long live the king

It is certainly transitional and I’ve been quite single, for the entirety of my dating age (according to my father of course.) I’ve been on a few odd, random blind dates set up by my sisters but other than that, nothing. I’m not one for a huge party but as long as I’ve got my book and some pleasant company, I manage. And yes, I believe that’s what it all boils down to. A person’s entrance into the world.

I’ve been on one blind date, it was horrible and I swear she stole my watch. That is so sweet and intimate, sitting around with a book and a few friends. Yep, and for my 40th, I’m planning a big bash just something in London and full of flare. It will put the royal births to shame. 

Yeah, “quiet evenings” are more her speed. This was going to be more on the party end of the scale, without being too raucous, but that plan’s toast, so, maybe next year. I know, I just–hm, I just wanted to do something nice. It is a big deal, that’s what makes this suck even more! Well, two walls and some odds and ends, but yeah. Oven’s out too, so there’s a lotta stuff I have to deal with when I come back home.

Well parties are my thing, sort of. I mean, I have hosted a few and I’m constantly attending them on behalf of The King’s Speech. It’s safe to say you won’t be getting your safe deposit back. How did you blow out you kitchen anyway?

I certainly believe they do. Oh wonderful, I look forward to hearing from you. You have my telephone number, right? I believe I gave it to you in the park but I want to be sure.

I have it, don’t worry. It’s on the top list of my contacts so I can make sure to get in touch with you, plus like everyone I actually like you have a special code name. 

Yes, that sounds quite accurate. I hope to continue doing so, working, living, getting married and having children. Settled down, with a family. And yes, though I’m not much for fireworks and huge extravagant parties, I do like a little celebration now and then. It sounds like you’d enjoy it quite right? 

It’s a weird transition period, at least it was for me. I no longer felt like a bachelor but this old guy still trying to live the single life. I love huge parties, the bigger the better. It’s a great way to let everyone enjoy the true meaning of the event--Your birth. 

You were spot on. She’s planned a whole party at her apartment, I believe after work. Ooh, Gatsby, that’s incredibly accurate. Let me know when you’d like to go, my evenings are incredibly free.

Peggy and parties, it’s almost as if they go hand in hand. Let me look at my calendar and the showtimes and I’ll call you with the details.

Yeah, I don’t think she even wanted it in the first place, but, valiant effort on my part, right? Yeah, no one got hurt except a good half of my kitchen, so there’s no need to worry. It’s stupid, really.

She mentioned something like that--something of a quiet evening, but I’m sure she will still love the idea you worked on a party for her. Turning thirty is a big deal. You set fire to half of your kitchen?

Well, it seems like there’s going to be a small gathering of some sort. Though, I’m not being told much other than to show up. I can only hope it won’t be too large and frilly. I’m also dying to see that as well. It is so different but that’s what makes it so intriguing, it reminds me also of Pride & Prejudice. Well, I guess, I shall accept your offer then.

That depends on who is hosting the small gathering. Let me guess it’s one of your sisters? Peggy? Because Angelica seems like a dinner party sort of person. Pride and Prejudice, good ol’ Austen and yeah when I hear the music I’m thinking of either Disco or the Great Gatsby. Really? That’s...I’m glad you’ve accepted. 

Greatest apologies to those who were looking forward to Eliza’s birthday celebration, but due to unforeseen events and my own incompetence, I have to cancel. I hope this didn’t mess up too many people’s plans, but I doubt it since it’s only Tuesday and no one actually parties on a Tuesday. So…sorry again, my bad.

Hey, hey I’m sure Eliza will understand if her celebration is on hold or even cancelled. The important question is are you alright?

Alright, so today, I’m thirty, officially. And from what I’ve read in various Internet columns, I’m supposed to be experiencing a generally large conflict, mid-life crisis, sudden decline, what have you within the next few days, weeks, months, excreta. I’m supposed to feel different, stumped, old. Today, I’m feeling quite the opposite. Fulfilled, happy, not especially different, but thirty. 

Thirty. The year you realize you are out of your crazy 20s and are off to setting yourself up for life. Working, getting married, having children (if you’re into that sort of thing). These are the grown up years. You should feel happy. I mean it’s your birthday! A huge party and celebration filled with fireworks and shopping until the stores are empty. Finishing off with a giant cake with candles. The dream.

