A Place at the Table
9
Follow the Leader
Donnie Defoe
MEREDITH SAUVAGE. My, my. I’ve lusted after that redhead for eight years. Ever since that fateful birthday party when she’d bloodied Liam Cyning’s nose. I didn’t bear any ill-will toward Liam. He went off crying with Lonnie. I would have stood toe to toe with Meredith and given it right back. She was fiery and defiant. Wonderful. Then we were all sent home. Richard and I were sent to military school in Virginia. Lonnie went to Elenchus with Liam. The three girls went to Green Hill Women’s College. My first erotic dream had been of standing toe to toe with Meredith exchanging blows.
It was fine to have sent Richard along to the academy even though he wasn’t very military. At least we’d had a friend in each other. He just wasn’t cut out for the military. Except when you put a gun in his hands. He wasn’t the sharpest shooter in our class, but he knew more about weapons than anyone else in the school. He could disassemble and assemble any weapon given to him with his eyes closed. He could identify any firearm by weight and feel. He could tell how far and how accurately it would shoot. He could examine a jammed firearm and release the jam safely. If there was a faulty part in a firearm, Richard could fix it. Lately, he’d been working in the machine shop learning to mill his own parts so he could build a rifle. I was surprised he’d chosen to go on to military academy and even more so that he was accepted. I bet the Army would be using him in a development lab someplace, surely not as a commanding officer. Richard was a real Cognoscente. A pure craftsman.
“Donnie, it’s Meredith Sauvage calling.”
“Well, hello. What can I do for your prettiness today?”
“Oh, please, Donnie. Has that line ever gotten you anywhere?”
“I would never tell,” I laughed. Yeah. However I felt about Meredith, it wasn’t returned.
“I’m calling to invite you to an informal party. Are you still on break?” she asked.
“We have all of August off. How much of my time would you like?”
“Just an afternoon. Liam’s arranging to have a few friends over for a cookout and swim. We thought that if you were in town, it would be nice to get all of us together.”
“Oh, yeah. You’re his assistant now, aren’t you?” We all knew, of course. In May, Mrs. Cyning had called in each of the six of us for an interview. We’d all trained to be number two to Liam Cyning, but all in different ways. It would have been a good job, but I wasn’t disappointed to have been passed over. I had good prospects for an Army career and being an assistant to a guy who might never have a job no longer appealed to me. I was a Defender and the lack of order in Liam’s life left me cool toward the job. I supposed someday he might need a bodyguard. “So, he’s got you handing out his invitations?”
“It comes with the territory. Besides, I’m inviting Peggy Anne and Karen, too. And Lonnie, of course.”
“Of course. It would be nice to see everyone again. Can you promise to bloody Liam’s nose again?”
“Will you listen to you? You’d think you didn’t like Liam.”
“I do like him. Always did. This Saturday? I think I can make it.”
I did like Liam. That was the hell of it. I could laugh about his awkwardness or lack of skill at something, but I was still ready to follow him if he had an idea. At the moment, the idea of a party was one I was ready to follow.
Honestly, the idea of seeing Meredith, Karen, and Peggy Anne in swimming costumes for the afternoon was quite appealing. I hoped Meredith was inviting some other women as well. With Liam’s money, he should have far more women than he could handle.
I had a feeling one of the reasons we’d been shipped off to Virginia for military school was to keep us away from the girls. At the time of Liam’s last party, we’d already been exploring with each other a little. Well, not with Meredith, but Karen and I had kissed. In Virginia at an all-boys military school, we didn’t meet any girls for the first three years. And then I had mixed results. None of them particularly satisfying.
Before I left on my summer break, my girlfriend promised that this fall she’d go all the way with me. Of course, last year it had been ‘at Christmas’ and then ‘in the spring.’ It wouldn’t surprise me too much if she’d latched onto an upper classman during the summer and failed to tell me. I was getting tired of carting my virginity around with me.
Unlike Richard. For a guy whose mind is so chaotic, he sure scored with the girls. He’d met a girl from a women’s college near the school in Virginia and spent almost as much time in her apartment as he did in our barracks. Then they kissed goodbye and two weeks after we arrived at the Academy, he was dating a local girl who was happiest when she was under him. I was probably the only one who knew he was still sweet on Peggy Anne. If he met up with her at Liam’s party, he might not even return to school.
Karen Reese
“HAVING A WILL is important for everyone, not only those who own a lot of property. Without a will, anything the deceased owned will be managed by the State and after taxes and fees will revert to the next of kin. If no next of kin can be found, it will revert to the State. But avoiding probate is an inadequate reason to have a will. Think of your family. In times of great stress, like the death of a loved one, family members tend to focus on small things they think they can control. Mother’s diamond brooch may become a matter of great contention. An insignificant pile of letters might become more important to everyone in the family than a bank account with fifty thousand dollars in it. Your will should deal with the small things.”
