The winter hippies and the regular guests had more-or-less mixed into one mass of partygoers, and before long, I completely lost track of Sam.
I was helping Jackie keep up with the cups and glasses when I came around the corner to enter the dinning room. That’s when I saw Sam mauling Melanie’s face off in the corner of the room.
Two of Jackie’s invited guests were sitting on a nearby sofa, trying not to stare — but not managing a top-notch effort. What Sam was doing to his young date was wildly inappropriate for such a refined party; but Sam seemed to be the only one who didn’t know that.
For me, it was startling to see Sam behaving like that. Knowing him the way I thought I did made me sure he did know better. But what “others” thought about him or his date that night obviously didn’t matter to Sam. I felt embarrassed and ashamed of him for his actions, but I also felt bewildered by how much seeing Sam this way was impacting me.
As I continued to watch the scene unfold, I remember Melanie seemed rigid and unsure of herself as Sam pressed her up against the wall. Melanie opened her eyes for a second, and that’s when she saw me watching. Suddenly, she pulled away from Sam, and nervously said, “Hi!”
Sam only paused long enough to glance over his shoulder, but then went back to slobbering on Melanie’s neck.
I smiled at Melanie and said hello back. Then I collected a pile of plates, and left Sam and Melanie to continue their “make-out sesh.” The two refined ladies shifted on the sofa to turn their backs on Sam, and I saw them exchange disapproving glances. As I left the room, I remembering thinking:
