Джозеф Файндер - Company Man

“Luke, I’d like you to meet my friend Cassie Stadler,” Nick said.

“Cassie Stadler? ”

The way he said it made Nick’s blood run cold.

“That’s right,” he said quietly. “She’ll be joining us for dinner.”

“I have to go out,” Lucas said.

“You have to stay here.”

“I have a homework project I need to do with some kids in class.”

Nick refrained from rolling his eyes. A science experiment, no doubt, designed to study the effect of Cannabis sativa on the psychophysiology of the American sixteen-year-old. “It isn’t up for discussion,” he said. “Sit.”

“I like your music,” Cassie said to him.

Lucas looked at her with something just shy of hostility. “Yeah?” His tone of voice made it short for: Yeah, what of it?

“If you call that music,” Nick said, feeling protective of Cassie. He gave her an apologetic shrug. “And when he isn’t listening to this kind of noise, it’s that gangsta rap stuff.”

“Gangsta rap stuff.” Cassie’s mimicry was perfect, and devastating.

Lucas half snorted, half chortled.

“You’d prefer it if he listened to the Mamas and the Papas?” she asked. “Like some kind of Stepford son?”

Hey, no fair, Nick wanted to say. “ I didn’t even listen to the Mamas and the Papas,” he said.

Cassie wasn’t paying attention. She was focused on Lucas. “I’m curious. How long have you been into Slasher?”

“A few months,” Lucas said, surprised.

“Not a lot of people your age even know about Slasher. I bet you have all their albums.”

“Got downloads of some stuff they haven’t released yet, and some bootleg demos, too.”

“Slasher would be a rock band,” Nick said, feeling obscurely excluded. “Tell me if I’m warm.”

“‘Slasher’ is what they call Dad, you know,” Lucas said, pleased.

“I’ve heard. Anyway, Slasher’s cool, but John Horrigan’s kind of a jerk, I gotta tell you,” Cassie said, taking a step toward Lucas.

Lucas’s eyes widened. “You know him? No fucking way.” An entirely different Lucas was making an appearance.

She nodded. “You heard about how he fell off the stage in Saratoga, during the Sudden Death tour? Well, he had some problems with his neck and back after that. Nothing helped. So I used to teach this yoga class in Chicago, where he’s based. One day he shows up, and it’s the first thing that really helps. Then he’s asking me for extra sessions. And then...” She walked closer to Lucas and put her hand on his arm as she murmured the rest.

Lucas giggled, blushing.

“I can’t believe it,” he said. “Horrigan rocks . So...” He glanced at Nick, at Julia, and lowered his voice. “What was he like?”

“Selfish,” Cassie said. “First I thought, bad technique. But then I realized it was just selfishness. Finally I just stopped returning his phone calls. Great guitar player, though.”

“Horrigan rocks.”

“What do you mean ‘selfish’?” Julia demanded, with a ten-year-old’s unerring instinct for inappropriate subjects.

“We’re just talking about who gets their guitar licks in,” Cassie said.

Lucas began to quake with silent laughter.

Julia started to laugh, too, for no particular reason. Then Nick, too, began to laugh, and for the life of him he couldn’t say why. Except that he couldn’t remember when Lucas had last laughed.

Marta brought a platter of pork chops to the table, some sort of chili and cilantro thing on top. “More in the kitchen if anyone wants,” she said, sounding slightly peevish, or maybe just a little out of sorts.

“Everything smells delicious, Marta,” Nick said.

“And there’s salad.” She pointed to two covered ceramic bowls. “And there’s rice and there’s ratatouille.”

“That’s great, Marta,” said Cassie. “I think we’re going to be okay.”

“I didn’t make a dessert, but there’s ice cream,” Marta added darkly. “And some fruit. Some bananas.”

“I make one hell of a banana flambé,” said Cassie. “Any takers?”

“Knock yourself out,” Lucas said, and grinned.

Perfect white teeth, clear blue eyes, almost perfect complexion. A beautiful kid. Nick felt a surge of paternal pride. Three-day suspension . They’d have to have The Talk. Just not now. It hung over him like a sword.

“All you need are bananas, some butter, brown sugar, and rum.”

“We’ve got all that,” Nick said.

“Oh, and a light. For a blaze of glory.” Cassie turned to Lucas. “Got a lighter, kiddo?”

After driving Cassie home, Nick returned to find Lucas in his room, lying back on his bed, earbuds in. Nick signaled to him to take them off. To his surprise, Lucas did without complaint, and he spoke first: “So, she’s cool.”

“Good. I’m glad you like her.” Nick sat in the only chair in the room that wasn’t piled with books and papers and discarded clothes. He took a breath, plunged in. The normal force field of hostility seemed to be down, or maybe just diminished. That was good; that would make it easier.

“Luke, buddy, you and I have to talk.”

Lucas watched him, blinking, said nothing.

“I told you Mr. Sundquist called me in for a conference today.”

“So?”

“You understand how serious this is, this suspension.”

“It’s a three-day vacation.”

“That’s what I was afraid I’d hear. No, Luke. It goes on your record. When you apply to colleges, they see that.”

“Like you care?”

“Oh, now, come on. Of course I care.”

“You don’t even know what I’m studying in school, do you?”

“I didn’t know you were studying anything,” Nick cracked without thinking.

“That’s a big help, Dad. You basically spend all your time at work, and now you’re trying to pretend like you’re interested in how I do in school?” It was amazing how Lucas could take those pure, innocent eyes and focus them like a laser beam into one cold, hard blue ray of hatred.

“Yeah, well, I’m worried about what’s happening to you.”

“What’s happening to me,” Lucas repeated mockingly.

“This is all about Mom, isn’t it?” He regretted saying it as soon as it came out. That was way too blunt. But how else to say it?

“Excuse me?” Lucas said, incredulous.

“Look, ever since Mom’s death, you’ve totally changed. I know it, and you know it.”

“That’s deep, Nick. Really deep. Coming from you, that’s really great.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, look at you. You went right back to work, no problem.”

“I have a job, Luke.”

“Moving right on, huh, Nick?”

“Don’t ever talk to me that way,” Nick said.

“Get the hell out of my room. I don’t need this shit from you.”

“I’m not leaving until you hear me out,” Nick said.

“Fine,” Lucas said, getting up from the bed and walking out of his room. “Sit there and blab all you want.”

Nick followed his son into the hall. “You come back here,” he said.

“I don’t need this shit.”

“I said, get back here. We’re not done talking.”

“Hey, you’ve made your point, okay? I’m sorry I’m such a disappointment to you.” Lucas raced down the stairs, taking them two steps at a time.

Nick ran after him. “You don’t walk away from me when I’m talking to you,” he shouted. He caught up with him just as Lucas reached the front door, put his hand on his son’s shoulder.

Luke swiveled, swatted Nick’s hand off. “Get your fucking hands off me!” he screamed, turning the big brass knob and shoving the door open.