, stepping up and making sure she was always surrounded and cared for.

That meant always!

One day, she said no to her daughter when she called to invite her over for dinner.

“What do you mean you have plans, Mum?”

Annie had picked the pamphlet the mailman pushed through her mailbox just this morning, ‘Argentinian Tango, discovery Class, Windsor’.

“Well honey, I am going dancing.”

She did go dancing that evening. She showed up, apprehensive at first, but simply loved the ambiance and the teacher. This was the day she met Carl.

He had been divorced for a year and was trying to get back on the saddle. Not an easy feat at 73.

They struck a friendship at first and met every week after that, for class. As their relationship developed, they started being a little bit more daring with their dancing and went to milongas for entire weekends, in and out of the country.

Here they were, a year on, dancing on Por Una Cabeza, the famous song from Carlos Gardel, in the garden of a restaurant in Windsor, on a warm summer night.

Who knew you could feel so happy and young, even at her age!

This is when she spotted Ian, staring at them from a dark corner of the room. She loved her children, but she was going to have to remind them who was the parent. Starting by her son.