You look and act like a stereotypical everything, quite frankly. But dogs are smart creatures, they know decent people so I wouldn’t recommend getting a chihuahua. It might attack you in your sleep. Speaking of. How’s your face, darling? Been punched by any people again as of late?

If they know decent people, then I’m confused on why you are worrying? This is me we are talking about, I’m the personification of the term decent. No one has a reason to punch me, that one incident was nothing more than an asshole trying to find a way to vent his anger. What about you? Has someone finally gotten tired of your catty comments? 

“Well, that means a lot George, honestly. My biggest dreams and hopes in being an educator is inspiring my students to do the best they can even as they face obstacles and if that means less time off and more afternoons in the sun, then I’ll do it.” Eliza said, her cheeks flushing with pink once more as the taller man continued to shower her with compliments, though she listened intently. They couldn’t be more different and yet, the young woman couldn’t me more intrigued. “And that’s quite alright, some need breaks more than others. And that shouldn’t dampen how you view yourself or your work ethic because everyone’s minds function differently.” Eliza said with resolve and of course, a smile.

“Work and friendship are two completely different sectors, that often can collide. Take the time you need to grieve the loss of the friendship but don’t let your feelings of resentment overtake you. It’ll be okay, soon, I promise. Everyone deserves a little attention from the world. I’m sure they are designer, even if he means well.” She couldn’t help but smile and laugh at the mental picture. Thomas Jefferson sure was a character. “I don’t watch much TV but that show is my mother’s guilty pleasure so I can definitely see it.” Elizabeth nodded. “Dressing well is wonderful, but regardless, I believe when dressing you should be comfortable and also feel like yourself. I’ve noticed that about you. You’ve got designer brand clothing, suits that remind me of my father and his colleagues, the ones I’ve seen but you always manage to find something to make it fit who you really are.

“That’s admirable.” A too simple word but he couldn’t think of another one to offer. George was actually at a loss. More often than not his “kind” words are merely a buffer for a backhanded compliment and one he would smugly feel good about later. Or they were a way to show that he was threatening as he attempted to manipulate the situation to his advantage—either scenario worked on his worse days. Now, neither scenario applied and he was just kind for the sake of being kind. Perhaps it was because they were total opposites—Eliza the Angel to his Devil (if one wanted to use those terms), Amadala to his Anakin (much better comparison)—either way it shook up the dynamic. He enjoyed being on his toes, knowing that he had to actually show genuine feelings rather than exploding with anger and sarcasm. “Even when I’m admitting to being lazy you’ve managed to find a way for me to not feel as bad about it. Not that I do in the first place, but if I did, I’d feel less bad,” He said shifting his weight to the side.

But Maria handles that kind of stuff so well, it’s hard to do a job that you dislike so much. Not that I know she dislikes it, but I don’t think anyone would be drawn in by that part of the job. What, shocked that you were in a bar with drunk executives and plumbers? I’m sure she wouldn’t like the idea, but that’s just Eliza. Regardless, Angelica and I drag her out to the bar and parties whenever the opportunity arises, so she has some firsthand experience. So—are you guys close, or? Oh, that’s awful. I hope your grandfather realized his son’s accomplishments, I just can’t imagine what it’d be like to never get that kind of, I dunno, approval from your parents. I don’t know what I’d do. My grandfather also worked as a consultant, so it’s a family business of sorts. But much more Wall Street, less mom ‘n pop. Oh, it’s gorgeous. My favorite was Santorini—cliché, I know—it was breathtaking. Everything feels so open and clear, like waking up from a nap. Tell me when you go, I’d love to hear what you thought! Best sausages, hm, I guess I’ll have to put that on my bucket list.  Ugh, that’s such a hassle. It’s odd it got passed then, if so many people are mad about it.

