Academy Hall: Alex, Mrs. Jiang, and Open
Alex wsn't sure what to expect. His parents were, at best times, there but unaware. His grandfather had explained to them what sort of school St. Margaret's was, so they weren't coming into this blind. He got a notice from his father's secretary that his mom would be attending the conferences. Frankly, Alex would've liked it if neither showed up because he had yet to really talk to them seriously about what his post-school plans were. He was just hoping this would go smoothly.
He got a text from his mother that was sort of jumbled, and that didn't bode well. Alex went to meet his mother at the school's entrance and saw her climbing out of the taxi. Then she walked over to him but something felt off. When she drew closer and gave him a kiss and then a greeting in Chinese, he could smell the liquor on her.
Right. She hated flying. She would sometimes 'medicate' to help her get through the flight . . .
Fuck.
"Hey, mom," he used English, "So, uh, yeah." The rest of the morning went a lot like he expected after finding out his mother was tipsy. She flirted with the male teachers and seemed vacant with the others. She seemed surprised to hear that he was in theatre and not in any of the music classes. The luncheon had her sneaking drinks from one of the travel bottles of alcohol from the flight.
Now it was after the luncheon and Alex was giving her a tour of the school. His mother, in a similar state of inebriation as she was when she arrived half-listened to what he was saying. Alex just started making things up since she seemed more preoccupied with her phone.
"And here is where we perform the ritual human sacrifices," he said, "We need to make sure we clean up well though because right after the theatre kids have an orgy. They get really cranky if they don't get one."