Chapter 90: Lessons

Saturday, May 1, 1982

Jasmine met me at the mall food court. She didn’t have another girl in tow; she had three. Lexi, Sam, and an older version of much the same girl, who must therefore be Dani.

I bought burgers for everyone and then we found a table.

To my surprise, the conversation was largely a mix of Sam’s enthusiasm and Lexi’s lamenting being dateless. Not counting Angie; her name was mentioned a few times. I was certain that Lexi, at least, was anticipating dessert. Quite eagerly, really. I was pretty sure Angie’s agreement with Gene covered all girls, not just Jasmine, so it should be fine.

Sam was just plain enthusiastic. About absolutely everything. Cheerleading, gymnastics, meeting Jessica, me, Jasmine, a girl from her junior high, me again, Jessica, Jasmine, and me for a third time.

Dani looked amused by the whole thing. It took a while for her to get a word in edgewise, or she was just waiting. “My sisters thought I should meet you, so here I am,” she smirked.

“We did!” “We really did!”

“A pleasure to meet you!” I said, extending my hand.

“And you as well!”

“On the other hand, they’re going to be disappointed.”

“Huh?” “What?”

She grinned. “I accepted a date for Monday night. They didn’t let me tell them, so, there you go. So, by my understanding...”

“Yeah. Unless you really wanted to push the idea that you’re not exclusive, well, that’s pretty much going to stop much from happening. On the other hand, I’m happy for you!”

“Thanks!”

“Who’s it with, Sis?” Sam asked.

“A senior. I think Steve knows him. Ryan Baird.”

My heart stopped, briefly. Jasmine caught the look. “Something wrong?”

“I ... well.” I looked at Dani and held up my hand. “I promise, this isn’t self-serving, and it could look very self-serving. And it could be; Ryan’s little sister Cindy detests me and most of the other people in Debate, and I’m pretty certain he doesn’t like me at all. I’m also...” I stopped. “Okay, changing direction. I was heading into even more guesswork. But I can tell you what I do know. The thing is, I shouldn’t say it, because, well ... if I tell you to ditch out on a date, that’s a bad look, even if it’s for a good reason.”

She nodded. “If you know something bad, I want to hear.”

“Here’s what I can do. Talk to Sheila; really, don’t talk to Sheila, talk to Sheila’s sister Amy. If you can’t get in touch, call me tomorrow afternoon or evening.” I wrote down both Mike’s number and Angie’s and my number. “Amy is the source for what I know; I feel like it’s much more honest if I point you her way.”

Dani bit her lip. “Obviously you think, or know, something bad.”

“I wouldn’t say anything unless I had to.”

She nodded. “I’ll talk with Amy or Sheila first. I can see you not wanting to say something bad, especially under the circumstances. I mean, my sister’s trying to push us together,” she grinned and winked.

We dropped the subject of Ryan and talked about Dani some more. She was heading to Rice in the fall to study music theory. She’d picked up more musical aptitude than her sisters, but less of the physical skills that Sam had. They were an interesting — and hot — trio.

I hung out until about 1:15pm, when I needed to head home to meet Mom and Ang for the trip to Dr. Stanton’s. I could have met them there, of course, but it was better to go the way we always did. We agreed that we’d meet at Jasmine’s around 4:30 or so.

“How’ve you been, Steve? And, Happy Birthday!” Jane said as we walked into her office.

“Thank you!”

We hugged, then I slipped into my usual seat.

“Any interesting birthday news?”

I nodded. “Quite a few. One I can only share with you — and Angie — so I’ll do that one first.”

“I’m curious!”

“It’s not ... big. Or maybe it is. People greeted me at school. Many people. So many people! Even now I’m really still getting used to that. I thought about it during the day, and I think it’s likely I got more kisses from girls — many on the cheek, but still — on my birthday this time than I had friends at school my first time through.”

She shook her head. “I ... well. I was going to say your ego needs a close watch kept on it, but then I realized that I need to keep a watch on who I think you are. Part of you is still that first-life you, after all, and however much I think you’re very social and popular ... well, it’s not so much that it’s newer to you than I think, it’s that your history of being not popular is longer than I remember, sometimes.”