Well, I’m sorry you have such a strained relationship. Hopefully you’ll be able to mend it, or create one, I guess, if you never got along. Maybe if you both put your differences aside, you could notice your similarities! I dunno, I’m very happy for him and John, and I’m excited to get to know him better. Well yeah, John’s great, I can’t see why anyone wouldn’t want to be friends with him. Running a newspaper definitely sounds like a lot of moving pieces. Is there anything you’d change about it? Yeah, but it’s good you have that option. Some people would just be stuck with a failing economy, and they’re debt would just get worse. I recommend The Big Short—it’s a great movie and it talks about the sub-prime loan crisis. No, no worries, keep talking if you want. Um, I like working with my father. I’ve always looked up to him and loved him, so I like that I get to share another part of his life. My co-workers can be, uh, not so welcoming at times, but I guess you just have to look over that part. Ha, really interesting cases. Uh, no not really. The firm’s been around since the ‘70s though, so I’m sure we did have a few celebrity clients, I’m just not in the loop yet. All the clients are famous in their own right, but not like actors or anything. Heirs, real estate moguls, stuff like that. Super exciting.

I completely agree. The tips aren’t probably enough to keep her afloat, and even if you get one good patron there are at least fifty more that so…boorish. I frequent the Guns and Ships and there are all sorts of people who come in and out. Just because I prefer the finer things in life, I can stomach sitting in a crowded bar while talking to Maria while she pours my Scotch. She is such a wallflower which is peculiar considering both you and Angelica are social butterflies and pretty forward. My father and I? We’re on speaking terms, but it’s not an entirely loving relationship like the ones you see on TV. We pretty much come together on holidays and live separate lives. I have a duty and I’m going to honor it. I doubt it. My grandfather in so many words saw my father as weak, but he still handed him the business anyway as a redemption or just to see if he would fail at it who knows. Heres to following in our family’s footsteps! That sounds beautiful, I’m going to add that to my list. It is odd, but people didn’t vote or they voted for either protest or as a joke.

I doubt either of those will happen. It’s a battle of patience between us, and I always lose out because he is so damn aggressive. We have few similarities and if you mention those to him I’m sure he’ll deny it. You’re right, John is a pretty nice guy when he wants to be. It is, a lot of it is taking a risk on what you think people want to read or in my case keeping up the status quo. I’d love to change a lot of things from formatting to how ads are run and even our subscription base, but our paper is so old and classic I dare not touch it. When  you change formats with something that is centuries old people tend to drop it much faster than a new thing like the Hurricane. I’ve heard of that movie, I also heard it was similar to The Wolf of Wall Street—but a lot shorter. That sounds really intriguing, I mean it’s like I said following in his footsteps but at the same time you’re setting your own path in how you continue the Schuyler business. Plus your sister works there and she does her own thing too.

Maria: Oh that too. Wait, how can you tell a suit is cheap? Is it the material?

Maria: [ laugh emoji ]I know that feeling all too well. No wonder you get me. Pity party for two, coming right up.

Maria: OF COURSE! It's not truly a vacation unless we get drunk off of shots and fruity drinks.

Maria: Just no getting in water with our cell phones.

George: Something like that. Material, and stitching.

George: Powered Blue Suits scream cheap as well as Disco. No one wants to see that

George: You spend enough time with someone it's bound to happen. :)

George: [music note] It's my party I can cry if I want to [ laughing emoji ]

George: And we are sitting by the beach away from the rest of the world

Oh, well, if you say so. I know you’re quite busy. Yes, really, it’s true. (I think you deserve to hear it more often). That would be lovely, though I’m not quite sure Peggy and Angelica are going to let me get away with just that, much to my dismay so you might perhaps want to ask them for more official plans. Oh really? I would love to see The Great Comet again and though I’ve heard of Fiddler, I’ve never gotten the chance to do that. I’d like that.

That is true, but I don’t mind really. You know, I think Peggy wouldn’t mind as much—we’ve become friends, or at least I hope we have. Angelica on the other hand is going to be a battle of negotiations and whatever else elder siblings do. I’ve seen the film, well clips from the film of Fiddler and I would love to see The Great Comet. The Soundtrack is so different, thinking War and Peace I was expecting chords and something that makes me think of Baba Yaga. Whenever you’re ready to take me up on my offer it’ll be on the table. 

Oh, well that is quite a long vacation and I’d hate to inconvenience you, especially with what you’ve been through lately. As long as it’s not too much trouble, it would be lovely to see you. But please don’t feel pressured in coming back just for me,. And no, no huge parties, just me, some scrap-booking, a movie and maybe a little wine. I haven’t been to a show in quite a while though, actually.

