“All right Sal, we’ll be back late tonight,” Simone said, giving her husband a quick kiss.

“See you, honey,” he replied. “And I know you’ll do great, Ms. Soon-To-Be Class President!”

“Dad! Don’t jinx it!”

“Please,” Susan said, crossing her arms. “Like you need any luck. Make sure she doesn’t need luck, Lane!”

Sal and Susan waved goodbye to their families as they drove off from the Sullivans’ driveway to the big school event that Simone was chaperoning. It would be a long night of speeches, debates, and related school announcements. Susan had said she thought it was quite excessive for a student government event, but apparently it was a town tradition, Sal couldn’t help but agree despite his familiarity with it. 

Sal glanced at the woman in front of him. She was young, smart, and something of a celebrity. He was a proud father and a local cartoonist, and he was happy with that, but he couldn’t help but feel like he lived a world apart from Dr. Susan Destroia.

“So…” said Sal.

“So…” said Susan.

“Wanna grab a beer?” she offered.

“You’re speaking my language, Susan.”

* * *

“So, there I was, locked out of the showers—”

Susan burst out laughing.

“You’re killing me! Don’t tell me Simone was—”

“She was right there! Crossing the damn street, the most beautiful woman in the whole wide world in this absolutely gorgeous blue dress, and I was wearing a Cribbage box and a shower cap!”

They both erupted with laughter, teary eyed and gasping. Susan slapped her knee. Sal almost knocked his glass off of the little wooden table. They took a minute to calm down.

“Oh god, you’re a riot, Sal.”

“I’m published, I’d better be!” Sal said, leaning back in the red upholstered booth seat. “So, Dr. Destroia… you strike me as the type to have left a trail of broken hearts in your wake.”

Susan scoffed, taking a swig from her glass.

“Come on, there’s gotta be one guy out there—”

“Guy?” Susan burst out laughing again. Sal put a hand to his forehead.

“Alright, alright, call out the old man for having a busted ‘gaydar’ as my daughter calls it,” Sal said, lifting his glass up. “There’s gotta be a girl out there, then.”

“There were a few… you’d think I’d have it easier since girls love bad boys.”

“You’re a bad boy?” Sal asked, brow raised.

“I’m one-hundred percent a bad boy.”

Sal chuckled. Susan took a deep breath, sprawling her arms out on her side of the booth.

“There were a few. It’s just that… they all wanted me to be something that I wasn’t, you know?”

Sal nodded.

“They wanted some wild renegade to tame, but I was really just a sad mess, clinging to the crappy path that mom set me on.”

“That sounds rough.”

They both took a swig from their glasses, avoiding eye contact.

“Yeah… Sorry for being a bummer, I kind of killed the mood, didn’t I?”

“It’s alright, I pushed you.”

It was quiet for a moment.

“My dad didn’t exactly like that I was the sensitive, artsy type, but I guess I managed to get away from his ‘path’ as you put it.”

“What did he do?”

“Dad was a cop. He tended to be strict, and the stress got to him…”

“Did he—”

“No! Well… we were afraid he might, but mom left him and took me with her before he could do anything. I never knew what she saw in that man.”

“That must’ve been scary.”

“Yeah…”

The jovial feeling had dissipated, and now the less than desirable aspects of the bar were making themselves obvious: the smell of alcohol breath, the peanut shells that littered on the floor, the price of the beer they were drinking.

“Hey, why don’t we get some fresh air?” Sal said, standing up.

* * *

“Sammy seems really great.”

“We’re so proud of Sammy, couldn’t have asked for a better kid.”

The cool night breeze blew over the pair, rustling the leaves as Susan leaned on the fencing overlooking the crater’s slope. Susan gazed off at the little points of light that dotted the town; houses and cars and street lights all twinkled warmly in the dark of the night. 

“We had a bit of a rough time at first, but once we learned to really just listen to what Sammy needed, things became easier.”

“That sounds like good parenting, I think,” Susan said, looking away. “I’m really afraid for Lane.”

“Why? Lane seems like a good kid, and Sammy’s really taken a liking to him.”

“Them.”

“Oh, sorry, I’m still wrapping my head around the whole gender thing.”

“So is Lane, honestly. They’re still figuring it out, but they told me they’re definitely not a ‘him’.”

“I’ll have to read a book, I think.”

“I’m sure Sammy could recommend something,” Susan said. “Lane’s had to deal with a lot of crap, I think they’ve been doing better lately, but I can tell there are still things they won’t talk to me about. I guess I’m really afraid Lane’s going to turn out like me or mom.”

“What’s so bad about that?”

“We were villains, Sal.”

“Supervillains. Ex-supervillains!” Sal exclaimed in a poor imitation of Susan’s voice.

Susan chuckled dryly. Sal gave her a sad smile.

“I didn’t know your mom or the old Susan, but I know that this Susan is thoughtful, caring, and a great conversationalist.”

Sal gave her a hearty slap on the back, it caught her off guard and knocked a bit of air out of her. Susan coughed.

“Thanks, Sal,” she said breathily.

The two stared quietly into the quiet nighttime bustle of the town, the moon shining high in the sky.

“By the way, how much older than Lane are you?”

“Nine years.”

Sal stared at her with wide eyes, adding up the numbers in his head.

“I can’t believe I just spent the night out drinking with an infant.”

“I’m fully an adult, thank you very much!”

“A baby! How did you convince them to let you into the bar?”

“Do you wanna see my ID?”