I nodded. “Good way to put it. For me it’s similar. I default to thinking I’m under the radar, but more and more often things jar me right back out of that. Which is good, since I’m not, after all.”

“You said there was more?”

“My parents gave me perhaps the best present they could have, and ... that’s somewhat of an accomplishment. And I’m the only sixteen-year-old boy that I know of that can say that with the perspective of having tried to find good presents for my teenage kids.” I grinned just a bit.

She shook her head again. “Well ... yes. What did they give you? Certainly not a new car or anything like that, I wouldn’t expect.”

“No. They made the observation — accurately — that we seem perfectly fine with things. They don’t know why, of course. We try not to overspend, but I do worry that they’ll one day make a bad guess like Angie’s and think we must be getting drug money or something. Anyway, no. They both talked about how mature we are and how grown up. So ... the present is that they’re going to treat us like young adults and shift away from expecting us to get permission in advance for most things, and give us permission even for ... well, things they never would have before ... as long as we stay responsible and grounded. You can tell from my phrasing that they let Angie know she was included. I think she’d have gone a little nuts had they not included her, really.”

“She would have,” Jane nodded. “And ... rightly. It makes little sense for her to wait on a big acknowledgment like that. Tell me what you mean by ‘things they never would have before?’”

“An easy example — and one I’m working on — is taking Jasmine to see a musical in, say, Dallas.”

“You’ve done ... oh. I see. It’s not the musical, it’s that you’d have to stay over.”

“Exactly. How many sixteen-year-olds have permission to do that?”

“Not many. That’s showing a lot of trust.”

“And a recognition that the horse is out of the barn door and a long ways down the road.”

She chuckled. “That, too. Very interesting. So...?”

“June, I hope. And the point will be much more around having the uninterrupted time than ... mischief.”

“Because you can get up to mischief here anytime you want.”

I nodded. “No point driving to Dallas to get laid. But, to see a show we’ll both like, and enjoy actually sleeping together? That will be special.”

“Angie’s right, as if there was any doubt. You are a romantic at heart. I think it still blindsides her sometimes, because of her previous Steve.”

“It does, though I think she’s increasingly only seeing Iceberg Steve when she wants to remember something about him.”

“Indeed. Anything else there?”

“Nothing big, I don’t think.”

“It’s a great present. I’d tell you to use it responsibly and wisely, but I know you’re ahead of me there. So, on to State. Good tournament?”

“Very good. I made it to semifinals in CX and fourth place in Extemp. Neither gets you to Nationals, but they’re nearly as close as you can come and not qualify.”

“And Angie?”

“I won’t steal her thunder, but she was pleased. We had four qualify for Nationals. I don’t know if that’s ever happened before. Janet and Lizzie were state champions in CX, Callie Greene was state champion in LD, and Amit Kothari came in second in Extemp.”

“Very nice!”

“Also, Meg got Coach of the Year for the state.”

“Also very nice. And it sounds well-deserved.”

“I thought so. The Drama kids did well, but no big wins. Nothing to be ashamed of at all, though.”

“So, any thoughts on that before we go on?”

“One. And it’s ... well ... maybe a medium-sized one?” She lifted an eyebrow at that. “I have no idea how State 1982 went my first go-round. But I’m virtually certain that no one went to Nationals. Amit did his senior year, I think. That was his first. I’m pretty certain the others didn’t.”

“So, another difference.”

I nodded. “Maybe we influenced Amit. Maybe it’s two more people to practice against. Maybe it’s mentoring. But there’s one other interesting thing.”

“Oh?”

“You remember my guess about Cammie affecting Lizzie and Janet. Now, with State, Lizzie has gone from disparaged to celebrated at school in just the last month or so.”

She nodded. “Very, very interesting. No one but you could know that; to them, it’s just a nice turn of events.”

“Another thing. Bree McKenzie went from dilettante to Extemp semifinals at State between January and now. She’ll be back next year. I’m certain she wasn’t on the team last time. Anne and Megan lost in CX quarterfinals at State; my first time around, Megan didn’t join the team until my junior year — as a freshman — and Anne was nowhere to be found. Now they’re headed to a summer program. Eleven of us are — including Bree.”

She shook her head. “We’ve agreed it’s very hard to find a way that you influenced Megan’s differences. The rest, maybe. And, speaking of Megan ... dating?”

“She wants another date. Best guess is it’s a tossup if she wants more than a date.”

“Jessica?”

“Um ... things are ... interesting.”

She rolled her eyes.

“Not that sort of interesting. Or, at least, that sort is at second base and not a super-active second base; fully clothed. And a whole lot of kissing. Very good kissing. No, I meant she’s slowly opening up, but very wary, making sure I’ll stay shushed.”

“Would she have taken the making out that far just to give you room to brag?”

I shook my head. “I ... didn’t think of that. I don’t think so. Or, well, maybe? But if so, I really think her reaction was genuine — she liked it and was tempted towards doing more than she was ready for.”

“Sam?”

“Nothing new with her, particularly. I had a bit of a situation with her oldest sister though.”

“Um ... Dani?”

“Yes.” I explained about Ryan and not wanting to directly warn her due to how it might look.

She nodded. “I think you did right, there. I’d hate to see her get hurt, emotionally or physically.”

“Me, too.”

“Any other girls in the picture?”

“Bree might want to go out. I’m not sure. Mikayla is quiet. Too quiet. Something will happen. Could be tonight. Sue, I’m told, is virtually certain both to ask me out and to want to try things. Her newfound hormones are driving her crazy.”

“Poor girl, yet also lucky girl. Anything else, romantically?”

I nodded. “Jasmine and I had a pretty good serious conversation about things. We’re both feeling that this could be the one. A long time to go; two sixteen-year-olds, right? Even if one is super-unusual. She said she’d started thinking things like ‘what will Steve and I do in the summer of 1983?’ and realized it was very different. And I’m doing the same thing.”

“And here I adjust all my standards. Again. I’d probably lecture you if you weren’t you. As it is, who knows? Maybe. I like that you both feel that way, and I think you’re both mature enough that it’s not unreasonable. And I can’t fall back on the ‘you need to sow your wild oats’ argument.”

“Nope. Though I’m trying to avoid any actual sowing.”

“Keep to that! How is the musical going?”

“Busy. Very busy. But great, too. We’re working hard and having a lot of fun.”

“When’s our next meeting?”

“The official meeting is on the 5th I think. And we’ll see you at the show on the 16th. Do we need an unofficial meeting? If so, it’d have to be the 22nd.”

“I can make the 22nd work, if you want. I’d just have to tell Roberta it’s off the books. I’m not sure if we need one, though. We might want one before your big trip. If I get a client for that afternoon, I’ll let you know. Otherwise, we can play it by ear. And, I can’t wait for the 16th!”

“Just one ticket? I’ll make sure it’s at will-call.”

She smiled, nodding. “Just one.”

“There’ll be a meet-and-greet in the lobby after the show. You should get to meet Dad. And a lot of the people whose names you know but you haven’t met. I expect Candice to be there, and Erwin and Sandy. And most likely Sherry.”

“Fun!” She hesitated. “For many of them ... if I talk to them, how do I introduce myself?”

“For anyone who you know is in Drama, Debate, or study group, therapist is fine. Not so much for adults, maybe? Meg would be fine, Steffie would be fine. For anyone else, just ‘a family friend,’ I think.”

She smiled and nodded. “I like that. It’s better to be open on things like that, as much as you can be. But some people won’t understand.”

“Angie will probably feel the same way, but you can check.”

“I will. And, you know the last question.”

“Behaving, still reporting, no plans to change.”

“I almost feel like I don’t have to ask, but it wouldn’t be fair to your mother to not check in.”

“I agree, and it’s good for us to report in, too.”

We got up and hugged. “Always a pleasure,” Jane said.

“For me, too.”

We walked out; I touched hands with Angie, then sat next to Mom.

“Everything good?”

“Very good, Mom.”

“Good! I hope Angie tells her about the State tournament. I think that was really good for her!”

“I think so, too. The whole year has been.”

After our appointment, I changed into a nicer shirt and black jeans and headed out to Jasmine’s house. When I got there, she and Sam were waiting. They climbed into the car before I could even get out, Sam scooting into the middle.

“I picked up a stray!” Jasmine declared. Then she leaned over and kissed me. Sam, not to be left out, kissed both of us from the side, prompting a bunch of giggles.