At thirty-one and the leader of the group, Lux wore a different costume than the rest of the girls. Her outfit was a bright red and consisted of two-pieces. But while the other dancers wore bikini panties, she wore a pair of shorts, not unlike those worn by professional cheerleaders. On her head was a headdress of red and black feathers that represented the Scarlet Ibis, the national bird of Trinidad and Tobago.
Within moments, Josh wove a straight line towards her. “You look beautiful.” He said once he was standing before her. At the same time he took her hand and kissed her palm. He then folded her fingers around the place he’d touched as though ensuring that she carry the imprint of his lips with her.
“Thank you,” was all Lux could think to say at his unexpected act.
“Now go and take it off. How the hell am I supposed to keep you safe when you stand out like a red stop light?” Josh switched the conversation so quickly it took Lux a moment to comprehend him.
When she finally found her voice, she wanted to scream at him, but somehow managed to retain her dignity.
“Boy, nobody told you to be here. Nobody asked you to keep me safe, so just go about your business!” Sucking her teeth at him, Lux didn’t wait for a reply as she flounced away, feathered headdress swaying as she walked.
Throughout her task of gathering her dancers into their formation, she was aware of his gaze boring into her.
When everything was ready, unable to help herself, Lux surreptitiously sought him out. He was nowhere to be seen. For a brief moment, she thought he’d actually taken her at her word and her heart dropped.
Just then a deep rumble of laughter caught her attention. Her eyes followed the sound to find Josh standing on top of the float looking down at her with knowing eyes.
Unwilling to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he held her attention, she swept her gaze away as though she were checking to make sure everything was in place. The sound of his continued laughter confirmed her ruse wasn’t working.
When all was in order, the bass of the steel pan players began the deep pound that kept the rhythm of the music. The beat was soon picked up by the other members of the band to be finally joined by the tenors who played the tune of the song. With one final check to make sure everyone was ready, Lux nodded and the Constantina doors were folded back. Although early, the heat of the Caribbean sun rushed towards her. The final day of carnival was underway.
****
Josh knew there was no way he was going to be able to stop Lux from taking part in the parade. He might have angered her with his demands, but his intentions had been to warn her that the threat was real; hence his position on the float. From this vantage point, although a long shot, he at least had a chance of spotting anything out of the ordinary.
It was early, but the crowds were already substantial. By the drunken condition of some of the people, their revelry was a continuation of the previous night.
Repeatedly, Josh found his gaze pulled back to Lux; not because of any threat, but because of the way she danced to the rhythm of the music. He was unsure if the way her hips moved was legal in broad daylight surrounded by so many onlookers. What he did know was that every shake and undulation of her body was as sexy as hell. Before he knew it, he was enjoying himself and his feet kept beat to the rhythm of the music.
Josh was having a good time, as the glare of the sun, the sounds of laughter and whistles layered on top of each other. But he was still on full alert. When Lux peeled off from the head of the procession and another dancer took her place, all thoughts of the music and the atmosphere were forgotten. She’d been going for over three hours. During that time, many of the other dancers had taken a break as they hopped onto the float to take a seat, or held on to the side still interacting with the crowd.
When Lux neared him, Josh immediately held out his hand to assist her. For a moment, he thought she was going to ignore him. When her palm finally touched his, he pulled her up beside him without visible effort.
Handing her a bottle of water, he watched as she quenched her thirst. “This is fun,” he shouted over the sound of the music.
She smiled at him and Josh saw she was enjoying herself. The expression she wore reminded him of the Lux he used to know. She was once again the young, carefree woman who was always the life and soul of the party. The woman whose company he constantly wanted to be in.
“I love carnival, for me it’s hard work, but when it all comes together it’s magic.”
Giving him a big smile Josh knew she was about to say something he may not like.
“You need to get off this float and come down into the street. That’s the only way to really feel and experience carnival. Plus, then I can see what you’ve got,” she finished with a cheeky grin.
Josh knew when he was being challenged and he was ready to meet it. It would also mean he would be right beside her if anything went down. “Just tell me when you’re ready and I’ll be more than happy to show you how this native New Yorker moves to calypso.”
“The man who would never dance has finally got moves?”