Status: In progress.
Distortion
Four
The food was nothing short of amazing. Katherine kept quiet for the rest of the dinner (and dessert). Daniel Farber was a little too uptight for my taste, but he was undoubtedly a very smart man. William Eskridge was my favorite; he specialized in Gender, Sexuality, and the Law and frequently taught courses on the matter.
After the dinner was over, Jack and I shook everyone's hand and said goodbye. Katherine Sullivan's face was expressionless as I looked at her. As we started back to the hotel room, Professor Fried called our names.
"We have reservations at The Kitchen tomorrow for 12:00. It's only a few miles from here. Whatever you do now is fine with me, just don't get too intoxicated and be incredibly hungover tomorrow."
I laughed. "Thank you, professor. We'll be there at 12:00."
She grabbed her purse, and took off. I looked at Jack. "Do you want to get a drink?"
He smiled. "Absolutely."
We headed out of the hotel and walked a few blocks down to a bar. It was about 9:30 now, and very conveniently, there were two open seats at the end despite how crowded it was. The bartender asked what we wanted.
"Vodka and cranberry for me." I ordered. Jack ordered a gin and tonic.
"God, that Katherine was a bitch, wasn't she?" he said, laughing.
I nodded. "The sad thing is, I always admired her work. She seemed so sophisticated and effortlessly intelligent. She had nothing to say until she started criticizing me for wanting kids, if I'm able to have them."
"And she didn't help her case when she couldn't even fucking remember my name. Which doesn't make sense, because Vienna is a lot harder to remember than something like Jack."
I laughed. "That's true. So, enough our disappointing role model. Tell me about you. What are your parents like?"
He sighed. "My parents are the epitome of the surgical stereotype. Of the two, my dad is worse. He's a neurosurgeon. What you think of when imagining a typical surgeon is exactly the way my dad is. He's unsurprisingly arrogant, often dangerously stubborn, and very direct. He's a brilliant surgeon, but he didn't pay much attention to me as a kid. Thankfully, though, I had my mom there for that. She's a pediatric surgeon. I think because she's been around kids for so many years, it helped steer her in the right direction for raising me. Neither of my parents ever had much time for me, which I guess is understandable, considering their careers. But she was a little more caring. And I turned out okay, I think, so if it took a little neglect during my childhood for them to have such well-paying careers to get me to a college like this, it was worth it."
I took a sip of my drink. "You know, most girls would give you the pity look, but if you're okay with it, I'm okay with it."
He threw his head back and laughed. "What about you?"
"My parents are wonderful. I'm really grateful for them, honestly. Not to rub it in your face or anything, of course. My mom's a dentist, and my dad's a civil rights lawyer. He's the one that introduced me to law and got me really interested in it without pressuring me into it at all."
"Well, you have the whole package, don't you? They're great people that have great salaries."
I laughed. "Yeah, I have to say, I'm pretty lucky on that front. But my brother's an awful human being, so I was the favorite by default."
"What's wrong with him?" Jack asked.
"He's five years older than me and he's been arrested several times. Now, he's serving his sentence for multiple drug offenses. It just shows that you can have the best parents and be raised so well, but still make horrible decisions."
"Well shit. That makes me feel a little better about being an only child."
"It should. Have you lived in California your whole life?"
He finished his drink and asked the bartender for another. "Unfortunately not. I was born and raised in the freezing wasteland of Bismarck, North Dakota until I came here. I wanted so desperately to get away from my parents, and thankfully, my dream college was several states away. You?"
"I was born in Baltimore, but when I was 10, my dad got a job offer in San Diego, and we moved there." I paused. "Baltimore was alright, but I prefer California so much more."
He smiled. "I do too. This place really makes you appreciate the sunshine."
We had a few more rounds of drinks. By the end of the night, everything in sight was making us pee ourselves laughing.
"Thanks, man," Jack said to the bartender as he paid the bill.
"Do you need me to call you guys a taxi? I'm not sure if you're sober enough to drive."
