by Max Hudson
The door opened with a bang, and a man burst in. Tony didn’t look right away; he was checking out the way the strings wrapped around the pegs at the top of guitar’s neck. He’d never noticed it before.
“Sorry, so sorry I’m late. I had a string break on me just now and had to change it out. Thanks. Thanks so much.” The latecomer took a chair right across from Tony and right next to Trey. Tony glanced up and saw it was a man about his age, thin blond hair, glasses, very pale skin which was beaded with sweat from his panicked rush into the classroom. He had hazel eyes and a wiry frame as if his body had no flesh to speak of. He nodded around the room and made eye contact with Tony for a moment, but Tony quickly looked away from him and back to his guitar.
Class got back on track and they all learned the names of each part of their guitars: the nut, frets, the bridge, the strings. Tony found it all very interesting. Music had never been a part of his life; he only sang in the shower and the car. This was like learning a new language.
“Okay, everyone,” Star continued. “We will learn our first chord. Now, your fingers may struggle to find the shape of the chord, but don’t worry. It’s normal. First, put your pointer finger on the first fret, second string. Let me see, let me see…” She checked each person’s hand and then continued with the second and then third finger placement. “Okay, I think we’ve all got it. Now for the test. Kim, go ahead and strum your guitar and we’ll see if you’ve got it.”
Kim gave a nervous laugh, passed her hand over the strings, and then let out a shocked, amused sound when a perfect chord rang out. “Oh my goodness, I think I’ve got it!”
“Great. Wonderful. Next up is Trey.”
Trey had the same experience, then Hal strummed his guitar and a warm, ringing sound came out. Marcia couldn’t work out the pressure on her strings and the sound came out tangled and stunted. Star helped her out and she got closer, but her face screwed up with the effort and Tony had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing.
“Okay, now Tony.” Tony checked his position, then went for it. A beautiful, clear, and soft chord filled the space and he felt it go right into his chest. He loved it.
“Tony, that was beautiful! Well done.” She moved on, and Tony fought the urge to keep going, to strum that chord over and over and just let the vibration of it flow through him. Marcia elbowed him and mouthed a little “Wow,” of admiration.
“Didn’t know I was sitting next to a rock star.”
“Well, you are. Get used to it.”
Bob got a chance to show off for everyone while Star fought to maintain her patience, then it was Late Guy’s turn.
“Okay, ready?”
He gulped as he gripped his guitar pick in a sweaty hand. What was with this guy? He paused, terrified to play, and Star encouraged him to just take a breath and soften his grip.
“Be nice to the guitar and she’ll be nice to you, all right?”
He nodded, then took a long, shaky breath. “Sorry. I never… I’m sorry. I’m nervous.”
Star gave him her warm hippie smile. “Nothing to be sorry about, um, oh dear; what was your name?”
“Samuel.”
“Okay, Samuel. We’re just going to see what it sounds like, no pressure. Your fingers are in the right place, you’ve got your pick in the right spot, and your strings are all tuned. So, just give it a whirl.”
The new classmate froze as if he were unaware that playing would be a part of the class. His hands were white with tension as he gripped his guitar as hard as he could. He took some big breaths, then lifted his hand to attack the strings. He brought down the pick as if it were a great sword and, in response to his aggressive move, the tiny plastic triangle cut through the first string and made a horrible noise as it did so. Everyone flinched at the sound of the sour, metallic twist that emanated from his instrument and then gasped at the sight of the loose, curled string.
“Oh, not again.” He closed his eyes put his chin to his chest. “I am so, so sorry. I...I…”
Samuel looked like he was on the verge of tears, and Star touched his back as she lifted the guitar off his lap. “Hey, strings break all the time. It’s no problem at all. I’ll use your guitar to show everyone how to take off a broken string, okay?”
He nodded and pressed his lips together while Tony stared at him, mesmerized. He wondered if the man was there playing guitar as some kind of bizarre punishment and not genuine interest as the rest of them were. Maybe he had lost a bet.
