The Capital Grill was an upscale chop house with delicious food and a high four-star rating. It was a nice end to a very busy day. The talk was about my father's meetings with his political cronies about the upcoming by-election, and he and my mom did the whole inside baseball talk about who was who and everything I used to care about but no longer did.
When I was with Jerkface, that world was mine as well, but after we split, I was no longer so connected into all the political talk. I was just as glad to be free of it, frankly. I knew it was important, but at the same time, I was now jaded. I'd been burned and while I knew my father was an honorable man, I had a bad taste in my mouth after my experience of Jerkface being so politically ambitious, he would try to marry me to get an in with my father.
As a result, I didn't want to even talk politics.
"We're boring you, dear," my father said, when I hid my yawn behind a hand.
"Sorry, Dad," I replied and gave him a guilty smile. "I used to be interested, but I'm kind of out of the loop."
"Politics is too important to leave to other people," he said, softly chiding me. "I thought you understood that."
"I do," I protested. "I vote, and I always know the local issues. You know me. But I'm just not that interested in New Hampshire any longer. I feel like I have to learn New York politics, if anything."
"Good God, don't say that," he said with a huge laugh. "One of the most corrupt states in the Union. Mafia bosses control pretty much everything."
"Daddy," I said, frowning. "It's not like that."
My mother must have kicked him under the table because he grunted and shot her a withering look.
"You'll find out for yourself, I guess," he said and focused on his dessert.
"She will find out for herself, won't you, Dear?" my mother replied, smiling to dissipate the tension.
"I will."
"That's settled," my father replied and motioned to the waiter for the check. "Let's go for a stroll. I've been inside all day and would like to see the sights."
After he paid the check, we got our coats and walked along 42nd Street, past the Chrysler Building, one of the most iconic buildings in Manhattan. We went to Bryant Park and then up Madison Avenue to the Ritz-Carlton.
It was nice to walk along Madison Avenue at night, exciting, and exactly what I thought of when I dreamed of moving to Manhattan.
Finally, I said goodnight to them both and took a taxi to my apartment, pleased with how the day had gone and glad that I wasn't grilled about the bicycle courier I mentioned the day before. They were leaving when my father's final meeting was over, so I would see them both for lunch and then say our goodbyes.
I couldn't wait to get home and spend some time with the bicycle-courier in question.
6
Josh
Since I wasn’t going into the office until Wednesday, Tuesday was one of those lazy days in LA when the sun was warm, the sky blue and I had nothing to do but lie around, read newspapers and think about what I'd rather be doing.
> Namely, Ella.
While I was sitting beside the pool, I got a text from Penny.
PENNY: My email is [email protected]
I realized that meant she was asking for some money. Had she already spent the hundred bucks?
Knowing junkies, she probably bought herself a lot of heroin and a tiny bit of food and had spent the last two days high.
Probably got her friends high as well.
I sent another hundred to her via an email transfer. If I really wanted to help her, I had to find her a rehab place. Maybe if she had it all paid, she'd go and get sober. Then, I could really help her. Find a job, get a decent place to live.
It was the least I could do to honor Grant's memory. How sad he must have been to see her like that. She was a party girl when I met her three years earlier, but I never got the sense that she would become an addict.
David's villa became exactly what I expected a rocker's villa to be like -- beautiful women in skimpy bathing suits, lying around the pool, music playing in the background as the band practiced.