I shook my head. "No thanks, our hotel is just a few blocks down from here. We walked."
The bartender nodded and waved as we walked out. "So," I said, "I gotta know - what clique were you in in high school? You seem like you were one of those preppy ass jocks."
We passed by a series of department stores. There were tons of Christmas lights lining the streets, since it was nearing that time of the year. I saw a gigantic Christmas tree set up in the distance at the center of the plaza.
Jack laughed hysterically. "On the contrary. I was, like, the leader of the dorks. I was on the Scholar's Bowl team, in the library club, in the math and science clubs, president of the Spanish club, etcetera etcetera. I barely hit 5"5 and was nothing more than skin and bones. It wasn't until the summer after senior year that I hit puberty majorly. Clearly, I was a little late in the game. I had never had a girlfriend until my first year of college."
I started to respond, but I tripped over my feet and fell on the sidewalk. "Oh my god, are you okay?" Jack asked, laughing.
I couldn't help but laugh, too. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
He helped me up and linked his arm in mine so neither of us would fall after all the alcohol we had consumed. "And you? What stereotypical clique were you in, Vienna?"
I smiled. "I was pretty good at volleyball, but never hung around the other volleyball players. They were all bitches anyway. I pretty much got along with everyone. Even the dorks!"
He laughed. "Alright, we're finally at the hotel. We both need to drink some water."
I agreed. We finally made it back up to the room. "Oh my god, I need water," I exclaimed.
"Be patient, I'm getting it for you."
I took off my shoes and went in the bathroom to change into comfortable clothes. Jack opened the door.
"Hey, changing in here, perv!" I said, giggling.
"My bad. I drank most of the water but left some for you."
"Wow, thanks. I appreciate that."
I walked out of the bathroom and yawned. "God, I'm so tired. Are you tired?" Jack nodded and handed me a half-full water bottle.
I fell into the bed. "Oh, shit. Can you turn off the lights?"
He laughed. "Sure thing."
He climbed into his bed and we lied there for a minute. "You're a very interesting, guy, Jack. I have to say."
I heard him chuckle. "Well thank you. You are quite the fascinating girl."
I smiled in the darkness. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
After the dinner was over, Jack and I shook everyone's hand and said goodbye. Katherine Sullivan's face was expressionless as I looked at her. As we started back to the hotel room, Professor Fried called our names.
"We have reservations at The Kitchen tomorrow for 12:00. It's only a few miles from here. Whatever you do now is fine with me, just don't get too intoxicated and be incredibly hungover tomorrow."
I laughed. "Thank you, professor. We'll be there at 12:00."
She grabbed her purse, and took off. I looked at Jack. "Do you want to get a drink?"
He smiled. "Absolutely."
We headed out of the hotel and walked a few blocks down to a bar. It was about 9:30 now, and very conveniently, there were two open seats at the end despite how crowded it was. The bartender asked what we wanted.
"Vodka and cranberry for me." I ordered. Jack ordered a gin and tonic.
"God, that Katherine was a bitch, wasn't she?" he said, laughing.
I nodded. "The sad thing is, I always admired her work. She seemed so sophisticated and effortlessly intelligent. She had nothing to say until she started criticizing me for wanting kids, if I'm able to have them."
"And she didn't help her case when she couldn't even fucking remember my name. Which doesn't make sense, because Vienna is a lot harder to remember than something like Jack."
I laughed. "That's true. So, enough our disappointing role model. Tell me about you. What are your parents like?"
He sighed. "My parents are the epitome of the surgical stereotype. Of the two, my dad is worse. He's a neurosurgeon. What you think of when imagining a typical surgeon is exactly the way my dad is. He's unsurprisingly arrogant, often dangerously stubborn, and very direct. He's a brilliant surgeon, but he didn't pay much attention to me as a kid. Thankfully, though, I had my mom there for that. She's a pediatric surgeon. I think because she's been around kids for so many years, it helped steer her in the right direction for raising me. Neither of my parents ever had much time for me, which I guess is understandable, considering their careers. But she was a little more caring. And I turned out okay, I think, so if it took a little neglect during my childhood for them to have such well-paying careers to get me to a college like this, it was worth it."
