The Mephisto Club

“Staying Alive” was probably a good choice for his theme song. She knocked, dreading the thought of Korsak in a leisure suit.
    He opened the door, and she stared at his shimmering silk shirt, the armpits damp with circles of sweat. The collar was unbuttoned, the neckline open far enough to reveal a gorilla’s thatch of chest hair. The only thing missing was a gold chain around his fat neck.
    “Thank
God,
” he sighed.
    “Where are they?”
    “Still in the kitchen.”
    “And still alive, I assume.”
    “They’ve been yelling loud enough. Geez, I can’t believe the language outta your ma’s mouth!”
    Jane stepped through the doorway, into the psychedelic light show of a spinning disco ball. In the gloom, she could see about a dozen listless partygoers standing around nursing drinks or slouched on a sofa as they mechanically dredged potato chips through dip. This was the first time Jane had ever been inside Korsak’s new bachelor apartment and she had to pause, stupefied by the spectacle. She saw a smoked-glass-and-chrome coffee table and a white shag carpet, plus a big-screen TV and stereo speakers so huge you could nail a roof on one of them and call it home. And she saw black leather—lots and lots of black leather. She could almost imagine the testosterone oozing from the walls.
    Then she heard, over the bouncy beat of “Staying Alive,” two voices yelling in the kitchen.
    “You are
not
staying here, looking like that. What the hell? Do you think you’re seventeen again?”
    “You have no right to tell me what to do, Frank.”
    Jane walked into the kitchen, but her parents didn’t even notice her, their attention was so completely focused on each other.
What did Mom do to herself?
Jane wondered, staring at Angela’s tight red dress. When did she discover spike heels and green eye shadow?
    “You’re a grandmother, for God’s sake,” said Frank. “How can you go out wearing a getup like that? Look at you!”
    “At least
someone’s
looking at me. You never did.”
    “Got your boobs practically hanging outta that dress.”
    “I say, if you got it, flaunt it.”
    “What are you trying to prove? Are you and that Detective Korsak—”
    “Vince treats me very well, thank you.”
    “Mom,” said Jane. “Dad?”
    “Vince? So now you call him Vince?”
    “
Hey,
” said Jane.
    Her parents looked at her.
    “Oh Janie,” said Angela. “You made it after all!”
    “You knew about this?” said Frank, glaring at his daughter. “You
knew
your mom was running around?”
    “Ha!” Angela laughed. “Look who’s talking.”
    “You let your mom go out dressed like
that?
”
    “She’s fifty-seven years old,” said Jane. “Like I’m supposed to measure her hemline?”
    “This is—this is
inappropriate!
”
    “I’ll tell you what inappropriate is,” said Angela. “It’s
you,
robbing me of my youth and beauty and tossing me on the garbage heap. It’s
you,
sticking your dick in some stray ass that just happens to wiggle by.”
    Did my mom just say that?
    “It’s
you
having the gall to tell
me
what’s inappropriate! Go on, go back to her. I’m staying right here. For the first time in my life, I’m going to enjoy myself. I’m going to par-
tee
!” Angela turned and clacked on spike heels out of the kitchen.
    “Angela! You come right back here!”
    “Dad.” Jane grabbed Frank’s arm. “Don’t.”
    “Someone’s gotta stop her before she humiliates herself!”
    “Humiliates
you,
you mean.”
    Frank shook off his daughter’s hand. “She’s your mother. You should talk some sense into her.”
    “She’s at a party, so what? It’s not like she’s committing a crime.”
    “That dress is a crime. I’m glad I got here before she did something she’d regret.”
    “What
are
you doing here, anyway? How’d you even know she’d be here?”
    “She told me.”
    “
Mom
did?”
    “Calls to tell me she’s forgiven me. Says I should go ahead and have my fun, ’cause she’s having fun, too. Going out to a party tonight. Says my leaving was the best thing ever happened to her. I mean, what the
hell
is going on in her head?”
    What’s going on,
thought Jane,
is that Mom is having the ultimate revenge. She’s showing him she doesn’t give a damn that he’s gone.
    “And this Korsak guy,” said Frank, “he’s a younger man!”
    “Only by a few years.”
    “You taking her side now?”
    “I’m not taking any sides. I think you two need a time-out. Stay away from