Class ended and everyone wandered out. Marcia elbowed Tony in the side and leaned in close.
“Hey. Do you need a beer? I know I do.”
“Sure. Just the three of us?”
She nodded. “I like Fred’s just down the road. Meet us there?”
He was about to answer when Kim broke in. “Did you say you were going to Fred’s? Ha, ha, ha! I love that bar! Hey guys, who else is going?”
Before they could stop her, Kim had invited the entire class out for a drink. Tony bit his lip and wondered if he should just admit that it wasn’t meant to be a public invite. There was no stopping Kim; she was still throwing out invitations to different people. Each gave her a polite no. She linked arms with Tony and giggled again.
“Looks like it’s just us!”
Chapter Three
The bar was nothing special; some yellow lamps from the seventies, beer on tap. and classic rock blaring from the speakers. However, Tony found that being in such a place in the company of warm, smiling people like Marcia and Hal turned the whole bar into a wonderful destination. It was the sort of place recreated on soundstages for TV shows about a group of plucky friends speaking in one-liner jokes. He felt warm and happy there. The lamps didn’t seem cheap or ancient but rather friendly. His beer was cold and had just enough foam on top. The whole scene was perfect.
Then there was Kim. Kim would have been fine to have a drink with except that she didn’t seem to have any experience with the act of going out to a bar. She kept exclaiming things like, “Look at that old poster! Oh, I think my brother had that one in his room. It’s an antique!” She wanted to talk to the bartender far too much, kept belting out the lyrics to the song playing on the jukebox, and closing her eyes while she did so. Marcia kept glancing at Tony who found it all hilarious, even more so because of how annoyed it all made his friend.
“So,” he asked her, “what made you two decide to take up guitar?”
“Hal’s always been musical,” Marcia said, adding a little shrug to show how small a deal it all was. “He suggested we take lessons together. I feel like this is not going to happen for me if I’m being honest.”
Hal patted his wife’s shoulder. “Just stick with it, sweetheart.”
“Yeah,” Tony agreed. “Keep going. Worst case scenario, we take you to a crossroad where you sell your soul to the devil and get some amazing musical talent in exchange. Sure, you’ll spend an eternity in hell, but heck, you’ll be a legend.”
Marcia sighed and leaned against her man. “I suppose you’re right. I’ll see it through.”
“Oh!” Kim broke in. “I don’t suppose you guys know the song ‘Let Me In’ by A-Jam, do you? Don’t worry, I’ll play it and you’ll recognize it.” She bolted from her spot so fast that her chair turned over onto the floor in her wake. The remaining three looked at it and then regarded one another.
“How does one person contain all of that?” Tony asked.
“I have no idea,” Marcia responded, upending her whiskey Coke. They sat and enjoyed the break in conversation until Kim came bounding back, dragging a bewildered looking man behind her.
“Hey! Look who just walked in - Samuel from class!”
Tony felt his heart sink in his chest. The late, string-breaking guy? He wanted to hang out with this man even less than he wanted to sit and listen to Kim. Samuel didn’t look too excited to be there either, but he took a chair as Kim stood and whistled for the waitress, making them all look down at the floor for a moment.
�
��What’s your poison, sailor?” Kim put her hand on Samuel’s shoulder as she asked, an action that trapped him in his chair.
“Just a vodka soda, thanks.”
The waitress sped away as Kim resumed her seat and the group sat in silence. Samuel looked so awkward and out of place that Tony found himself fascinated with the whole situation. Was he even less adept at social situations than their other classmate? Perhaps the two of them could spend their days together blundering through conversations or ruining casual get-togethers.
Kim seemed certain she had made the right decision and beamed at all of them. “How great is this?” she asked them all, her hands on the table as if she intended to jump up onto it. “All of us here, all of us learning music, becoming friends. This is the best!”
“Yeah,” Marcia agreed flatly. “Doesn’t get better than this.”
Hal nodded over to Samuel. “You okay, man?”