I took a sip of my drink. "You know, most girls would give you the pity look, but if you're okay with it, I'm okay with it."
He threw his head back and laughed. "What about you?"
"My parents are wonderful. I'm really grateful for them, honestly. Not to rub it in your face or anything, of course. My mom's a dentist, and my dad's a civil rights lawyer. He's the one that introduced me to law and got me really interested in it without pressuring me into it at all."
"Well, you have the whole package, don't you? They're great people that have great salaries."
I laughed. "Yeah, I have to say, I'm pretty lucky on that front. But my brother's an awful human being, so I was the favorite by default."
"What's wrong with him?" Jack asked.
"He's five years older than me and he's been arrested several times. Now, he's serving his sentence for multiple drug offenses. It just shows that you can have the best parents and be raised so well, but still make horrible decisions."
"Well shit. That makes me feel a little better about being an only child."
"It should. Have you lived in California your whole life?"
He finished his drink and asked the bartender for another. "Unfortunately not. I was born and raised in the freezing wasteland of Bismarck, North Dakota until I came here. I wanted so desperately to get away from my parents, and thankfully, my dream college was several states away. You?"
"I was born in Baltimore, but when I was 10, my dad got a job offer in San Diego, and we moved there." I paused. "Baltimore was alright, but I prefer California so much more."
He smiled. "I do too. This place really makes you appreciate the sunshine."
We had a few more rounds of drinks. By the end of the night, everything in sight was making us pee ourselves laughing.
"Thanks, man," Jack said to the bartender as he paid the bill.
"Do you need me to call you guys a taxi? I'm not sure if you're sober enough to drive."
I shook my head. "No thanks, our hotel is just a few blocks down from here. We walked."
The bartender nodded and waved as we walked out. "So," I said, "I gotta know - what clique were you in in high school? You seem like you were one of those preppy ass jocks."
We passed by a series of department stores. There were tons of Christmas lights lining the streets, since it was nearing that time of the year. I saw a gigantic Christmas tree set up in the distance at the center of the plaza.
Jack laughed hysterically. "On the contrary. I was, like, the leader of the dorks. I was on the Scholar's Bowl team, in the library club, in the math and science clubs, president of the Spanish club, etcetera etcetera. I barely hit 5"5 and was nothing more than skin and bones. It wasn't until the summer after senior year that I hit puberty majorly. Clearly, I was a little late in the game. I had never had a girlfriend until my first year of college."
I started to respond, but I tripped over my feet and fell on the sidewalk. "Oh my god, are you okay?" Jack asked, laughing.
I couldn't help but laugh, too. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine."
He helped me up and linked his arm in mine so neither of us would fall after all the alcohol we had consumed. "And you? What stereotypical clique were you in, Vienna?"
I smiled. "I was pretty good at volleyball, but never hung around the other volleyball players. They were all bitches anyway. I pretty much got along with everyone. Even the dorks!"
He laughed. "Alright, we're finally at the hotel. We both need to drink some water."
I agreed. We finally made it back up to the room. "Oh my god, I need water," I exclaimed.
"Be patient, I'm getting it for you."
I took off my shoes and went in the bathroom to change into comfortable clothes. Jack opened the door.
"Hey, changing in here, perv!" I said, giggling.
"My bad. I drank most of the water but left some for you."
"Wow, thanks. I appreciate that."
I walked out of the bathroom and yawned. "God, I'm so tired. Are you tired?" Jack nodded and handed me a half-full water bottle.
I fell into the bed. "Oh, shit. Can you turn off the lights?"
He laughed. "Sure thing."
He climbed into his bed and we lied there for a minute. "You're a very interesting, guy, Jack. I have to say."
I heard him chuckle. "Well thank you. You are quite the fascinating girl."
I smiled in the darkness. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight."