Tenure Track (44 page)

Lewis shook his head.

“
He broke mah jaw for stealin’ his gun,” Darryl said, rubbing the side that had absorbed the greatest impact. “He wuz a mean son of a bitch. That’s what I knowed about family. Kathy’s parents, they was salt a the earth. Best people I ever knowed. They took us in, let us live with ‘em while Kathy went to school and I healed up.”

“
So why’d you leave?” Lewis asked.

“
I told ya, I wuz nuthin’,” Darryl repeated. “‘Couldn’t hold a job, couldn’t even talk for months with my mouth wired shut. I just laid around feelin’ sorry fer myself and wantin’ ta get high. Kathy wuz workin’ her butt off goin’ ta school. I loved that gal more’n anybody I’ll ever love, but I wuz just dead weight, draggin’ ‘er down. I didn’t know what ta do when Mandy come along, she was such a helpless little thing. I knew they’d be better off without me, so I left.”

“
Didn’t you think she might need a father?” Lewis bravely asked.

“
That’s what I’m tryin’ ta tell ya,” Darryl said, waving his burning cigarette for emphasis. “I wadn’t no kinda father back then. It wuz better that she didn’t know me ‘til I got straight. She was better off bein’ raised by Kathy’s folks. And Kathy, look what all she wuz able to do without me draggin’ her down. That woman may hate me until the day I die, and that’s okay, ‘cause I know she hadda better life without me. I may’ve been screwed up, but I loved ‘er enough to know that. I done the right thing.”

Lewis started to respond, just as Darryl greeted the women returning from their bathroom excursion. As he smiled at them, he gave a knowing glance towards Lewis, as if to advise,
Yew think about what I said, ya hear?

Later, as they were driving home, Mandy asked Lewis what he and her father had discussed while she was away from the table. He edited out most of the content. “His business sounds interesting,” Lewis commented. “Bikes and tats.”

“
Mmhmm,” she looked at him with mild amusement.

“
So . . . did Tiny do your tattoo?” he asked.

“
What if he did?” she replied coyly.

“
Oh, j-just curious,” he answered. “Your dad said Tiny did his tattoos, so I was just wondering. The one of you was really good, especially considering he did it in prison. They probably don’t have the best equipment there.”

Mandy grinned knowingly. “You’re wondering if Tiny saw my ass, aren’t you?”

“
I’m sure he’s very professional,” Lewis responded, somewhat defensively. He waited for an answer that never came. “Well?”

She laughed out loud. “Well, just to ease your mind: his wife did it.”

He breathed a slight sigh of relief, but tried not to let it show. “I bet your mom loved that!”

“
Oh yeah, she had a conniption,” Mandy admitted. “Of course, she was even madder ‘cause I didn’t tell her about it. She just happened to see it a few weeks later when I was wearin’ a bathing suit. Oh, she called Daddy up and ripped him a new one. I think she took it as a sign of his corruptin’ influence, like I was gonna run off to become some biker dude’s old lady. Of course, I was over 18 at the time, so there really wasn’t anything wrong with it. She chilled out after both my stepsisters admitted they have tattoos only their husbands can see.”

Lewis chuckled. “So when do I get to meet Mom?”

Mandy shifted nervously. “You’re not missing anything. Believe me, Daddy’s a lot easier to take.”

Sensing she preferred he not press the subject, he redirected back to Darryl. “Well, I can tell one thing about your dad: he loves you very much.”

“
Yeah,” she agreed wistfully. “Although he always embarrasses me with that stupid song. It’s so sappy. At least it’s not the Barry Manilow one. Yuck!”

“
Oh yeah.” A mischievous grin broke across his face as he burst into an out-of-tune chorus. “Oh Mandy, well you came and you gave without takin’! But I sent you away. Oh, Mandy!”

“
Shut up!” She playfully tried to cover his mouth with her hand, which he smothered with kisses.

