A Place at the Table
2
First Impressions
Meredith Sauvage
I KNEW when I accepted the position that Liam would be a little put off. I hadn’t known his grandmother would not tell him who his new personal assistant was. I suppose she wanted to keep him from whining at her until I arrived. We had not always gotten on well.
“Mr. Cyning. My apologies for startling you. I had not expected to meet you until after five. I hope my appearance is not disconcerting to you,” I said. I would need to handle him carefully and try not to set him off just by being here.
“As long as you keep your fists to yourself, I’m sure I’ll learn to tolerate you,” he said. I wasn’t sure if he was joking or not. On his tenth birthday, he’d been insufferable about wanting the boys to stay away from the girls. When he’d taunted me by calling me Meri the Savage, I’d punched him in the nose. Got it good and bloody, too.
“I’ve learned much sharper jabs since our last encounter. They don’t leave visible marks, though.” I was certainly not going to be cowed by him. I was an impulsive twelve-year-old when I’d struck him and Mrs. Cyning the elder had given me implicit permission to ‘set him straight.’ I think it was my first test on the path to becoming his assistant. I’d been trained for eight years for this day.
“Must I then be on my guard at all times?”
“No. Being on your guard means you expect me to be on the offense. I have no reason to attack unless you are being an insufferable prat. Even then, I’ve learned to ignore most malfeasance of that sort. I trust that even if rocky in spots, we will be able to develop a positive working relationship.” I held his eyes, even though I had to look up at him now, unlike when we were children and I stood nearly a head taller. Still, I guessed our heights were only two or three inches apart even now.
“We shall need to apply ourselves to the challenge.” He smiled a little. “Miss Sauvage, I am intrigued by the prospect of working with you. I have no doubt that you were chosen by Grandmother as a test of my maturity. I expect you will not be the last such test. May I escort you to the patio where guests will gather for drinks before dinner?”
“I would be delighted to take your arm, Mr. Cyning.” He offered and I accepted his elbow as we walked toward the stairs and the party that was already beginning. I would not often be on his arm. We would have to see if we could even stand being in the same room.
We walked down the stairs companionably, but when I saw that people had already begun to gather, I extracted my hand. Liam turned a questioning look on me.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Cyning. I’m your assistant, not your date. It would not look right for me to appear on your arm,” I said. It was also my first day on this job and I didn’t want any of the Cynings looking at me and wondering what I was up to. I stayed near Liam, but not in an intimate proximity.
“Oh. I suppose so. The party is mostly old people. I see Lonnie and his girlfriend, though. Let’s go.” I laid a restraining hand on his elbow again.
“You are the host and even these old people are your guests,” I whispered. “Don’t ignore them.” He sighed, but nonetheless began working his way around the room, greeting each of the guests politely and introducing me as his new assistant. Eventually, we reached his friend and roommate, Lonnie.
“Quite the drag having to talk to everyone,” Lonnie said. “We haven’t met anyone since your parents greeted us at the door. Who is this with you?” Lonnie leaned around Liam to see me more clearly and I stepped out to greet him.
“Is that a way to greet an old school chum?” I asked as I extended my hand to him.
“My God! Meredith Sauvage? You certainly turned out to be a beauty. How did Liam manage to pick you up? Did he finally apologize?” Lonnie asked. His date looked petulant and pulled on his arm. “Oh, this is my friend, Susan Ritter. Susan, Meredith went to school with Liam and me back before we were all sent to boarding schools eight years ago.”
“I don’t believe I’ve met you before either, Miss Ritter,” Liam said. “Welcome to Buxton House and the party.”
“Thank you,” she said. She still looked a little angry at Lonnie. I thought she must be a bit younger than the rest of us. I was more than two years older than Liam and Lonnie was between us.
“Miss Sauvage is my new assistant,” Liam said. “I’m told that I’ll have increasing responsibilities this fall and her help will be much appreciated.”
“We need to get together then,” Lonnie said. “We could all go out and catch up on our lives.”
