1992

Josh pedals his way to Salma’s house, indifferent to the soccer mom who almost kills him with her minivan. Love! It makes you nonchalant about trivialities, like death.

He’ll tell Salma he also got into Berkeley/play the love song he spent senior year writing for her. He wants tonight to be like her favourite TV soap - highschoolers making out to ‘Saving Forever for You’ by Shanice.

‘Finally,’ she says as he falls onto her sofa. ‘I got Basic Instinct on tape.’

He’s only sort of thought this through.

Five minutes into the movie and he’s ready to explode.

‘I need to tell you something.’

‘Me first,’ she says. ‘I got into Princeton.’

He needs a minute to recover. She’s moving across the country and he’ll never get the grades to follow her. Devastated, he high fives her.

‘Sayonara smalltown!’ Salma shouts.

She might as well have stabbed him with the icepick.

‘You’ll come back sometimes?’

She sprints up the stairs to her bedroom and back. In her hands is a wad of cash so intimidating, it may even have twenties in it.

‘Years of babysitting money. Between this and my scholarship, my dad can find someone new to take his shit out on.’

They start talking about how they hate their parents, then dance like the wild woman from the nightclub scene.

 

2002

Salma wolfs down the cookie her assistant brought with her coffee. She’s starving but spends lunch at Tower Records on 4th street. She flicks through crap, crap and more crap until a discounted CD beckons her from a back row – ‘Music of Beverly Hills, 90210.’

‘Some things never change.’

A familiar voice. Weird.

‘I work here.’

It’s been, what? Five, no seven, wait, maybe ten years? She doesn’t know what to say and Josh doesn’t say anything.

‘I have to go back to the office. But –’

‘But what?’

She thinks fast.

‘I have Basic Instinct on DVD now.’

 

2012

Josh’s girlfriend brings him the envelope he failed to tear to pieces.

‘Who’s Salma Rodriguez and why’s she inviting you to her wedding?’

When she leaves, no answer, Josh finds his old Nirvana lighter. He lets the fancy calligraphy twist into ash.

 

2022

Salma hasn’t been home in three decades. Now Dad has to die and her chauffer is driving Salma down memory lane. Divorce, death, moving house - this year she’s done it all. Christ! By the end of the ride, she knows there’s only one thing she’s missed about home.

And he’s sitting on her porch.

‘Josh?’

He wants to ask about her husband, but his heart fights off his head.

‘I’m sorry.’

She hugs his body tightly; he’s not skinny anymore and she likes it.

‘Do you need help with, you know, funeral stuff?’

She laughs. ‘Funeral Stuff’ sounds like a song his old band would write.

‘Do you have your laptop?’ he asks.

‘Yeah. Why?’

He puts a finger on his chin.

‘Well, I think Basic Instinct is on Netflix now.’