Confessions

Dana was now seeing Phyllis Smith for counseling two afternoons a week. She never told her parents what was discussed at these sessions, but they seemed to be helping lighten her mood. She was doing well on the court, too. Coach increased her playing time and she met the challenge, producing some of her best games ever. The team won regionals and made it to the state private school playoffs before losing in the first round.

Her parents never asked again, and Dana never indicated anything was amiss between herself and Coach. After a few weeks with no word from the principal, Jane had tried to call him about their complaint, but only received an official letter stating that “a thorough investigation revealed no misconduct among any of our faculty.”

Dennis was keeping busy painting the house and preparing for spring gardening. His mother intended for him to work off his sentence by creating an outdoor showplace. Since he had to do it anyway, he took the opportunity to practice his engineering skills, designing and building a fish pond in the backyard surrounded by environmentally friendly xeroscaping. Mitchell Tighe was expelled for the rest of the semester and prohibited from contacting Dennis or creating any new Web pages if he hoped to make up his work over the summer.

With things seeming to be going well, Jane was a little surprised to receive a call from Phyllis Smith a week before Spring Break requesting a family session. Dana never said anything about it, even though Phyllis indicated that it was her idea.

Dana and Dennis arrived first, straight from school. Jane and Mark were a few minutes late, having gotten stuck behind a major wreck on the interstate. Phyllis’s office was set up like a living room, decorated with plush, comfortable furniture to give a warm, inviting feel. As Jane and Mark entered the room, they both detected the faint scent of roses in the air. The twins were sitting next to one another on the couch when their parents entered. Phyllis introduced herself to Mark and greeted Jane, offering them both coffee, which they declined. For perhaps the first time ever, Dennis looked a bit nervous, constantly picking at a food stain on his pants. Phyllis invited Jane and Mark to sit down in two chairs on either side of the couch, while she reclined in another on the other side of the coffee table, facing the twins.

“
Well, I’m glad you could all be here today,” the counselor began. “As you know, Dana and I have been visiting together for a few weeks now. And we’ve finally reached the point at which she asked me to set up this meeting so that she could share some things with you all.”

As Phyllis spoke, Dennis reached over and grabbed his sister’s hand in a show of support, resting their intertwined fingers on his knee. Their parents only grew more nervous as Phyllis quietly explained the ground rules. “If Dana is comfortable with it, I’d like her to talk first. And I’d ask that no one interrupt, or ask questions until she’s ready. Okay?” Everyone nodded in agreement.

Phyllis beckoned Dana to begin. The teenager shifted in her seat, and cleared her throat. Her pleading eyes looked only at Phyllis. “Uhm, I can’t remember what I was gonna say.”

Jane’s heart broke for her child, who was obviously in emotional pain. She glanced at Mark, who just looked confused. Following the ground rules, they let the trained counselor guide the conversation. “Why don’t you start by talking about what really happened the night of the party in November?” Phyllis suggested.

At this, Dana looked at Dennis, as if to get his permission to speak. He gave her hand a little squeeze and nodded in approval. “Well . . .” The teenager cleared her throat again and looked down at her knee as she rubbed one hand up and down her own thigh. “Uhm, I was at that party that night.”

“
We know that,” Mark interrupted, receiving an admonishment from the counselor.

“
Yeah, well, there were some things I didn’t tell you. Like, I was there for awhile, and I got pretty plastered that night. I mean,
really, really
drunk.” She paused to take a deep breath. “Anyway, I didn’t get caught ‘cause I flew out a window when Coach showed up. Mom knows some of this.” She looked at her ignorant father, who was now shooting glances at his wife. “I ran across the golf course and cut my arm on some wire when Dennis came to get me. It’s not his fault. He was just tryin’ to help me.”

Dennis grinned lovingly at his sister. “That’s my job!”

Dana continued, seeming more confident with each word. “It’s just like when Mitchell started all that Internet stuff. Dennis was just sticking up for me. Only . . . .” The room stood still as the girl carefully tried to spit out the words. “Some of that stuff Mitchell wrote wasn’t totally untrue.”

Here it is,
Jane thought.
She’s finally about to tell the truth about Coach.