“By the way, Lonnie, did you meet Jack Lenova? I see him at the bar. Ladies, can we bring you drinks?” Liam asked. Susan and I gave our preferences and I suggested we sit at a nearby table.
“How do you happen to know Mr. Porras and Mr. Cyning?” I asked. I was going to try to get her to behave a little more formally. The four of us were certainly the youngest at the party and I guessed she was the youngest of us.
“Lonnie is my boyfriend,” she seethed. “I never met Liam before. Lonnie just said it was a birthday party and would be fun. There’s only old people here.”
“Mr. Cyning’s parents, I’m told, were responsible for the guest list. I doubt they know many young people.”
“Why do you call Liam Mr. Cyning? He’s younger than you are,” Susan said.
“It’s polite. And besides that, he is my employer. Age alone does not indicate one’s station in life. We should always try to be polite, especially until we actually know a person and are invited to familiarity,” I explained. I had a feeling my words were falling on deaf ears.
I looked for Lonnie and Liam and saw them just parting with an older gentleman I assumed was the Jack Lenova Liam had mentioned. He seemed vaguely familiar, but any memories I had of Buxton House were eight years old.
“Sorry it took us so long,” Liam said as the boys handed us our drinks. “I wanted to be sure Lonnie met Mr. Lenova, my father’s corporate attorney.”
“He could be important to my career,” Lonnie nodded.
“You don’t have a career. You’re just a student,” Susan chided.
“Well, let’s pretend that one day I shall have a career. Okay?”
“What are you studying these days, Mr. Porras?” I asked.
“Well, Father said that the best step into politics is law. I’m not completely convinced, but it can’t hurt and Elenchus has a pre-law specialty with just an extra year. It should at least give me a head start when I move on to law school.”
“Oh, sorry to interrupt,” Liam said. “Grandmother just arrived with Mrs. Grosvenor. Please, let me introduce you to her.” We stood, leaving our drinks on the table and followed Liam to his grandmother’s side. Of course, I’d been interviewed by her half a dozen times in the past few months and I was sure Lonnie was often a guest of Liam’s, but it was a nice gesture.
“Grandmother, I would like to introduce you to my friends, if I may.”
“Of course, Liam. I would love to meet them.” I always found myself at ease around the elder Mrs. Cyning, even though I was a bit in awe of her. I held back and let Liam introduce his friends.
“This is Lonnie Porras and his date, Miss Susan Ritter. Lonnie and Susan, my grandmother, Mrs. Cyning. And this is our friend, Mrs. Grosvenor.” His grandmother seemed to know a lot about Susan as well as the rest of us.
“I’m pleased to meet you again, Mrs. Cyning,” Lonnie said. “Mrs. Grosvenor, a pleasure.”
“Hi,” Susan added. Not the most elegant greeting or the politest response, but she was only fifteen, I’d discovered. And Lonnie was nineteen. I could make allowances for her.
“Miss Ritter, is your mother not Angela Ritter, the newspaper columnist and author?” Mrs. Cyning asked.
“Oh. Yes, ma’am. Do you know her?” Susan was suddenly standing straight and on her best behavior.
“I read her column every day. She is insightful. Perhaps one day you could arrange for us to meet.”
“Certainly, Mrs. Cyning. I’m sure she’d be happy to meet you.”
“Grandmother, may I present my… friend and new assistant, Miss Meredith Sauvage. I believe you have met before. Meredith, my grandmother, Mrs. Cyning, and our friend Mrs. Grosvenor.” It did not escape my attention that Liam was making a genuine effort to bring me into his circle of friends.
“It was so kind of you to allow me to return for this special occasion. I promise to be on my best behavior,” I said, grinning at the woman as she smiled back at me. I took her offered hand and dipped in a small curtsey.
“Welcome back, Meredith.”
“What’s that about being on your best behavior?” Susan asked as we began moving toward the dining room.
“Oh, please, Meredith. Let me tell the story,” Lonnie laughed. “After all, I’m the only impartial observer here to be sure the truth is told.” I laughed and nodded my approval as Liam hid his face in his hands.
