Paper Trails

Apartment Blues

"You really live here?" Daniel asked as they pulled up to an old world fancifully tall building with Romanesque columns and lions heads near the top. It looked like the stereotypical bachelor bad of a brooding millionaire to Daniel, and he almost laughed at the irony of it. 

Mr. Palmer sounded in agreement as he and Daniel exited the chauffeur's car. Daniel looked back to the building in awe. It was the kind of building that he dreamed of when he thought of New York. Not necessarily new sparkling skyscrapers, but a lot of older buildings with more character: the mark of one of the oldest cities in the country. 

They entered the lobby of the building and Daniel stopped to look around and marvel. Unlike the lobby of the office building, the apartment building was elegant. It almost looked like the lobby of a plaza hotel with large gently spiraling stair cases and shiny marble floors.

"Daniel." Mr. Palmer said firmly and the boy looked down sheepishly, electing to keep his awe to himself and board the elevator with his boss.  

Mr. Palmer's apartment, like his office, was on the penthouse level and the small elevator took a long time to get up there.

"So...." Daniel began.

"You seem to have sobered up a bit." Mr. Palmer said plainly. 

"Yes, sir." Daniel mumbled. With the lack of alcohol, many of his previous inhibitions were returning. He was struck with the gruesome picture of his actions. Not to mention that he was acting completely unprofessionally and might have just ruined his chances at keeping his job, but he didn't really know Mr. Palmer. There were certainly many eccentric billionaires who took unknowing drunks back to their apartment and killed them. Daniel could have just stepped into his very own horror film.

"You.." The man paused as if considering his words. "You don't really have to call me 'sir' while we're not at work."

"Yes, sir" Daniel responded before internally cussing himself out for such an awkward response. "I mean... yes... not sir." 

Mr. Palmer made another noise of agreement and the ride continued as it'd began: in silence. Daniel ran his hands nervously over each other. He was really ruining his whole life over one night. Why hadn't he just stayed to look for Xavier? Why had he left with his boss? Why had he been hanging on his boss before downing seven baby water bottles in the back seat of a limo? 

And why did he suddenly have to use the bathroom so badly?

The elevator came to a stop and opened right into Mr. Palmer's living room. The room matched up to the formality of the rest of the room, appearing to only be used for show and not for living. It had a dark wooden kind of interior with deep blue walls and white accents, a color scheme Daniel guessed Mr. Palmer must have enjoyed from his choice in suits.

"This is your house?"

"Kind of." Mr. Palmer gruffed. "This is my apartment. I only spend time here when I'm working."

"When aren't you working?"

"I'm always working." His deep voice explained. "So I'm usually here." 

"This part of the city is nice... very different from where my apartment is. I suppose when I pictured NYC I always just saw a homogenous blob of city, but I guess that's naive."

"I sometimes feel the same... it's strange when you find yourself down an alley or turning a corner to see everything change." Mr. Palmer stated, firmly, then disappeared off down a hallway with his coat. Daniel looked around the room in more awe. It really was a grand apartment, and there was a large fireplace on the back wall that made Daniel suddenly realize how cold he was. "You can turn it on if you want."