Sabrina sat with Lindsay during the graduation ceremony, only barely holding it together as Jason crossed the stage and Lindsay flashed off pictures with the camera. So handsome! But the harder part of the day was still to come. Between both Jason and Lindsay insisting, Sabrina had agreed to meet Jason's parents after the ceremony.
"I don't see why it's necessary," Sabrina said as she wove through the throng of people outside the auditorium. "He's had dozens of teachers. Why would he go out of the way to introduce me?"
"Mm, because you're the only one who's been fucking him for the past three years?" Lindsay said. "The point is they're gonna find out someday soon, and it's better that you don't just, like, pop out of nowhere. They need to already know you're a normal, nice person. And sexy. Yeah, I definitely think seeing how sexy you are will explain a lot down the line."
"Ugh, fine!"
They found Jason in a little circle of family under a tree a little ways off. Sabrina's heart pounded as they approached. The kiddo saw her coming and smiled encouragingly. Lindsay broke away and gave Jason a tight, rough hug.
"Congrats, Jase!" she said. "You looked good up there, dude!"
"He's so handsome!" said a woman who Sabrina immediately knew was Jason's mother, and her blood froze in her veins. She was a lovely woman, mostly because she looked exactly like a middle-aged female Jason. "Hey Lindsay, good to you see you. Are you coming to the party this evening?"
"Of course!"
"Mom," Jason said, then to a friendly-looking man with a beard and glasses, "Dad, this is Dr. Michaels.
"Oh, great," said the bearded man, holding out his hand. "Jason talks about you all the time. You're his favorite."
"Yes, hello," Sabrina said, straining to smile, certain it must be coming across as ghoulish. She took the man's hand. "Sabrina Michaels."
"You do those parties every week with students, right?" said Jason's mother, holding out her hand. How did Sabrina know that the mother was going to be the scary one?
"Um, yes," Sabrina said. She took the woman's hand and forced herself to look her in the eye, thinking, I've fucked your son a hundred million times.
"They're not parties, Mom," Jason said. "We eat and talk about books and music."
"It's the best," Lindsay said, wrapping around Sabrina's arm once more. "Sabrina is the best."
"She really did a lot for me the whole time I was in school," Jason said. Lindsay sniggered and Sabrina glared at her. "She was there for me every step of the way. I probably wouldn't have graduated at all without her."
"Well, then, why don't you come to the celebration tonight?" Mr. McGinnis said.
"At least drop by for a little bit," Mrs. McGinnis said.
Jason smiled at her, hopeful and imploring. But Sabrina couldn't take her eyes off his mother.
My idea of a relaxing night at home is sitting on your son's face and whacking his balls with a switch...
"I'm sorry," she said. "I have a full plate tonight."
***
The last salon the semester was always more raucous than usual. Dr. Michaels invited more than the usual quota of students and was lax about policing how much the age-appropriate students chose to imbibe. They started piling in early in the evening, bundled against a recent coldfront, sitting on an assortment of couches and chairs stuffed into Michaels' dim living room. Latecomers had to settle for a patch of floor or, as the evening wore on and the empty wine bottles piled up, the lap of a fellow student. As always, Jason was already busy in the kitchen before anyone else arrived. Tonight's offerings were marinated mozzarella cubes, spicy eggplant chili, fried polenta, and—in honor of the holidays—gingerbread cupcakes.
The evening began as it always did, with a handful of the freshmen reading aloud pieces they had been working on. A Spencerian sonnet about Jimi Hendrix, an essay about the author getting lost at the state fair and meeting a hobo, an atrocious but memorable short story about a family in the rural south eating dinner and discussing, in dialect, whether or not to reshod a dying horse. None of the characters had proper names ("To evoke, like, a timeless fairytale quality!"), and in the end it turned out they were all cannibals.
Adorable! Pathetic and adorable. Dr. Michaels put the freshmen first to make them feel welcome and give them an in with their older peers. Yet she also wanted those older peers to remember that they, too, once had more imagination than talent not so long ago. She strove to foster in everyone a spirit of support and collaboration rather than criticism and mockery. Anyone who did like to tease others for their efforts, especially the freshmen, tended to get banned from the salon, no matter how promising they were otherwise. What could she say? Michaels had a soft spot for first-years. It hadn't been all that long since she had fallen madly in love with a freshman kiddo.
Yet the freshmen soon got drowned out by the more senior kids' usual rants and debates—the meat of Thursday nights. Caleb arguing theater with Azalea, Rose giving her latest film recommendations, Jennifer and her Hemingway, Alessa and Cheryl alternating bickering with flirting as they discussed music, Jason showing off the work of some turn of the century photographer and boring even Dr. Michaels to tears. All the while the various other attendees did their best to chime in with their own opinions and quips while Dr. Michaels moderated and steered the whole conversation, resplendent in her giant leather chair near the kitchen where she could shout at Jason as needed.
The evening took a momentary dark turn when Lindsay volunteered to recite one of her recent poems. She usually sat squished into the leather chair next to Michaels, glommed around her arm, but stood up to declare, "What use is death when the cut cuts down into the soul? Even dead, to weep is your role."
It only got worse from there. Damn Starla! How dare she do this to Sabrina's sweet, trusting little Lindsay? That selfish, evil, old hippie! Goddamn Starla! The girl deserved better. Would have better. At least she wasn't tangled up with that horrible Rachel girl anymore.
Just as everyone was getting too drunk, too exited, or both, Dr. Michaels clapped her hands and called an end to another successful evening. Jason had left an hour ago, pretending to have a queasy stomach while he was actually patiently sitting around his apartment, probably taking a few hits off a pipe while waiting for Michaels to call him back up for some alone time. All to maintain the illusion that he didn't spend almost every night in Sabrina's bed. The multitude started filing out of Dr. Michaels' apartment, the bolder and drunker of them giving her sloppy hugs and affectionate declarations.
As usual, Lindsay volunteered to stay late and help clean up. Soon only she and Sabrina were left behind among the clutter of chairs, couches, and empty bottles.
"That was a good one," Lindsay said.
"I think Blake has to go," Sabrina said. "We all snickered a little at that cannibal reveal, but he was way too harsh."
