"That's her. Check it out. Wow," whispered Billy Sherman's buddy. They were at the town bar that they had been going to since before they were legally allowed to drink. And there, at the end of the long bar, not far from the door, sat Sue Lockhart, the middle school gym teacher.
"I dare you to go talk to her. I dare you to have a drink with 'Lesbo Lockhart'. What do you say? Are you afraid of the 'Dragon Dyke'?" he challenged.
Billy looked down the bar at the middle-aged woman. She was alone, nursing a drink, half-watching the TV above the bar. He thought she looked kind of plain and maybe a little sad. He really didn't feel like making her the object of a stupid dare. At 22, wasn't he beyond that sort of thing?
"Forget it. Let's just leave her alone. OK? She looks like she doesn't need the aggravation," Billy replied.
"Aggravation? You're just afraid she'll bite your dick off! Here's five bucks. It won't even cost you anything. I dare you." Billy's drinking buddy slid a five dollar bill to him and got up to stand by the pool table where he would have a clear view if Billy should take his dare.
Billy sighed. He didn't want to annoy a woman who had never done anything to him. But he was bored. Maybe he would do it. As he thought about what he would say to her, he actually began to think of things he wanted to know that she could tell him. Not crazy stuff, but about what she thought of the town and the hundreds of kids she had taught and seen grown up. Of course he couldn't ask about the rumors of her being a lesbian. Rumors? Hadn't he and his buddies seen her at it?
It was a year or so before. Billy and two of his buddies had gone out to the parking lot to smoke a joint. The bar had the use of a large parking garage of the office building next door. From the smoke-filled car, Billy and his friends had spied some movement in a little sports car a row in front of them. Under the garage lights they had discerned Miss Lockhart and a much younger woman locked in an embrace in the little car. They had opened mouths pressed tightly together and were going at it pretty hot and heavy. He couldn't see their hands, but when Miss Lockhart finally got out, she had to tuck her blouse back into her neat slacks.
No, Billy couldn't ask about that. The guys had thought the woman she was with looked like the high school's Homecoming Queen from several years back, but they couldn't be sure. Can you imagine if Miss Lockhart was doing it with one of her old students? That was hot.
Before he knew exactly what he was going to say, Billy found himself trying to stroll nonchalantly toward the lone woman. He sat down next to her. Miss Lockhart looked up, wondering what this young man wanted.
"Yes?" she asked. Billy could hear tried irritation in her voice and immediately regretted this.
"Hi, Miss Lockhart. I'm Bill Sherman. Can I buy you a drink?" Billy tried to sound relaxed and grown up.
Sue Lockhart chuckled to herself.
"Hi, Bill. It's Sue. And yes you may buy me a drink. But I've got to go after that, OK?"
Sue waved to the bartender. Billy raised his empty beer mug to indicate that he needed another. He paid for the drinks.
"So, Bill, what do you do?" Sue asked.
"Not much. That is, I'm looking for a job. I graduated from State in May. Not many jobs around right now, so I'm doing what I can and enjoying the summer. I know what you do."
"Oh, did I teach you?" she asked.
"Yeah. It was a few years ago. I'm not surprised that you don't remember," Bill was crushed that she didn't remember him. He had hoped to talk about that.
"Bill, why did you want to buy me a drink? I saw you with your friend. If this is a bet, or a dare, let's just call it a night, ok?"