Dana would look only at Dennis and Phyllis, avoiding her parents’ faces as she spoke. “The night of the party I did some really stupid stuff. More than just getting drunk. I was horsing around with some of the guys and we kind of got into this dare thing and . . . .” Her voice trailed off again.

Dana closed her eyes, which were now beginning to fill with tears, causing a single drop to run down her face. “I screwed around with some of guys, that’s all. It was really stupid and I hated it and I hated myself. I just wanted to throw up afterwards.” As tears fell from her eyes, Dennis wrapped an arm around her as she leaned into his shoulder for support.

Jane’s jaw dropped. She looked at her ashen-faced husband. “Define ‘some,’” he asked. This time, Phyllis did not chastise him.

“
Th-three,” Dana sniffled.

Mark blew up. “My God, Dana. You were gang-raped! Who were these boys?” her father demanded, standing up now.

“
Sit down!” Phyllis ordered. “I don’t think she’s done yet.”

“
I wasn’t raped!” their daughter insisted, sitting upright. “I knew what I was doing. It was some of the guys I play basketball with. My buds.”

“
They aren’t your friends if they took advantage of you when you were drunk!” Jane pointed out.

“
I was only a little buzzed at first. They were more wasted than I was. I didn’t get really drunk until after. I was sharing a fifth with . . . somebody, and stuck it in my pocket when I flew out the window. I finished it when I was out on the golf course waitin’ for Dennis.”

The room was very quiet for a moment.

“
Dennis, did you know about all this?” Mark asked his son, already knowing the answer. At this point, it was hard to tell with whom the usually calm professor was the most angry.

With a lull in the confessional, Jane finally spoke up. “What about Coach?” If they wanted someone to blame for their daughter’s sexual experimentation, she was certain he was the culprit.

Dana dried her tears with a tissue. “He knew about it, too. I told him. Well, first he heard it from the other kids. He made me talk to a counselor at school a couple of times, but that was lame. Phyllis’s been better.”

“
I mean, what’s your relationship with Coach Gibson?” Jane demanded, still feeling like she was not getting the whole truth.

“
Damn it, Mom! There is nothing going on with me and Coach! I wish you’d get off that!” Dana had never before lashed out at her parents like that. “Coach is the best teacher I’ve ever had. He’s like another dad to me.” At this, Mark noticeably shifted in his seat, a bit wounded. “And his wife’s been great, too.”

“
His wife?” Jane asked, learning only for the first time that the good-looking coach was married. Since he never wore a wedding ring, she had always just assumed he was single.

“
Yeah. She’s really sweet,” Dana said. “They let all of us girls hang out at their house anytime we want, play with their kids.”

“
They have kids?” Jane asked, which led Dana into sharing great details about Coach, his lovely wife, and two preschool-age children. The more she spoke, the sadder her parents became, realizing that their daughter had in essence adopted a second family which she seemed to trust much more than her own parents.

As Dana rambled on about her second family, Jane could not help feeling that perhaps there was still more to be told. “Well,” Jane spoke up as Mark seemed to be sulking in his chair, “I’m glad the Gibsons seem to be having a positive influence on you. I hope they, and your counselors, talked to you about the dangers of such sexual experimentation.” She was trying her best to sound understanding and knowledgeable without being judgmental. “I know a lot of teenagers these days think that casual sex is no big deal, but it can still be very dangerous, especially with multiple partners.”

“
I know, Mom,” Dana replied, rolling her eyes and sounding like her usual self.

“
Dana,” Phyllis warned. “Your mother is trying here.”

“
I’m just saying that if you’re going to be sexually active, you should take precautions. And you shouldn’t just throw it around. That’s a special experience that should be shared with a boy you’re serious about.” Jane was not hypocritical enough to advise that the children wait until marriage, but she did feel that she had learned from experience that casual sex was not worth the risks.

Jane noticed that when she gave her advice, Dana looked up at Phyllis as if communicating some secret telepathic message. Feeling exasperated, Jane turned to the counselor. “Am I wrong, here, Phyllis? What am I supposed to say?”