Samuel cleared his throat. “I just came in for a nightcap. I can’t stay too long. Also, my job makes hanging out in bars a little tricky.”
That caught everyone’s interest. The waitress arrived with his drink, and they all waited while he relaxed with a long pull. When he put his glass down, they were beside themselves.
“So,” Marcia wondered. “What could this incredible job be which keeps a man out of the bar?”
Kim seemed to just catch on and grabbed Samuel’s shoulder once again. “Wait, what? Are you not supposed to be here? So, it’s a secret or something?” She scanned the bar to see if anyone was watching them, then stood up and did a full twirl in her search. She returned to her seat. “I think you’re safe.”
“It’s not a secret, Kim. I’m just someone who comes under a lot of criticism and I need to be careful.” He looked at Tony and gave him a half smile. “I’m actually the new Vice Principal at a local school.”
“You’re kidding.” Tony had picked up his glass but set it down again. “Which school? Howard Taft Middle?” The man nodded, took a sip of his drink. Tony deflated a little and fell back in his chair.
“Wow. I just, I guess I supposed the school would promote one of our teachers, not hire someone new.”
Samuel just took another drink and shrugged. “Your principal called me. I moved here for the job.”
“Where’d you move from?” Marcia jumped in, trying to lighten the mood. Tony, however, was still concerned.
Samuel glanced at Tony’s shocked face and then mumbled, “California.”
“I’ve been there!” Kim shrieked. “The tacos were the best. And I mean even better than Mexico. So. Good.”
“Wait a minute,” Tony jumped in, leaning down on his elbow, “so, our principal called you and begged you to come be V.P.? Why? How do you two even know each other?”
To Tony’s frustration, Samuel chose not to answer. Instead, he finished his cocktail, threw a few bills on the table, and stood to go. “We’ll have a meeting first thing Monday morning and I can clear everything up for you there. Until then, enjoy your weekend. Thanks, Kim. I’ll see you.”
“Wait!” She followed him to the door to get his number before he left. She came back looking at bit confused. “He gave me his number, but he didn’t want mine. I thought for sure he was into me.”
“Nope,” Marcia said. “That dude’s gay.”
Kim blinked at the declaration. “You think so?”
Hal finished his beer and set the glass down. “If Marcia says he is, then there’s no question.” He put an arm around her shoulders. “This lady has the best gaydar of anyone I know.”
Kim sat, and Tony eyed her for a moment. “You okay, Kim?”
She shrugged and tried to laugh a little, but her laughter failed her. “I was married once. But, then he came out of the closet. So, I got left behind while he went off and had this great life with some guy he met in a club.” Tony glanced at Hal who raised his eyebrows at the mention of two men meeting at a nightclub.
“I don’t know,” Kim went on. “I guess I’m just a little bruised from the whole thing.” She reached for her wallet and put her share of the bill on the table. “I should get some sleep. I’ll see you all in class, though. Right?”
They nodded and confirmed that yes, they would be at the next class. She left so quietly they all had to watch her go in a state of disbelief.
“Well.”
“Yeah.”
Tony and Marcia looked at each in total bewilderment, but Hal seemed rather unaffected. He took in their shock and laughed a little.
“Come on, you two. You had to know she was dealing with something.”
“Oh, sure,” Marcia agreed, “but I never thought she was getting over a failed marriage. That's a lot to get through.”
“I had no idea Kim would be so interesting,” Tony said, still staring at the door she’d escaped through. “Now I don’t want her to go.”
“Hey, about working with Samuel? He seems like a real good time,” Marcia said with a sarcastic smile on her face. He shook his head at the realization that his least favorite person of the night was about to be his new administrator.
“I don’t understand,” Tony said, turning his now empty beer glass in his hands. “Why hire someone from all the way over on the other side of the country when we have perfectly good teachers right here in Haverfield? I mean, just promote someone and hire some young, new teacher out of college. That’s what every other school does.”
