Livin' the Life

Chapter 3: Falling apart.

My parents are high life multi- billionaire socialites. They live in Long Island and own a menagerie of property all along the United States. But they've also got a menagerie of problems. My brother commited suicide about a year ago and ever since things have been a little tense between us. My youngest brother got out of rehab for drug and alchohol abuse at 17 and accepted to Juliard, and has as little to do with mom and dad as I do. So the outta the blue phone call summoning me over is a bit unorthodox. "I'm here to see Mrs.Rossdale." I tell the doorman. He looks me head to foot and mom comes downstairs. Her black mink fur capelet wrapped around her tracksuit. "Hi mom." I say and lean on the doorway. "Come in Aiden." She says and shrugs the mink, lights a cigarette and then grabs a glass of champagne. "Your father, has caught wind of a certain fact floating around the classes of New York." "Mom, all due respect. Can we please cut to the chase?" I beg. Eager to get away from the second hand smoke and roadkill scarf. "You've lost your position at Kirk & Rossdale. Mr. Kirk is replacing you with Andy Witer. An acclaimed criminal lawyer." My parents have always made it their goal to demean my every move, so part of me hopes she's joking. "Why?" I ask. "Your rates were dwindling. You had no sympathy for the people you represented." I scoff and then say: "Mom my last client brutally slaughtered 36 women. He buried them all over the state of New York and New Jersey. And he was only 27. And he had a girlfriend. Then after he was convicted he escaped from prison. They caught him getting ready to murder a prostitute. And he's not the half of what I have to defend. So don't lecture me about sympathy. I have more sympathy for Jeffrey Dahmer than these freaks. Besides you and dad both need a lesson in sympathy before you both accuse me." I say and stand up. "We're also cutting you off." Now that hits hard. I never put much stock in my so called inheritance, but it was a nice rainy day dream and it would help in the instance that I would lose my job. "No problem. I expected it." I say and leave. "I won't darken your doorway again."