Chapter 10

Lance had been struck by surprise when his mother invited him to accompany her to her friend's birthday party, which would also double as a get-together of classmates of a girls community college that Carol and the celebrant had both attended. Lance was supposed to wear a tuxedo, certainly not something he did often. But the worst part was the bow tie. Carol had only given him a few hours notice, asking him to wear this and that, and look such and such. So the poor young man began prancing about in front of a computer screen an hour before the 8pm attendance time. Apparently, the DIY YouTube videos were not so easy to follow. His mother soon noticed his dilemma.

"Maybe you should stand exactly the way the guy's standing, instead of facing him," she suggested.

"Seriously? That would mean I'd have to turn my back to him, so how do I get to see him?"

"Get a mirror. And we're only minutes from being late," she flung over her shoulder as she walked away to put finishing