Lessons Read online

  "Um, hi." Real slick, Chase. "This is my first time to perform, so give me a break, huh?" more whistling.

  "Come on! Sing already." Someone yelled from the back followed by a, "Shut up, man. Leave her alone."

  I turned to the band, counted to three, then they began to play. We started off with a classic, Janis Joplin's "Piece of My Heart". It only took me a few bars before I lost myself in the music, forgetting completely about the audience before me. My toe tapped along with the music as it consumed me. My fingers raced over my guitar with an almost desperate need to get the song out.

  The song came to an end, and my eyes opened. The crowd erupted. I looked around, nearly startled to hear the applause and yells and of course, whistles. The grin on my face spread faster than a wildfire. I reached for the glass of water that had been left for me on a stool, sipping from it, glancing back at Mike. He was smiling ear to ear, nodding at me. I smiled back, wiping my hand across my forehead to show my relief. He nodded again.

  I turned back to the mic and began to strum my guitar, the only sound in the place, the guys waiting for their cue. I began Eric Clapton's rocker, "Layla". The bar quieted down, someone coughing now and then, but I had everyone's attention, and it felt damn good.

  After a few more songs, it was time to take a break. Mike and I headed to the bar. I had finished my water about three songs ago, and was dying for some more. Greg came over to us immediately.

  "You guys rock." He grinned, sliding a beer mug of ice water to me, which I downed about half of in one drink. "You guys want to come back next week? We can fit you in every Friday night. Prime time," he added to sweeten the deal, looking from one to the other of us. I indicated Mike with my head.

  "He's the deal man. Talk to him." I turned away from the bar as the boys talked, looking out into the crowd that had turned back to drinking and laughing. People walked up to me to tell me what they thought of the performance or to make requests. It felt so strange. I'd never had fans before.

  "You were fantastic, Chase." I turned to see Dagny standing next to me, a beer in her hand. "I had no idea you could sing. When did that happen?" I grinned, shyly poking at the bar stool behind me with the heel of my boot.

  "I've always loved to sing, just never really bothered before."

  "I bet your mom and dad are proud as hell." She smiled. "Are they here?" she began to look around the place.

  "Um, they kind of don't know." She turned to me.

  "What? Why?"

  "Great job." A guy said as he passed. I saluted him with a smile, turning back to the TA.

  "They wouldn't approve. It's just a hobby, anyway. Nothing to tell them about." I sipped from my water.

  "I don't know about that. I have to tell you," she leaned in close. "People like you who have natural talent like this make me sick." She smiled, I blushed.

  "Thanks."

  "Babe, we gotta go. We're on." I turned to see Mike standing next tome, looking Dagny up and down.

  "Mike, this is my Psych TA. Dagny, my boyfriend, Mike."

  "Hello." Dagny smiled, so did Mike.

  "Hi. Come on, Chase." He grabbed my hand, started to yank me.

  "Thanks, Dag," I yelled behind my shoulder as I was pulled toward the stage. I set my water down and grabbed my guitar, ready for round two.

  I was dead on my feet as I entered my dorm, once again holding onto the wall as I stumbled to my room. I thought this pathetic sort of display was only for drunk people? Who would have thought singing could be so exhausting.

  CID was only scheduled to play for one session, which was only just over an hour or so. We ended up there for nearly six.

  I smiled like an idiot when I saw my door and managed to get the key into the hole. To my surprise Natalie was already asleep, prayers long finished I assumed. Also the tell tale folded towels on the floor.

  I leaned Melo against her place on the wall next to the closet, and stripped out of my smoke-covered clothing before I fell into bed.

  "How did it go?" I nearly jumped out of my skin as I squeaked. Natalie was holding herself up on an elbow looking at me, smile firmly in place.

  "It went fine, thanks for asking. Goodnight."