Just as he was puzzling it out, a waitress brought their bill over and glanced at Kim’s empty chair. “Your friend run out of steam?”
They laughed and confirmed that yes, she had worn herself out earlier than expected. The waitress gathered their bills as they collected their things and wished them all a good night.
In the parking lot, they all drew out their goodbyes as much as possible; no one wanted to call it a night.
“How about that Bob guy,” Marcia said as they leaned against their cars. “What is he doing in a beginner’s class? It’s ridiculous!”
“He looks lonely,” Hal said, a defensive note in his voice. Marcia rolled her eyes.
“Well, if he wants to get some friends he needs to let go of the ego. There’s nothing stopping him from joining an advanced class.” Marcia raised her eyebrows at Hal, a challenge. He grabbed her shoulders and growled at her.
“All right, you love birds,” Tony said, patting them each on the back. “I better go. It’s been an awesome birthday. Thanks.”
They both pulled him in for a hug. “Was it awesome because we’re the best people in the world?” Marcia asked.
“Basically,” Hal agreed and they all laughed together as they hung on to each other. Tony breathed in the smell of Marcia and Hal as they blended together. It was the scent of whiskey, leather jackets, and a hint of perfume and aftershave. They let him go after a moment and he could still smell them on his clothes when he got in his car. He smiled. It was his favorite smell in the world.
Chapter Four
“All right,” Samuel said to the group of teachers seated in front of him in the gym. “I’m sure a lot of you have questions about me, about the situation at school, all those good things. Please, ask away.” He kept a smile on his face, but there was a quiver to it.
Tony took a deep breath and let it out while teachers politely raised their hands to ask questions of their new supervisor. What part of California are you from? What will be your role exactly? Why did you choose our school? Nothing of any real value. Tony looked over at Joan who was stewing up in the corner of the crowd and holding in a big, frustrated scream. He raised his hand.
“Yes, Tony. Our illustrious history teacher.” Samuel smiled. It was clear he was expecting another easy question.
“I’d like to know why you, in particular, got this job.” He paused as the room went quiet. “What I mean is - why did the school choose to bring in a new hire as opposed to just promoting one of us? We have several teachers here who have been very open about their desire to become an administrator. What h
appened?”
This gave Samuel pause and he looked over at the technology teacher who looked right back at him, her spine straight and her jaw as solid as stone.
Samuel, or Vice Principal Taylor, cleared his throat and glanced at Joan, then addressed Tony, holding eye contact with the man. “I believe you may be referring to Ms. Smith, the computer teacher. It is my understanding that Ms. Smith had misunderstood a few comments made by Principal Sloan. Ms. Sloan asked me to come and take the job instead because of my extensive experience and expertise. Ms. Smith was training for the job but of her own volition, not because there was any invitation for her to do so.”
This made Joan’s face blush a deep red. She stood up and faced the principal with all five feet and three inches of her rage. “Principal Sloan, you walked into my room and said, Joan, I want you to think seriously about being V.P. That wasn’t a dream I had, that wasn’t a misunderstanding, it happened. And when I told you I was taking night classes on administration, you said you were thrilled to hear it as I would be better prepared for the future. Why didn’t you tell me this California hot shot was your first choice?”
The principal stood to defend herself, but the teachers cut her off with angry yells and loud comments to one another as soon as she opened her mouth. It was clear no one wanted the new guy in charge of them. Tony didn’t join in, but he also made no effort to calm the fray either. Instead, he stared at Samuel and watched the man’s face.
To his credit, Samuel stayed calm through the uproar, not allowing it to unsettle him in any way. He folded his hands in front of him and he took in the scene with a placid, inscrutable face. Tony paid attention to his pale skin, nervous eyes, and long, thin neck with a massive Adam’s apple dead center. The man looked like a praying mantis in a button-down shirt. Tony shook his head a little - maybe if he were a bit more well-spoken, good looking even, they could have accepted him with a little more warmth. The man had nothing going for him besides a title. Tony made a silent prediction that the man would last about a month, tops.