By McKenzie Misiaszek
A saxophone blares as a singer kicks “Last Dance” by Donna Summer into high gear. Dozens of people wearing red and pink crowd the dance floor, and more than a hundred others shake their shoulders and tap their feet from their seats. The Weekley Community Center is covered in hearts, tinsel, and balloons for Precinct 4’s annual Senior Valentine’s Day Dance.
Couples from around Harris County register weeks in advance to secure their spot at the dance and luncheon. Precinct 4 holds the event every year to give seniors a way to connect with their friends and meet new ones. Nearly 250 people spent part of their Valentine’s Day at the dance, connecting with friends, dancing with their partners, and remembering why they fell in love.
A love years in the making
Sergio and Nancy McGregor met nearly 40 years ago, but it wasn’t until 2019 that they connected and started dating.
“It was a reunion with my friend, [Nancy’s] sister, who I hadn’t seen for more than 30 years,” said Sergio. “It was my first time meeting [Nancy] face-to-face [as an adult].”
Sergio had been living in America for years, yet Nancy still lived in Peru. But after seeing each other again, they kept in contact – even after Sergio flew home to the U.S. They would often spend hours on the phone with one another; once, they talked for 15 hours. Another time, Sergio spent so long talking to Nancy on the phone, he fell asleep in his downtown office.
“I was under my desk, and the security guard came in and woke me up,” Sergio said. “He thought I was dead. That was on a Saturday morning.”
Eventually, Nancy came to visit Sergio for the holidays in 2019, and after meeting his family, the duo decided to get married. Two weeks later, the country shut down. Their new marriage thrived, and they came out of the COVID-19 pandemic stronger. This February, they’re celebrating their five-year wedding anniversary.
"You have to see the good and the bad because you have to live with both,” Nancy said. “You have to be on the same path – with the same energy – and you have to be patient.”
College sweethearts
For some couples at the dance, it was love at first sight.
“I think we fell in love right away,” said Linda Mitchell.
Linda and Tom officially met in English class at Laredo Community College, but Tom had seen Linda around town before then. As the lead dancer at her high school, she led the dance team in Laredo’s annual George Washington birthday parade. He had a crush on her from that moment, but, in college, when fate brought them together again, he almost let his chance slip by.
“On July 4th, I had a friend who came by and said, ‘look, we’re going out dancing. Get a date and come with us.’” Tom said. “He knew I had a crush on her and he encouraged me to ask her out. I called her, and we talked for two hours, but I didn’t ask her out.”
After they hung up, he quickly realized his mistake. He could tell they had a connection, so he called her back and asked her out. She said yes.
“We danced during our dating time and during our married time, but that first date, he had me twirling around,” said Linda. “Of course, I just love dancing. It was a magical evening.”
Even after nearly 50 years together, they’re still tearing up the dance floor, like dozens of other duos at the Valentine’s Dance. Not all dancing partners needed to be dating or married. Friends from community centers across the Precinct signed up to be bused to Weekley together, and many sat together catching up over lunch or dancing with one another.
“I love to dance, but my husband doesn’t know how to dance,” said Angelina Zheng. “I came here today with my friends – some I met at church and some I met here at the community center."
As the dance wrapped up, many attendees continued their Valentine’s Day plans elsewhere, but Sergio and Nancy had already planned to finish their day at Weekley.
“We’re coming back later on today for the bluegrass concert,” they said laughing. “Then maybe we’ll go driving.”