“It was a bright and sunny day, exactly eight years ago, that half a dozen school friends and the usual array of adults gathered right where we just were on the patio to celebrate Liam’s tenth birthday. Liam had been given a horse as his birthday gift and was in the process of convincing the boys that we should ditch the girls and go to the stable. Meredith overheard the plot and stepped up to ask what we were planning to do.”
Liam looked at me and I could see the red blush on his face as he mouthed the words “I’m sorry,” to me. Lonnie was on a tear and laughing at being able to tease his roommate.
“Our Liam was a bit of a brat when he was that age and told Meredith it was only of concern to the men and not to stupid girls. He might have escaped at that point if he hadn’t punctuated by calling Miss Sauvage ‘Meri the Savage.’ At which point she delivered the best right hook I’ve ever seen and bloodied Liam’s nose. I did have a moment of heroism as I helped him to his feet and into the house to get cleaned up. When we returned to the party, the other five of our classmates, including Meredith, had left with their parents.”
“I never did discover where they went, but that was when Lonnie and I found out we were going to Elenchus Scholé and would not be returning to the public school with our classmates,” Liam said. We found our places at the table and waited for Mrs. Cyning to be seated before Lonnie and Liam pulled our chairs out and we were seated.
“As I have learned,” I said, “all six of us, Lonnie included, received full scholarship to private schools where we have been studying ever since.”
Next to Liam, a Mr. Ferguson engaged in a conversation involving Lonnie and Mr. Lenova across the table. It was a lively engagement and we were all included.
“I say we should keep them out of the country entirely,” Ferguson said. “We’ve enough of our own poor. We should not need to take care of poor immigrants as well. We can’t feed our own.” He stuffed another healthy bite of prime rib into his mouth. I saw Liam’s grandmother raise an eyebrow at Liam, nodding almost imperceptibly toward Mr. Ferguson. Liam put his silverware down quietly on his plate. I could see Lonnie’s eyes pop open and a look of expectation come across his face.
“Excuse me, Mr. Ferguson. May I ask a question of you?” Liam looked as innocent as he could when Ferguson turned toward him.
“Of course, young man. How are youth to learn if they don’t ask questions?”
“I’m intrigued by your statements. You say we can’t feed our own poor. Does our country not have enough wealth to feed its poor?”
“You need to understand the economics of it,” Ferguson plowed on. “When you give sustenance away to people, then they feel entitled to it without contributing. People who do work for their income become demotivated and eventually feel they should not need to work for their living either. Soon, no one is working and the entire economy collapses because there is no money to keep supporting them without work.”
“So, then the problem becomes one of employing the people who are poor so they can earn a living wage, does it not?”
“There are plenty of jobs.”
“Do those jobs pay enough to feed the poor?”
“If they are not living above their means.”
“Shouldn’t anyone who works be able to afford decent housing, food, and education?”
“People need to adjust their expectations based on what they are capable of earning.”
“What work do you do, Mr. Ferguson?”
“I own businesses and invest my money.”
“Isn’t that the same as being entitled to something that is paid for by other people? Is it not the Dexters who actually earn your income through their hard work? That in itself must be demotivating to poor people who see you enjoying a good life based on their efforts.” Liam maintained his innocent expression, gazing intently at Mr. Ferguson.
“I believe I have contracted a bit of indigestion. If you will excuse me, Mrs. Cyning, I think it would be seemlier if I retire from our current conversation until such time that we can continue it in private and not interrupt this august social gathering.” Mr. Ferguson stood to leave and tugged at his reluctant wife’s chair. With a sigh, she, too, stood.
“Of course, Mr. Ferguson. Please forgive us for not accompanying you to the door.” Mrs. Cyning smiled graciously at her guests. “My responsibility, as you know, is with the guests at the table. Ricardo will see you out.”
“Certainly. Good evening.” The Fergusons begged the pardon of the other guests and Mr. Ferguson paused to assure Liam that he would like to continue the conversation at a later date. When Ricardo returned to the room and nodded to Mrs. Cyning, she stood and began applauding. The other guests joined her applause, though some seemed hesitant.
