A Goode Life

Chapter 7

The party was even bigger than the last one, who knew there was a venue that could house this many people. 'Whose house was this?' It was a mansion, the kind that the mega rich used to own. Wading through the guests, all prominent social figures, Father finally found some familiar faces. It was his fellow council members, the people he was comfortable being around. That's what his trainer said right? To make and maintain connections?

He didn't know who his direct superiors were other than the council chairman and his trainer. He was unofficially a higher rank than his fellow council members but that's a secret. It was more complicated, this whole situation with the government. More complicated than he thought it would be. He thought that his biggest headaches would be in addressing the people's problems. But now his life was complicated by his social position. He was ready to meet with his superiors; he packed his head with one liners and jokes. He knew he had to entertain today the way his wife did last party.

"Are you ready?" Father asked.

"Ready dear," Mother replied. They immersed themselves in a group of high-class guests. Father was hesitant to enter the conversation. Mother, as if this was her role, entered the ebb and flow of the conversation naturally.

"Oh really? That's quite unfortunate. Let me tell you..." Mother would say beginning a related story. Father took to just listening to the content of the conversation. An engineer led the conversation talking about the construction of a space elevator in the next few decades.

"Oh yeah, we're getting really close to the construction phase. We're just working out the physics of the different atmosphere strata," the engineer explained.

"That's really interesting," Father chimed in. Father was not in his element and it's obvious; Mother looked at him with concern as she reentered the conversation. Father decided to take a breather and left to get a beverage.

The automated bar had exactly what he wanted, a gin and tonic. He grabbed the drink and headed to his wife when he was stopped by Duck, his trainer.

"Here we are, the man I definitely wanted to see," Duck announced to the party he arrived with.

"Oh, this is him?" one person from the group said.

"Why don't you introduce yourself?" Duck suggested.

He downed his drink and proceeded to shake hands. When he was through, he made his way back to his wife.

"Where were you?" Mother asked looking bored. "We finished talking about the elevator and proceeded to learn about an equation."

"As I was saying..." continued the engineer.

In a hush, Father told Mother about the interruption that he had. Father embellished his success in his meeting with the higher ups. It was a positive exchange certainly, but by no means did he leave a big impression on many of them. But at least he made some first steps.

The night roared on with more and more of the partygoers inebriated and or addled. Father and Mother knew their limits and refused to binge. They partook in the marijuana and other legal narcotics but knew not to overindulge. Many didn't.

There were many people on the throes of lovemaking. And that was what the tiny chambers that went unused earlier in the night was used for as Mother and Father discovered. Mother and Father weren't disgusted, they merely held in their judgment.

At this time Mother had thought that Father would insist they head home. But to her surprise, they lingered. The engineer that previously led the conversation was passed out drunk on a couch. There were many like him but many more dancing a fit. Mother pulled Father towards the dance floor. She knew a little tango and danced it whether it was appropriate to the music style. Father in contrast stood and bobbed awkwardly near his tango partner. With the flashing lights and the raucousness of the room, their disjointed dancing blended in. There were those that danced trancelike, others breakdanced, and still others just shook uncontrollably. There were also those that merely observed. Like a middle school dance, they colored the walls.