Newcomer likes one-two dance step

Victoria Marie Collom made her way into our war-weary world May 3, 2002, daughter of Ellie and Glenn Collom and granddaughter of Viney Mosley, that dedicated destroyer of darkdom. I think there is no such word as darkdom, but it sounds dreary, doesn't it? And Viney is just the one to make it disappear.

Those gathered in tight little nervous circles may have heard an occasional little musical lullaby, the hospital's way of letting us know that a new little person had come to live among us.

In another venue, I was waiting, watching, praying. The telephone rang. In the stillness, it was like John Philip Sousa slicing a musical note in the air.

In less than 15 minutes, I was at the hospital, holding a bundle of joy, feeling the good life throbbing through.

In the next few weeks, Victoria became a crawler and a two-step dancer. She would crawl across the space of her blanket on the floor, throwing toys out of the way as she moved along. Her little striped or polka-dotted bloomers would wriggle and dimple in all the proper places for a little girl.

When she reached the edge of her crawl blanket, she would turn around and come back, choosing a vocal toy which "sang," once picked up, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." The words didn't mean anything to Victoria, but it had a good one-two beat. Thus, she would look around with those wide, joyous, bright eyes, studying the faces of those who were looking at her, seemingly communicating without speaking, "Do you want to dance?"

I was always thrilled when she chose me. There is a secret circuit between the oldest and the youngest in any room.

Victoria would climb up my leg and position herself between the vise of my knees. Then, with hands in mine, we were off to a "Jesus Loves Me" variation of a John Philip Sousa "Stars and Strips Forever" march. Nothing mattered but the one-two, one-two and the heavily lashed blue-green-eyed contact she would make with me, holding it while showing her bubbling happiness.

Once I thought I felt a tremor in one of her legs and was ready to stop. But not Victoria. I now think it was a little different dance step she at first started to try, but discarded quickly for the familiar one-two, one-two step.

Once I moved her arms in a waltz count. She gave me a strange look, dismissing that idea out of hand.

With her white teeth flashing and a plethora of dimples properly depressed, she will dance her sun-washed way through life with singleness of purpose, the only way to go.

Time moves on. Victoria is walking. She moves with her hands in front of her as if she doesn't want to wrongly push something nor be pushed herself during this serious undertaking. All the little wiggles and twists are still in place.

Victoria Marie's name is reminiscent of two earlier historical queens, Victoria of the United Kingdom and Marie Antoinette of France. So, what do we have coming up here? Not official royalty, I guess, since it's prohibited by the U.S. Constitution.

We'll keep watching -- step one, step two.

REJOICE!

Jean Bell Mosley is an author and longtime resident of Cape Girardeau.