Hi, Society?

    As we put away the last of the Christmas decorations and launch headfirst into our resolutions, I am reminded of a holiday party I attended two years ago. The party was given by a couple that my boyfriend at the time was close friends with. Winnie and James threw this annual holiday fete every year and it was always full of movers and shakers known statewide and locally. This particular year was no different. Some were well to do members of the community, some were politicians at one time, and all were gathered under one roof. My boyfriend, asked our friend, Richard, a university history professor, to come with us. By the time the three of us arrived at the party, it was well underway.

 

     When we walked in the smell of food and sounds of holiday cheer enveloped us immediately. I was familiar with some of the guests because they were business associates of my then boyfriend's. The party had all the elements. There was wonderful food, which was to be expected since Winnie works for a gourmet food company, beautiful surroundings, and a diverse mix of people. All that was missing was the manners of some of the guests. I sat on one of the sections of the plush cream colored leather couch that that unwound around the massive living room. I was poured a glass of wine and took in the sights. I was always the youngest person, so I had grown accustomed to honing my people watching skills until a conversation was struck. A few moments later I was in one with one of Winnie's best friends, Mirabelle. Winnie, ever the hostess, was making sure there were more than enough canapes and wine. My purse was by my feet on the floor as I felt a slight tremor. It was a man I'll call Lawrence, moving his foot to not trip on my purse's strap, or that's what I thought.

 

    "I'm sorry," I replied. "Let me move that out of your way."

  

     As I bent down to pick up my purse, he stepped on it. I tried to pull my purse strap, he stepped on it harder. This time he let out an alcohol fueled chuckle with his glass of vodka firmly placed in his hand. This got my ire up. I quickly snatched my purse before he could smash his foot on it further. I confess, I gave him a look that could have melted and iceberg. This same gentleman always acted as though I was not equal to him in social situations because of my age. He looked at me as though I was one of the help who had the night off. His wife, Nanette, often never came to functions. She was always "under the weather". Truth be told, she runs the show that is their household and he tries to not step on landmines.

 

    After the purse faux pas, I settled into another conversation with an older gentlemen named Jacob and a woman named Georgette, that I presumed to be his wife. I'd met Georgette before at Winnie's previous Memorial Day dinner party. She and Jacob were fun and their body language showed how enamored they were with each other. Jacob especially, with his arm around her lower back while Georgette looked at him lovingly.

 

     "I'm all out of wine," Georgette said looking at her glass.

    

     "I'll refill it," Jacob replied taking he glass as he got up.

 

     Without a word, Georgette got up a few moments later. Not that I blame her. Jacob was a dead ringer for John Forsythe when Dynasty was in its heyday.

   

     "Great couple aren't they?" Mirabelle said with a glint in her eye.

 

     "They are," I agreed.

 

     "Too bad his wife couldn't make it," she said mischievously before sipping her glass of wine.

 

    I have never been good at not registering sudden emotion on my face. This must have shown because Mirabelle smiled and said, " You didn't know? Jacob's been married for 32 years." Georgette has been his girlfriend for 15 of them."

 

     Not five seconds after that sentence had quietly escaped, did they come back into the room. I decided not to let the new data show.

 

    "What did we miss?" Georgette asked smiling.

 

    "Nothing much," Mirabelle said grinning subtly at me.

 

    About half an hour later, a couple comprised of a tall blond lady and her brunette husband, who turned out to be a lawyer emerged from the downstairs home theatre. She was jokingly chiding him for smoking marijuana in the basement with some of the other party guests. Most of whom never surfaced for the duration of the party.

 

     Shortly, I headed over to the hors d'oeuvres table snag a Swedish meatball or two, when I saw Richard. He asked me how I was enjoying the party. I told him I was having a good time, Which was true for the most part. Before we could talk further, I noticed an ex state representative who I will call Lyle, standing near the table eager to cut in our conversation.

 

     Very few people irk me the way that this gentleman does. He is pompous and feels that no one knows more about politics than him. This, I find interesting since he lost the last election he ran in. Anytime, my then boyfriend and I would have dinner at the Golf Club with some of his mutual friends, no one could get a word in edgewise because he is smarter than you or so he'd like you to believe.

 

     As the night drew to a close, I sat on the couch again. I enjoyed a conversation with a woman who worked for my city's chamber of commerce. We discussed the future of my city and new developments. It was wonderful to hear someone with such a positive take. A few other people sat down and joined the conversation. Sensing a chance to impart his "wisdom" Lyle sat on an ottoman nearby.

 

     "Is Crystal holding court here?"he asked.

 

     If someone else said this it might have conjured images of a parlor in Versailles. Those words passing through his lips were as pretentious as the speaker himself. To be honest, I was surprised he'd committed my name to memory. I thought for sure he didn't think I was important enough, which still might not be untrue. I believe it was more of him coming to terms with the fact that we would be in many of the same social settings.

 

     I was rescued by my boyfriend and our friend who were ready to go home. I said goodbye to the lady that I was speaking with. Thanked Winnie and James for having us and headed out of the door.

 

 

All in all, it was a great party.