Trust me, you aren’t inconveniencing me in any way. It’s not much trouble at all..and really? That is nice to hear (and something I don’t hear very often). You know I could postpone my trip until after your birthday so I don’t have to rush back and I still can scrapbook, and binge on Netflix. You know me neither, I heard The Great Comet is coming to Broadway and I can’t wait to see it. And the Fiddler in the Roof is back too, maybe if something peaks your interest we could check it out. 

Oh that’s so nice of you! She certainly does work hard, I don’t think I’d be able to put up with what she has to deal with on a daily basis. Yeah, some of our family vacations used to double as business trips for my dad, so I’ve been to Switzerland, France, Greece (before their financial crisis, mind you), more often than the tropical ones. I’d have to say my favorite was when we went to Germany in December. There’s nothing like Christmas there - everything was gorgeously decorated, and the sweets were so good. I was 7, so it’s been a while, but I try to emulate my best German Christmas every time the holidays roll around. This election is cra-zy! I didn’t realize how wild it was until a few months ago; I dunno, the choice seems clear to me. Yeah but it’s pretty important though, right? Like British people can’t work anywhere in the EU anymore?

Hold on, his temperament? I dunno, I may be biased but he seems like a perfectly great person. I’m sorry you aren’t friends anymore, but I feel like that attitude won’t fix anything. A dick? C’mon, you don’t mean that. Whenever I’ve spoken to him, he’s been nothing but understanding and kind. Mm, well I’m glad you have a system that works well. Do you decide on the topics? Yeah, we have to watch the economy, but it’s more about knowing the person and what to do with their money. So the quantity of business may be dependent on the country, but we try to keep the quality up to our standards.

Thank you! I don’t envy her at all (not that I envy anyone), because I’ve been in there when drunk executives and plumbers are trying to hit on her. It’s demeaning. And I’m sure your sister would be shocked that I said that, but it’s true. Same here, my father was always working on something for The King’s Speech trying to make his father proud, or whatever else my grandfather didn’t see in him. I have never been to Greece, is it beautiful? I need to visit Germany in December at some point, I’ll put it on my bucket list. I went one year during Oktoberfest and it was beer and sausages—the best sausages. It is and I have no idea how Americans would let this happen, the other choices were so much better on the Republican side. The choice is clear to me too, but some Americans are buying into the same fear that is ripping the UK from the seams it’s a tragedy really. They can until the final details are ironed out and a new policy is put into place that sorts out how their jobs will work. Same with travel in which UK citizens will need passports to go from country to country.

I beg to differ. He always finds a way to pick a fight with me even if I’m being nice to him, and of course I come out looking like the bad guy. Hamilton and I were never friends, we just worked together—John and I were friends. I do, and I try to base it on what the public wants to read about and what will keep them buying and well of course reading. Then there are advertisers, since a bulk of our revenue comes from adverts, and so on. I agree, the terrible part is if everything goes down I will have to move my money and business somewhere else. Enough on my boring job, what about your job working for your father? Worked on any really interesting cases or is that attorney-client privilege?

What kinda world do you live in where you think everyone on this planet would care if you were gone? This is something you’ve really gotta hammer into your brain, Georgie – the universe doesn’t give a shit about you. The same can be said for me, too. For anyone. The sooner you wrap your pea sized brain around that very simple logic, the better. – Isn’t what what you do, anyways? Sit at home and collect a paycheck while your underpaid workers do all your shit for you? Poorly, I might add. (And if the rest of the city read your publication, you’d have better revenue scores. Kinda breaks your ‘I don’t give a fuck’ stance when I’m supported by actual facts.)

--Alexander Hamilton, if you are trying to hurt my feelings, you have succeeded. Slightly.  Of course I know the world isn’t rolling out the red carpet (although it the world had any sense it would every time I stepped out of a cab). I live in a world where I am important, and everyone should treat it as such. It’s called having high-self esteem.

Wrong. I work very hard in my office making sure articles and columns are written and sent out for publication according to the deadlines I set. They love the work they do, and I haven’t heard any complaints outside of what you did on a daily basis. So get off your high horse and accept the fact I’m successful at what I do, and I’m just as good if not better than Washington.