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My father showed me how money can lead to a hollowed existence if you don’t have the substance to back up your life. And that was perhaps his greatest lesson. And it’s why I’m standing here today, why I don’t envy Ava or her social circle for flying around the world and just trying to party.
“Ian, this is my friend, Elena. She’s from Spain. We just got back. Let me tell you, Barcelona was amazing. Have you been there?” she asks.
I’m too busy sizing up her friend, Elena. She’s tall and has a striking face and a gorgeously thin body.
“Um, no, never been to Barcelona. I’ve been to Madrid, though, on business, and it was incredible.”
Elena says in her sultry Spanish accent, “Madrid? That’s fabulous. I grew up there.”
“Look,” Ava says, inserting herself into my moment with Elena, “you guys have something in common. Ian, you really must travel with us next time. You’re missing out on so much. I don’t see how you can stay locked away in the city, forever on the island of Manhattan.”
“Oh, Ava,” I say, “you know me. If I’m not working, I don’t feel fulfilled. I’m a bit of a workaholic.”
“What do you do?” Elena asks.
“I’m a lawyer,” I say, just as a new influx of beauties come walking in the door.
“Excuse me, Ava, Elena. I’ll have to see you beautiful ladies later. Don’t forget to stay for the fireworks show.”
They look at me wistfully as I walk away, and I know I just shattered both of their hearts, especially Ava’s. She knows how much money I’m suddenly worth. And that makes me husband material.
The thing is, I’m not interested in that. I don’t want to be loved for my money. Who does?
But I might find one or both of them later for a midnight romp. For now, though, I have to greet my guests.
People file in from all walks of life, but mostly from the upper echelons of New York society.
“Hi, Ian,” a man says to me.
“Bill, it’s been too long.”
“Listen, I’m really sorry about your father. Maybe we can grab lunch in the city sometime?”
“That’d be great. Call me.”
I walk around the outer edges of the pool where I notice there are a few mermaids inside. The women are beautiful, and their shimmering tails add to the allure.
The party planners have really gone out of their way to do a good job tonight. There’re mermaids in the pool, fire dancers, and beautiful women dancing on newly erected platforms.
This is a party my father would’ve been proud of. It’s exotic, and there are beautiful women everywhere.
There must be at least two hundred people here, and the party’s only just begun. I grab a bottle of scotch and search out my brothers so that we can make a proper toast to the one-month anniversary of my dad’s death.
I roam the premises, but I don’t see any of them.
“Ian, honey! You look so handsome.”
“Hi, Priscilla.” I kiss her cheek. She was a friend of my dad’s, and likely a mistress too. “How are you?”
“I’m doing much better, thank you. I miss your dad so much. We all do.”
“Well, honey, it’s nice to see you. Have fun, alright?”
“Okay, Ian. You’re always so sweet. I’ll see you,” she says and kisses my cheek. And I’m reminded of just how far my father’s reach extended.
I can only hope to have such a legacy.
I circle the party and finally go off to the side of the house where I see my brother, Evan, pulling the skirt down on some woman.
