tonight. Apparently Marie’s hasty departure and my sudden replacement of her has people curious and eager to meet the new Adelle. A nice, quiet dinner with you would be such a treat, but I can’t.”
“I understand. It’s not easy being the star.” His smile was stoic, but heartbreaking. “I’ll catch you some other time.” He backed out of the room and closed the door.
“My, that boy sure has it bad.”
“Bad?”
Roberta glanced at me with the wisdom of her years, but kept her lips sealed.
Aaron’s function that night turned out to be the stuffiest one yet. Women in elegant floor length gowns and men in tuxedos circled the room in hushed tones as they sipped from crystal champagne flutes and daintily nibbled an odd assortment of hors d’oeuvres. While Aaron had arranged an advance on my salary so that I could have a wardrobe to keep up with such events, I was hardly in keeping with the extravagance displayed tonight.
After making the rounds, Aaron brought me to a secluded corner for a well needed moment to breathe.
“I have to say, quite honestly, that I don’t get it,” I said. I stuffed an escargot topped canapé into my mouth and was surprised to find that I liked it. “These people have plenty of money to go out there and have fun, and this is the best they can do; walk around only for the purpose of being seen and only engaging in conversations that will impress everyone around them?”
“Well, you’re certainly a breath of fresh air in all this. I have to say that I’ve never found these functions as amusing as I have these past weeks with you.”
“You’re sweet.”
“Oh, I’m sweet now, am I?” He winked and raised his flute to clink against mine.
For someone so young, he certainly held his own in a crowd filled with so many accomplishments; so many successes. He seemed completely unfazed by the competitive nature of some of the men who set out to prove themselves bigger, better and richer.
He gazed across the room and gestured with his chin towards a large woman in blue chiffon. “See her?” he whispered. “She has three children, and six grandchildren. Except for the holidays, they never come up to see her. She thinks it’s because she refuses to share the millions she inherited when her husband died, but the truth is they never really liked her. She’s a tyrant.”
I took in her haughty gaze as she berated a waiter and had no trouble believing Aaron’s assessment of her.
“And that guy with the outdated mustache.” He nodded to a funny looking man by the entrance. “He was accused of embezzlement last year and everyone turned their backs on him as he faced losing everything. Then he was acquitted, though everyone knew he was guilty, and now, after rebuilding his empire and expanding it, they all hold him in high esteem.”
“That’s awful.”
“And behind you.”
I turned to see a blue-haired lady with a red satin dress that hung unflatteringly on her thin frame.
“People say her husband divorced her because she spent more time making out with her Bichon than she did with him.”
“Aaron,” I let out with disgust. “That’s gross.”
He put his arm around my shoulders and tugged me to his side. Together we watched the people moving around the room, talking quietly.
“I just want you to see how, underneath it all, they’re just people. I don’t ever want you to think that you’re beneath them. You deserve to have people look up to you and admire you. You’ve got more talent when you hit that high C than most people here have in their entire arsenal of feeble talents.”
Flustered, I nodded.
Thankful to see the evening come to an early close, I met with Eric to go over that complicated aria again. I sensed something was blocking me and I couldn’t understand what it was. The melody tripped my tongue and left me scrambling to get all the lyrics out.
Eric seemed annoyed. He was aware that I’d be rehearsing the song the following day and was
“I understand. It’s not easy being the star.” His smile was stoic, but heartbreaking. “I’ll catch you some other time.” He backed out of the room and closed the door.
“My, that boy sure has it bad.”
“Bad?”
Roberta glanced at me with the wisdom of her years, but kept her lips sealed.
Aaron’s function that night turned out to be the stuffiest one yet. Women in elegant floor length gowns and men in tuxedos circled the room in hushed tones as they sipped from crystal champagne flutes and daintily nibbled an odd assortment of hors d’oeuvres. While Aaron had arranged an advance on my salary so that I could have a wardrobe to keep up with such events, I was hardly in keeping with the extravagance displayed tonight.
After making the rounds, Aaron brought me to a secluded corner for a well needed moment to breathe.
“I have to say, quite honestly, that I don’t get it,” I said. I stuffed an escargot topped canapé into my mouth and was surprised to find that I liked it. “These people have plenty of money to go out there and have fun, and this is the best they can do; walk around only for the purpose of being seen and only engaging in conversations that will impress everyone around them?”
“Well, you’re certainly a breath of fresh air in all this. I have to say that I’ve never found these functions as amusing as I have these past weeks with you.”
“You’re sweet.”
“Oh, I’m sweet now, am I?” He winked and raised his flute to clink against mine.
For someone so young, he certainly held his own in a crowd filled with so many accomplishments; so many successes. He seemed completely unfazed by the competitive nature of some of the men who set out to prove themselves bigger, better and richer.
He gazed across the room and gestured with his chin towards a large woman in blue chiffon. “See her?” he whispered. “She has three children, and six grandchildren. Except for the holidays, they never come up to see her. She thinks it’s because she refuses to share the millions she inherited when her husband died, but the truth is they never really liked her. She’s a tyrant.”
I took in her haughty gaze as she berated a waiter and had no trouble believing Aaron’s assessment of her.
“And that guy with the outdated mustache.” He nodded to a funny looking man by the entrance. “He was accused of embezzlement last year and everyone turned their backs on him as he faced losing everything. Then he was acquitted, though everyone knew he was guilty, and now, after rebuilding his empire and expanding it, they all hold him in high esteem.”
“That’s awful.”
“And behind you.”
I turned to see a blue-haired lady with a red satin dress that hung unflatteringly on her thin frame.
“People say her husband divorced her because she spent more time making out with her Bichon than she did with him.”
“Aaron,” I let out with disgust. “That’s gross.”
He put his arm around my shoulders and tugged me to his side. Together we watched the people moving around the room, talking quietly.
“I just want you to see how, underneath it all, they’re just people. I don’t ever want you to think that you’re beneath them. You deserve to have people look up to you and admire you. You’ve got more talent when you hit that high C than most people here have in their entire arsenal of feeble talents.”
Flustered, I nodded.
Thankful to see the evening come to an early close, I met with Eric to go over that complicated aria again. I sensed something was blocking me and I couldn’t understand what it was. The melody tripped my tongue and left me scrambling to get all the lyrics out.
Eric seemed annoyed. He was aware that I’d be rehearsing the song the following day and was
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