Katherine and Michael meet at Sybil’s New Year’s party

Katherine and Michael meet at Sybil Davison’s New Year’s party, where a casual exchange over fondue becomes Katherine’s first glimpse of someone who draws her attention even as he appears to be kissing another girl. The scene establishes their initial attraction through small gestures, interrupted attention, and a contrast between Michael’s presence and the unwanted advances Katherine receives from Fred.

The Party and First Exchange

Katherine and Erica Small decide at the last minute to attend the party at Sybil Davison’s home. About twenty people sit on the floor around a low table in the family room, dipping bread into large pots of melted Swiss cheese with long, two-pronged forks. After only a couple of bites, Katherine hears Michael Wagner point out that she has cheese on her chin and offer his napkin. She answers that she can wipe it herself, still trying to swallow the bread in her mouth.

Michael introduces himself. Katherine responds curtly, prompting Erica to introduce Katherine as her friend and describe her as strange. Michael says he has noticed. He wears glasses, has abundant reddish-blond hair, and has a small mole on his left cheek; for a reason Katherine cannot explain, she thinks of touching it. Her attention is already more engaged with him than her brusque reply suggests.

Attention, Interruption, and Midnight

Katherine learns little about Michael directly before her attention shifts between him and the people around her. Fred, seated on her other side, says he lives next door to Sybil Davison and attends Dartmouth; Katherine finds him a creep and eventually tunes out his chatter. She listens instead to Michael speaking with Erica, wondering where he goes to school and hoping it is somewhere nearby, such as Rutgers. Erica tells Michael that she and Katherine are from Westfield, New Jersey, are seniors, and are staying overnight at Sybil’s.

Michael then introduces Erica to Elizabeth. Katherine turns in time to see him put his arm around the pale, dark-haired girl beside him. She pretends to become interested in Fred after all, a defensive redirection that follows her curiosity about Michael with an immediate reminder that his attention is elsewhere.

At midnight, Sybil flashes the lights to mark the New Year. Fred wishes Katherine a happy New Year and tries to force his tongue into her mouth. Katherine keeps her lips tightly shut; while Fred kisses her, she watches Michael kiss Elizabeth. The juxtaposition makes the party’s two encounters sharply unequal: Fred’s unwanted advance is something Katherine resists, while Michael’s kiss holds her gaze.

After the Party

After helping Sybil and her parents clean up, Katherine and Erica go upstairs at about three in the morning. Sybil falls asleep immediately, while the two friends struggle to sleep in sleeping bags on the floor; Katherine notes both their sleeping arrangement and Sybil’s loud snoring. In the dark, Erica asks whether Michael seems like a nice guy. Katherine replies by joking that he is much too tall for Erica, who would reach only to his belly button.

The exchange closes the scene without resolving Katherine’s interest or revealing Michael’s circumstances with Elizabeth. Instead, their first meeting is defined by brief proximity followed by separation: a shared table, Katherine’s impulse to touch the mole on his cheek, and then the sight of him with someone else. Her joke to Erica turns that uncertainty into teasing rather than an open admission of attraction.