“Happy birthday, Liam. It is nice to see that you are learning something at Elenchus Scholé.” She seated herself. “Mr. Porras, you were right in the middle of things and heard best the nature and context of the conversation. I understand you consider yourself an impartial third party when it comes to telling tales. As a classmate at Elenchus, please give us your analysis of this discussion.” Lonnie cleared his throat and glanced at Liam. Liam smiled and gestured for him to stand and take the floor.
“If I may say, ma’am, Mr. Ferguson was an easy target, caught up in his own fantasy of wealth and not expecting an ambush. Had he been prepared for this encounter, as I assure you, he will be the next time they meet, Mr. Cyning would not have gotten the edge with the questions he was asking.”
“Would you have had different questions?”
“It is easy to construct better questions after the fact than in the heat of debate. In retrospect, however, yes. Mr. Cyning’s questions took too long to get to the central question of the trickle-down theory and, in fact, did not quite get there before Mr. Ferguson excused himself. I believe he would have reached that point more expediently by directly asking Mr. Ferguson why he did not employ more of the poor and pay them a living wage. That is my opinion, ma’am, and I am certain our teachers would be equally proud of the way Mr. Cyning handled the conversation.” Lonnie sat back down and Regina Cyning looked around the table as if looking for consensus before she began applauding again.
“This is the brilliance of the Elenchus Scholé.” She silenced the applause. “These two young men have not been taught a series of facts to recite. They have been taught to question and discover. I am sure they will apply themselves in different directions as time goes by, but both have very sharp minds and will go far.” She raised her glass for a toast and everyone responded. “Again, happy birthday, Liam.”
After cake and champagne, dinner ended and the party began to break up. I had really only placed my travel bag in my room in order to dress for the party. The next day, I would need to go home and pack for a longer stay. I was unsure yet of all the protocol in the huge old mansion. I didn’t even know how to get a meal if someone didn’t invite me. I turned to say goodnight to Liam.
“Mr. Cyning, perhaps we should set a time to meet in the morning so we can begin a plan as to what our roles will be. I do not expect to be staying here full time, but I have been granted a room so we can spend time working together,” I said. I hope he didn’t assume we’d be working together in my room.
“An excellent idea, Miss Sauvage. Why don’t we meet for breakfast and then we can get on with our tasks for the rest of the day. Would six o’clock be suitable?” Liam asked. I looked at him in disbelief.
“Six? In the morning? Will rising at such an ungodly hour be a requirement of this job?” I couldn’t believe the suggestion. We had all day as far as I knew. Why would we need to start before I was even awake?
“I’m sorry. That was inconsiderate. I’m used to getting up at five o’clock each morning. But I have other things to do in the morning that don’t need to wait for breakfast. In fact, they seldom do. I was letting enthusiasm govern my suggestion rather than good sense.” He really did look apologetic.
“Are you so enthusiastic?” I asked.
“I find that I am. This day has awakened in me a sense of excitement for the future. And a bit of fear of the unknown. I’m hoping you can tell me what I’m supposed to do.”
“Perhaps we can discover that together.”
“What time would be comfortable for you to join me for breakfast?” he asked. I considered telling him noon, but I didn’t want to be that snide.
“Could we make it nine o’clock?”
“Brilliant! I’ll be able to get a full run in, shower, and shave before we meet. I’ll see you then.”
“Uh… Mr. Cyning… Where?”
“Oh! I usually eat in the kitchen. I have a table there for casual meals. I could… meet you in the hall at nine o’clock and show you how to get there.”
“That would be excellent.”
“Shall we walk up to our rooms? I’m ready to call it a night.” I wasn’t sure how to take that suggestion. Yes, my room was just a few doors down from Liam’s but I wasn’t sure I wanted to be saying goodnight at my door. The decision was taken from me.
“Liam, please come to the library. Your mother and I wish to speak to you,” his father demanded. Liam looked sadly at me and shook his head.
“Some other time,” he sighed. “Goodnight, Miss Sauvage.” He followed his parents into the library.
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