Palace Council by Stephen L. Carter

head.
    â€œYou’re like me. You started with nothing, and you were determined to get whatever you could.”
    Aurelia hardly knew what to say. “You didn’t start with nothing—”
    â€œWhy? Because my name is Garland? Where do you think the Garlands came from? My father was a preacher in Hartford, Connecticut. Not a very good one. He never had a dime, but he sent his boys to college. My late brother Mark—he graduated. He was a professor for a while. I dropped out, because I wanted to do this.” Flipping a hand to indicate the office, and what it symbolized. “I saw which way the economy was pointing. I knew what the war would do. I moved to California. I made some good guesses, I had some good luck, but, mostly, I worked my tail off. Same as you.”
    â€œI don’t understand, Matty.”
    â€œYou think I didn’t have you looked into?”
    Silence.
    â€œCome on, Aurelia. I know why your parents didn’t come to the wedding, and if he has half a brain in his head, so does Kevin. You don’t have any parents. You’re not from some big colored family out there in Cleveland. You’re an orphan, and the nice Catholic sisters put together the money to send you to college because you’re smart. Don’t start crying again. I don’t have another handkerchief, and you ruined the first one. You think I care about any of that Negro-royal-family crap up in Sugar Hill? Who went to what school, who’s married to whose son? Why the fuck do you think I live in Westchester? Excuse my French. I’m nobody.” He pinched his skin. “Look at me. Dark as a field hand. That’s what those Harlem biddies would say about a man like me if I didn’t happen to have a few million in the bank. And if not for all those hints you kept dropping about your parentage, and your buddy Mona vouching for you in colored society, they’d say the same about you. I’m nobody and you’re nobody, so now there’s a pair of us so don’t tell, or however the fuck it goes. If those biddies knew the truth about you, they’d throw Kevin out of society for marrying down. Me? I’m happy, because I know he married up. Kevin always had it easy. He needs a striver in his life. You’re better than he is, Aurie. Don’t ever forget that. Don’t you dare settle for being Mrs. Kevin Garland and going to the parties and the salons, raising a bunch of kids who are gonna care about skin color and where somebody’s parents went to school. Don’t you dare, Aurelia. Those Catholic sisters expected more from you, and so do I.”
    He buzzed for a clerk, took the startled man’s handkerchief, gave it to his daughter-in-law, kicked him out. Aurelia did not know why she could not stop crying.
    â€œTell you something else. I don’t know what’s going on with Kevin, any more than you do. He comes in when he wants to come in, he leaves when he wants to leave. He’s a lazy so-and-so, and he always was, but I figured, a new wife, a new baby, he’s busy. So I left him alone. Now you tell me he’s overseas half the time, and I don’t even know about it. Probably traveling on my dime, too. I’ll have to find out. Maybe dock his pay. Now, Kevin’s my only boy, and I love him. No matter what he’s up to, I’ll always love him. But you’re worth ten of him, Aurelia. Twenty. You want to check and see what’s going on? Be my guest. Don’t tell me about it. I don’t want to know. Just fix it. That’s the girl.”
    (II)
    T ELLING THE STORY LATER, Aurelia could never quite remember how she wound up alone in her husband’s office, the combination to the massive safe in her hand.
    She had to do the numbers three times before she got them right. She kept expecting Kevin to burst in, his shoe in his hand, demanding to know if she was ready to give him an heir. Finally, she heard the tumblers