In the restaurant they were seated immediately, a perfect table in a corner, very private, cozy, warm and inviting. Stacy felt like she would burst she was so happy. She looked at each of them sitting around her; Jeremy, chatting with his dad, his dad, glancing at Stacy and giving her a wink, and his mom, sitting like she was being punished, with her hands folded on the table in front of her, that same worried, fearful look in her eyes. She stared straight ahead at a painting on the wall. It was from The Phantom of the Opera, the Phantom with his mask and the woman he seduced standing in horror beside him, a hand up to her face, covering her mouth.
“It was a beautiful play, did you see it?” Stacy figured she might as well try to have a conversation with her, let his mom see that she certainly wasn’t a threat. But his mom didn’t respond and continued to stare at the painting.
Stacy thought maybe she was hard of hearing and decided to speak up.
“Jeremy and I saw the play a few weeks ago. It was just beautiful, did you see it, The Phantom of the Opera?” This time his mom did hear her and turned, slowly, toward Stacy. Absolute horror filled her face. Her eyes were large, teary blue, warm and caring despite the fearful look in them. She tried to speak.
“I…I just…” Jeremy came to her rescue – he observed the attempt Stacy made to converse with his mom and the blank stare Stacy received back.
“Mom hasn’t been feeling very well lately, right mom? It’s ok, Stacy. Don’t worry, she’ll be fine, right mom?”
His mom turned slowly toward Jeremy. She stared at him as if he wasn’t there, as if she was still staring at that painting.
Jeremy smiled at Stacy ignoring his mom and turned back to his dad. They were talking about some sports team. Stacy wasn’t interested and figured Jeremy needed a little time to bond with his dad.
Suddenly, his mom got up from the table.
“Ladies room” is all she said and headed towards the sign to her right.
“I’ll go, too” Stacy said and jumped up.”
“No!” Jeremy leaped out of his chair. Stacy stopped and stared at him, surprised by his almost violent reaction.
“We’re just going to the ladies room – we’ll be right back. Order an appetizer, will you please, you know what I like.” Stacy blew him a kiss across the table. But before she turned to leave she couldn’t help but think how much Jeremy’s expression resembled his mother’s.
In the ladies room, Stacy looked around but didn’t see his mom. Two stalls were taken. A plump woman in a too-tight dress that made her flushed face look like a pimple ready to burst came out of one stall, washed her hands, puffed up her hair and left. Jeremy’s mom came out and looked up to see Stacy smiling at her.
“How are you feeling, are you ok? You seem really wor….” Jeremy’s mom rushed over to Stacy and grabbed her hands. She held them tightly in hers.
“Oh please, you must leave, you must leave Jeremy and never see him again.”
“What, why, why are you saying this, what’s wrong?” She was beginning to believe what Jeremy had said, that his mom ‘wasn’t feeling well’, was code for ‘my mom is nuts.’
“You must save yourself before it is too late. Please, promise me that you’ll leave him now, tonight, before it is too late. Please.”
“Why, what is wrong, why are you saying this to me?”
His mom looked into Stacy’s eyes, searching, as if by staring hard into her eyes she could convince her somehow to do as she was asking. Begging, holding Stacy’s hands until they were hurting, crushing Stacy’s hands in hers. And then looking around the room, quietly, with desperation in every word, every breath she took, hoping that Stacy would understand, would do as she asked tonight, this very minute, leave her son before it was too late. And then she said the words.
“I think my son is a serial killer.”