  * * *

  I smacked my lips, a smile on my face as my asleep mind put the most wonderful images there, grabbing my pillow a little tighter. I rolled over when I bolted up, thinking the world was coming to an end. My head shot to the left as I heard someone pounding on the door again. What the…

  "Crap!" I jumped out of bed, a bit taken aback to see that I wasn't wearing a stitch of clothing. I looked around, confused when I saw the pile of clothes I'd left on the floor. I looked to Natalie's made bed wondering how many Hale Mary's she'd had to say this morning when she'd seen me. I grabbed the closest thing to me, which was a robe that barely reached mid-thigh. With a deep sigh, I ran my hand through my hair and pasted a smile on my face as I opened the door. "Hi."

  "Hi, honey." My mom said, her smile faltering just a bit when she saw my appearance. "You forgot, didn't you?" she looked past me into the room.

  "Well, I had kind of a late night last night, so,"

  "Studying?" my father asked, disapproval clearly etched on his face.

  "Well, yeah." I smiled. "So how was the trip?" I said cheerily, trying to change the subject.

  "It was fine. Why does it smell like a truck stop in here?" my mother walked past me, turning in a circle to look at everything. "Do you smoke, Chase Nichole Marin." My mother, hand firmly on her hip, looked at me, the lines around her mouth deepening.

  "No." Shit, shit, shit. What do I say?

  "Then why does it smell like you do?"

  I knew I couldn't tell them about last night. They would never approve in a million years. God, why couldn't Natalie be their daughter? "Carrie was in here last night." I bit the inside of my cheek until it hurt as punishment. They knew Carrie smoked, but still. My mother stayed like she was, sizing me up to see if I was telling her the truth. My father joined her. God, they're already ganging up on me!

  "Look, if you guys want to take a walk around the campus I can meet you at the library." I looked down at myself. "I kind of need to take a shower." My parents looked at each other, that strange silent communication that I never understood.

  "We'll meet you there in one hour." My father said sternly, holding up the obligatory finger to show me just what the number one meant. I nodded like the good daughter.

  "One hour." I smiled.

  I closed my eyes, my head against the tiled shower as the cool water ran over my heated skin. I really didn't need this. I didn't need their criticism now. I finally felt good about something. Last night had been the greatest rush of my life, and I couldn't even share it with my family, not even my sister. I sighed heavily and finished my shower. They were waiting.

  The weather outside was turning cooler, finally. I really was not a fan of summer time and hot weather. I always said I should get a summer home in Montana, or better yet Antarctica. I pulled on a pair of clean jeans and button up shirt over a tank, the sleeves rolled half way up my arms. I brushed out my hair and brought it back into a braid. When it was wet as it was not, it almost looked black. I looked good, I guess. I stared at myself one more time, really not wanting to do this. But sometimes in life we must do what we really can't stand.

  Sure enough, there they were, looking like the perfect couple. My father was a very good looking man, his dark hair cut just perfect, graying just a bit around the temples, his tan skin giving him a rugged look. He wore slacks, carefully ironed, the house keeper a pro by now. His polo was blue to match his eyes, the same color as mine. I had never seen a man so picky about his appearance before. Sometimes he was more vain than my mother. She was also the picture of health and beauty. She was nearly a head shorter than I, getting my height from my father, with medium brown hair, thick and beautiful. She had bright blue eyes, and very trim, athletic body for a woman who was in her mid-fifties. She also wore a polo, a sweater tied around her shoulders, and slacks. Bill and Judith Marin. Quite the couple.

  "Ah, there she is." My father walked up to me, wrapping long arms around me in a tight hug.

  "Hey, dad." I looked around, feeling stupid. He stepped away giving my mother her turn.

  "You look so beautiful, honey." She said, looking at me, seemingly under a microscope. "How are you doing here? Are you enjoying yourself?" she put an arm around my shoulders, my father walking on the other side of me, as we headed toward the cafeteria where a buffet table had been set up for breakfast.

  "It's going well. It's not too bad."

  "It shouldn't be bad at all." My father chimed in. "Why, college was the best time of my life." He smiled as he looked around the campus, nodding at passersby. "Yale was some of the greatest years of my life. I must say, Chase, I was a bit disappointed when you decided against my alma mater. I had hoped that my children would go to such fine schools. I was so proud when Carla decided on Berkley. Wonderful school, and a great town, too."

  "This is a good school, dad." I said, suddenly feeling like I should defend my chosen school.

  "Of course, it is." He patted my arm with a smile.

  Have you ever felt like you were being put on display? As we entered the cafeteria my parents both a firm hold on me, smiling at everyone they saw as if they hoped that their pearly whites would bring attention to their daughter. I tried to smile, too, but ended up avoided everyone's eyes that we passed.

  We found a table, and thank god I spotted Carrie and her family. Her mother and father along with her younger brother and older sister came to our table to sit down. Our parents had remained great friends through Carrie and my lives. They laughed, and nudged each other, and congratulated themselves on having such wonderful children. I looked at Carrie
only to catch her eye. She rolled her eyes, and I smiled.

  "So I hear you were quite the little rocker last night." She whispered, leaning in to me. I shrugged, butterflies fluttering in my stomach as the sensations and memories came back from the previous night.

  "It was great. I loved it." I whispered back.

  "Loved what, hon?" I looked up to see my mother looking expectantly at me, a half smile on her painted lips.

  "Oh, um a class I have. Psychology. In fact, you won't guess who's teaching it." Good save. I heard Carrie chuckling quietly next to me. I smacked her leg under the table. "Dagny Robertson." My mother drew her delicate brows as she tried to bring the name to mind. Then it hit her.

  "Your old babysitter?" I nodded. "How wonderful! So she became a teacher, then?"

  "Well, she's actually a grad student. She's getting her doctorate in Psychology."

  "Oh, that's absolutely wonderful! I'd love to see her. She was always such a lovely girl." my mother clasped her hands together. Now, why can't you get that excited about something I'm doing?

  We were served our breakfast, everyone talking as they ate, catching up. Carrie's parent's had a ton of questions for me, mine narrowing in on Carrie. I just prayed that they would not bring up the smoke part. She'd kill me.

  I looked around the room, hoping for some sort of escape. None to be had.

  It felt strange being in the Psychology building when it was near empty. There were students and their families walking around once in a while, but it was nothing like it was at noon on a weekday. We rounded the corner, and I could already hear Dagny's laugh. An involuntary smile came to my lips. Carrie had wanted to come with us, determined to see Dagny now, but had to go off with her own parents to meet her professors.

  We walked into the room to see Dagny talking with the father of one of the students in my Psych class. They were laughing, the TA gracious and friendly. She looked great in a pair of khakis and a sleeveless top, again, the color of her eyes. She absently reached a hand up to tuck some hair behind her ear.

  "Well, Sam is certainly a pleasure to have in my class." She smiled at her student then at his father.

  "Thank you, Miss Robertson. It was a pleasure." The man said, shaking Dagny's hand.

  "The pleasure was all mine." She patted Sam on the arm as they turned to leave.

  "Chase. Hello." I was greeted with a huge smile then green eyes looked behind me to see my parents. "What a treat. Mr. and Mrs. Marin." she extended her hand, but my mother walked up to her to take her into a gentle hug.

  "How are you, hon?" she pulled away, holding Dagny by her arms, looking at her. "You're so beautiful." Dagny smiled.

  "Thank you. Imagine my surprise when I found that I had Chase, here in my class." She gently pulled away from my mom, putting her arm around my shoulders. "She is such a good student, studious and smart as a whip." She smiled at me, I stood there too stunned to do anything. My parents looked from one to the other of us.

  "How wonderful, honey. Why didn't you say anything?" my mom caressed my arm, looking like she'd just given birth again. I shrugged. I didn't know myself.

  "So we hear you're going after your doctorate?" my father chimed in.

  "Yes, I am. Chase scored the highest on a pop quiz I gave out this week. She's quite the sponge." Dagny patted my back.

  "Well, when she was little I used to work with her on flash cards, help to increase her memory." My father smiled.

  "Well, come on now, Mr. Marin," Dagny lightly punched my father's shoulder, smiling charmingly. "She's not a computer. That's just natural for her. She has wonderful retention, from what I can see."

  "That's wonderful, sweetie. We're so proud of you." My mom subjected me to a bone-crushing hug. I looked at Dagny for help. She was trying to hide a smile.

  "Are your parents here, Dagny?" my father asked.

  "Well, I'm afraid they couldn't make it." She shrugged with a smile. "My mom couldn't get away from school, and my father is overseas right now. He's been a busy man since September 11th." She said sadly.

  "Oh, well I'm sure. And with him being a Marine, right?" Dagny nodded. "I'm sure he's definitely busy. He must be pretty far up there by now."

  "He's a Lt. Col."

  "Good for him."

  "Well, it was so nice to see you both again." She smiled warmly at both my parents. I could almost see both of them falling in love. I shook my head.

  "You, too, honey. Oh, we have reservations for dinner tonight. You must come." My mother said, clasping her hands together as she gave the TA an adult version of puppy dog eyes.

  "Well," Dagny looked at me, trying to gauge my reaction. I shrugged. "Sure. I'd love to."

  "Perfect!"

  We had made dinner reservations with the Rodman family. I was thrilled that Carrie would be there to help balance out the weirdness of having dinner with my parents and Dagny. I didn't have a clue how I was supposed to act around my teacher. Was this like a social call, or should I treat her just as I did in the classroom? I wasn't looking forward to this.

  Dagny had to meet with other students and their parents, so she made plans to meet us at the restaurant at seven. Carrie and I went back to our dorms to change into something a bit more appropriate for the place we were going, a classy seafood place. This would be interesting since I couldn't stand seafood.

  I changed into a pair of well fitting black slacks and a blue knit shirt that was a bit on the tightish side, but nothing too risqué, black boots completed the outfit. I looked into the mirror on the back of the door, trying to decide what to do with my hair. Leave it down, put it up, ponytail. So many choices, so little time. Deciding to keep it simple, I grabbed my brush and turned my hair into silk, leaving it to brush my shoulders.

  Carrie met me downstairs, and we headed for the lobby where our parents were waiting.

  Sea's the Day was a quaint little place tucked out of sight that served excellent food with not so excellent prices. We were lead to our table, I kept looking around the place to see if I could spot Dagny. She hadn't arrived yet, and I didn't want to miss her.

  "Your waiter will be with your shortly." The hostess smiled, put a menu in front of all of us, and walked away. Carrie was seated to my right, which I was grateful for. The other members of our families were randomly seated at the two square tables they had scooted together to accommodate all of us. The chair across from me was empty, which meant one thing; I'd be looking at Dagny the entire night.

  I sipped from the goblet of water that sat before me when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked up and back to see Dagny smiling at us. I glanced at my watch, seven on the nose. I couldn't help but feel special as her hand drug along my shoulder as she walked past me to her own seat. I felt strangely disappointed when she did the same to my mother as she passed her. Shaking off the childish feeling, I smiled at her as she settled in across from me. I looked at Carrie to see her eyes were transfixed on my Psych teacher. I nudged her with my knee. She looked at me with drawn brows.

  "Stop it." I hissed. She cleared her throat, stared at the folded cloth napkin in front of her. I could still see her eyes trying to roam back to Dagny. This would be a long dinner. I wanted to apologize to Dagny in advance.

  "Mark, Gloria, do you remember Dagny? She used to babysit for Chase years ago." Carrie's parents looked at the TA, her father oblivious, her mother's eyes showing recognition.

  "Oh, yes. You used to take the girls swimming." Gloria Rodman said. She smiled. "How are you, hon? What a coincidence that you're teaching at the same school as our girls, here."

  "Well, actually I'm a grad student." Dagny explained. "I'm a TA helping out by taking the Psych 101 class."

  "Oh. How nice. Do you enjoy it?" Mark asked, biting into a carrot from the appetizer platter.

  "I do. It's a lot of work, but I have some fantastic students that make it worth while." She winked at me. I smiled down at the table.

  The conversation continued as plates of food were served. I didn't say much, certainly didn't start any conversation. I watched around the table as my parents and Carrie's family laughed and talked, my mother throwing half a bread roll good naturedly at my father when he made some comment. I smiled, my parents had always had a very playful relationship. I had always hoped for that someday in my own relationship. Carrie and Dagny talked quite a bit, catching up on what Carrie was in school for, what she had been doing for the last ten years, what she did the previous summer. I could tell Carrie was quite taken by the teacher. I was amused.