Page 60 of The High Price Of Loneliness

Their new round of drinks arrived, and they took to task pouring over the menus as their waiter told them of the incredible unique creations of the chef for that evening. Finally, Edward asked the waiter to continue. “My guests are here at Café du Parc for the first time. Could you be so kind as to tell them about some of the regular items on the menu that people just rave about?”

The waiter said, “But of course. My pleasure, monsieur. Our Boeuf Bourguignon may be the best beef stew you will ever have in your life. For the salad course, our Salad Niçoise is amazing. Then there is the dish for which the French have been most copied around the world—our French Onion Soup—which tastes like the source of all life itself. Our fresh catch of the day is the Sea Bass which is finished in a light French crème sauce with capers, and our number one dessert, of all time, is the Chocolate Torte which is very light, not heavy.”

“Oh, my,” Angelica blurted aloud softly, hearing the choices. Everyone agreed, chiming in with nods and yeses around the table.

“Give us a few minutes. I will place my dinner napkin back on my plate when everyone is ready to order,” Edward suggested to the waiter as a unique signal.

“Excellent, monsieur!” said the waiter, smiling. He liked Edward’s invention of the “we’re ready” signal.

After a bit of chatter about the menu options and the grand style of Café du Parc, they all placed their orders with their attentive waiter. Edward asked his guests if they would enjoy wine with dinner. Both Jim and Rob nodded enthusiastically as long as Edward made the selection. Edward ordered a bottle of red and white wine for the table, a beautiful bottle of red Bordeaux and a light Pouilly-Fuissé, from their exquisite French wine list, both “great choices,” according to the waiter.

As the bottles of wine were opened, a small tasting of both was poured for each of them to try. Gray nodded to the waiter, a bit of a signal for a special delivery, and raised his glass of red wine to toast. “I would like to celebrate this evening with a toast to the merger of New Vest Technologies with Gray Enterprises. I believe that together, the future is bright for each of us and, most of all, for your people and the company,” Gray said. “To our future together,” he toasted.

As Angelica raised her glass of white wine to toast with the men, she could see Rob’s and Jim’s eyes getting larger as they elbowed each other with surprise.

As they clinked glasses, a rolling table covered in a burgundy tablecloth arrived carrying a long rectangular base on which sat an ice sculpture of their “New Vest” company logo. The ice sculpture was lit from beneath with LED lighting, which highlighted the beautiful fissures and carvings in the ice. The servers placed the ice sculpture directly behind Jim and Rob as guests of honor. Rob spoke first and said, “Edward, this evening was a great idea, but the ice sculpture is extraordinary. It means a lot to us, especially my dad, after 30 years of building this company.”

Jim was overwhelmed seeing the company he built from the ground up being honored by Edward this way. Handing Edward his phone, Rob asked, “Would you mind taking a picture of us in front of it?”

“Of course!” Gray replied and began taking a few photos of the proud father-son team as they marked a new era in their lives and their company.

Jim Williamson asked, “Edward, would you come and join us in the picture?”

Angelica quickly volunteered. “I’ll be glad to take the photos!” she said, smiling as Rob’s phone made its way around from Edward to her. As Edward rose to stand next to Jim, Angelica sensed that Rob felt uneasy seeing his place next to his dad in the business being supplanted by Gray.

After taking a few photos, Angelica suggested trying one more picture with each holding their wine glasses. They all liked the idea instantly, and now with each armed with a glass of red wine, she encouraged them and said, “This will be a ‘Three Musketeers Cheer.’ I say ‘all for one,’ and you say…?”

All three men in unison cheered, “One for all!” A couple of the neighboring tables applauded the special event cheer as though it were a birthday, anniversary, or any special occasion that marks the passing of a milestone in life, which tonight was.

After dinner, Edward and the men shook hands before dispensing with the formalities and giving each other their first hug as new business partners. Jim hugged Angelica briefly and said, “You got the right name, young lady. You are an angel. Keep an eye on Edward for me, would you? I’m counting on him to do great things.”

Angelica smiled. “I promise.”

The black Suburban pulled up, and Edward opened the door for Angelica. She waved to Jim and Rob, who waved back, smiling at her as Edward circled the SUV to join her. And then they were gone.

Edward asked Patrick, “Before we head back to our hotel, could we see a short nighttime driving tour of the capitol and a few of the monuments?”

Their driver replied, “Of course, Mr. Gray.”

Edward turned to Angelica and asked, “What did you think?”

Slowly and thoughtfully, Angelica said, “Well, the business was good. They both loved the ice sculpture that you had made for them. I can’t believe Rob wanted to take it home in the back of their pickup truck so he could show his wife and kids!”

“And the waiters loaded it onto the truck for them. Unbelievable!” Gray said, shaking his head while chuckling.

“You don’t realize your impact on people, Edward. To you, this was just another day. Another business dinner. But to Rob and especially Jim, this was an important ‘marker,’ a life moment they won’t ever have again,” she said.

Edward thought about her words for a moment. He didn’t have a ready response for once.

Admiringly, looking at her hero who was sitting silently, Angelica softened her delivery and said, “I thought what you did for them was very special. I know they will remember it always, Edward, and I was proud of you.” Gray looked away out the side window as they passed the Washington Monument. It was convenient timing to hide his face for a moment of composure. Angelica knew how to read her Mr. Gray.

They toured the Lincoln Memorial next with a guided tour and a short history lesson from their driver, Patrick, giving Edward a welcome break from the conversation. “The Smithsonian Museum is actually home to 21 museums and a national zoo.” Finally, they wrapped up a close-up drive-by of the White House, which was only steps away from the Café du Parc restaurant. Patrick said, “During the early colonial days, the first capitol was in New York and later Philadelphia, and did not officially move to Washington, D.C., until 1800. While they were building an appropriate capitol building for Congress to meet, the early first sessions of Congress were in the Willard Hotel, the nicest building available back then. So, the word ‘lobbyist’ comes from the lobby bar of the Willard, where the ‘lobbyist’ would wait for congressmen to leave their sessions to try and get trade deals done with the federal government. That’s how we started as a nation, right where you were having dinner this evening, Ms. Hart.”

Angelica sat mesmerized, hearing all the history of D.C., and imagining what those early days must have been like before hardly any of this city was even built. Then, as she looked out the window of her ride back to the hotel’s grand entrance, she said, “Amazing. Simply amazing!”

The doorman greeted them on their return. “Good evening, and welcome back to the Ritz Carlton,” he said as he tipped his hat to both of them.

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

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