Lams Loveliness

'Laurens'

It was the year 1776 when Alexander Hamilton came to America. Alexander had only seen 19 years at the time, and was still a boy rather than the man he aspired to be. He was, as the old saying goes, still wet behind the ears. After having a bit of a skrimage with the bursar of Princeton College, Alexander emerged with the only good piece of advice that the otherwise useless man had given him: 'Go to New York, and find Aaron Burr.'

Alexander followed the advice wholeheartedly, approching every man in New York that looked to be important and asking them if they were Aaron Burr. After about five men telling him that no, they were not Aaron Burr, Alexander began to feel a bit downhearted when suddenly, he saw him. Across the street and a bit to the left stood a man taller than himself with a dark complexion and he was reading that morning's newspaper. His clothes were very nice, and he held himself the way any scholar should, with dignity. 'Surely, he must be the infamous Aaron Burr,' Alexander thought to himself, before deciding that yes, he must be, and crossed the street as quickly as his shaking knees would carry him.

He approached the man, trying to keep his chin high and his voice steady as he spoke up to get the man's attention. "Pardon me," he began, still approaching the man at a hopefully normal rate. The man looked up from the newspaper, directing his eyes to meet Alexander's. "Are you Aaron Burr, sir?," Alexander asked timidly, a sheepish smile on his face. The man smiled at him, folding the newspaper up and pocketing it as he did so. "That depends on who's asking," the man replied finally, a strange glint in his eye when he said it. Alexander visibly settled himself, his shaking knees seizing their movement. This is definitely him.

"Oh, of course," Alexander said hurridly, getting closer to the man in order to shake his hand. "My name is Alexander Hamilton. I'm at your service, sir." The man, who at this point might as well have confirmed himself to be Aaron Burr, shook his hand with a small smile on his lips. "So you've heard of me, then?," Mr. Burr asked, to which Alexander nodded frantically. "Yes, sir. I was seeking an accelerated course of study at Princeton College when I got... a bit out of sorts with a colleague of yours. He mentioned your name and then...I may have struck him. Although, you cannot depend upon me to recount the entire tale seeing as the memory is quite foggy."

Mr. Burr raised a single eyebrow as he asked "Which colleague would that be, Mr. Hamilton?" "Please, call me Alexander, sir," Alexander insisted, trying his best to change the subject. "Very well...," Mr. Burr began, sounding skeptical. "Which colleague of mine did you strike, Alexander?"

Alexander averted his eyes, looking down at his feet. "He handles the financials..?," he finally muttered, his statement sounding more like a question. "You struck the bursar?," Mr. Burr questioned, leaving Alexander surprised when there was no tone of anger in his voice. "Yes?" Mr. Burr only laughed in response to that, before beginning to walk the other way, gesturing for Alexander to follow him.

"Come along then, Alexander. You went through the effort of finding me, the least I could do is show you around," he said when Alexander didn't immediately follow him. Alexander was baffled by Mr. Burr's actions, but followed nonetheless, Mr. Burr eventually engaging conversation with him as they walked. Mr. Burr, upon Alexander's request, had been kind enough to agree to take Alexander under his wing as an apprentice of sorts. Mr. Burr continued showing Alexander around the town, not failing to talk to some lovely ladies along the way, and they somehow ended up in a tavern together.

"So, Alexander," said Mr. Burr as they entered the tavern, leading the way to the bar with an easy smile on his face. "You have told me already that you struck the bursar of Princeton college," Mr. Burr continued, making Alexander's cheeks feel like they had caught on fire. "But you have yet to inform me as to why you did it." Mr. Burr took a seat upon on of the bar stools, and gestured for Alexander to do the same. Alexander hesitated for only a moment before taking the seat next to him, avoiding eye contact out of embarrassment.