victory dance

i win breakfast in bed! she laughs and then breaks into a victory dance unlike any other. my mother in law. arms in the air, feet sliding this way and that, hips wiggling she is a ballerina on stage, a hip hop dancer in the streets, elaine off of seinfeld, the most beautiful woman on the front of People's magazine. zany, witty, wild she flaunts her win with a wiggle and a laugh, her children groaning and pretending to avoid the sight. a 50-year-old woman dancing with herself, devoid of self-consciousness, aware only of her joy. i study her moves, hoping one day i can fling off these chains and claim my victory.