I sat in the class, taking copious notes. Estate Planning was not only the name of the course, but one of the things I hoped to do as a career. My academic advisor suggested that I focus on family law, but conflict gives me the shakes. Maybe that’s why I wasn’t chosen as Liam Cyning’s assistant. As soon as I received news that I could attend Green Hill Women’s College with all expenses and maintenance paid, my parents’ marriage fell apart. The squabbles became fights. The fights became insurmountable obstacles to their marriage. Divorce—long, drawn-out, nasty divorce—ensued. I didn’t want to ever deal with divorce or child custody cases in my career. They were just too hurtful.
I’d carefully chosen law as my focus, thinking Liam, whom I would be sent to mentor and assist, would need to navigate the waters of legal agreements and situations. I planned to be well-prepared to help him. He could do the negotiating and I would put the formal words on paper to make it airtight.
I didn’t understand why Mrs. Cyning didn’t agree with me. It hit me hard that I wasn’t going to be the successful candidate. It was explained to the three of us on our first day of school at Green Hill that we should follow our hearts as far as what we studied, but that we would also be given special courses in how to support, assist, and even mentor another person. We all knew the person we’d be helping would be Liam Cyning. Even back then, we knew Liam was a Leader. Or would become one. Yes, he was a bit of a brat at times, like when he tried to lead the boys off to the stables and give the girls the slip, but we were two years older. We knew boys just didn’t get it as early as girls did. We hadn’t known at the birthday party that we were being tested.
Of course, Meredith plunged in and decided to teach him a lesson right then and there. I couldn’t believe she socked him. And then we were all asked to leave but told that we’d all been such good friends to Liam that Mrs. Cyning was funding a grant for our education. Meredith, Peggy Anne, and I would go to Green Hill Women’s College. The term ‘college’ being applied to grades down to intermediate school. Richard and Donnie were sent to a military academy in Virginia with the same instructions. And Lonnie went with Liam to Elenchus Scholé. Peggy Anne said it was because Lonnie came to Liam’s aid and helped him into the house to get patched up. I laughed at the thought of having one of the girls help him into the house. Would we have become his roommate? Of course not. Lonnie was nearest to Liam’s age. It was natural that they’d go to the same school.
But somehow, it never occurred to me that it wouldn’t be me chosen to be his assistant. I was happy for Meredith. We three had been inseparable since we’d started school and were the three girls closest to Liam and the three boys. I’d kissed Donnie behind our school just before it let out for the summer. It was just an experiment, but I liked it. Maybe I’d find out how life was going for him at West Point and see if we could renew our friendship after having been separated for eight years. Ah, well. It was a consolation prize.
I’d decided to pursue estate law. Maybe someone else would need a personal assistant with a good background in law. Lonnie? I figured he’d be going into politics. Following his father’s footsteps. A Commander could always use a Cognoscente to advise him. But planning an estate was a matter between the lawyer and one client. The assets belonged to that one person and that one person could determine how they should be divided and among whom.
I’d finished most of my pre-law requirements at Green Hill. Dr. Parolini suggested I move to the University Law School at midterm. I was tempted to register right away, but I knew there were still a few courses I needed here, no matter how accelerated our education had been. Dr. Parolini said my expenses would continue to be paid and law school would be tuition free. As soon as I had that in writing, I’d plan my move.
“Oh, guess what,” Peggy Anne said when I got to our apartment. “We’ve been invited to a party this weekend at Buxton House.”
“Really? When?”
“Meredith called to invite us. Saturday afternoon at two. Pool party and cookout,” Peggy Anne said.
“I knew Meredith was living there, but I didn’t know she could throw a party.” I was a little shocked at that. According to Meredith, when we’d talked last, she’d only been living there part-time and working on some sort of project with Liam. Having a party made it sound like she was more a member of the family.
“Oh, it’s Liam’s party. Meredith is making all the arrangements and inviting the guests.”
“Boys and girls?”
“Even Donnie, Richard, and Lonnie. Plus others, I gathered. Apparently, Liam doesn’t get out to meet many people he’s not in school with.”
“Hmm. You know what that means? We need to go shopping! A pool party? With boys? We need new swimwear!”
“Oh, my God! They’ll be looking at our… legs!”
“Honey, they’ll be looking at more than your legs. You’d better get a suit with extra support.” Peggy Anne was busty. In fact, I was a little jealous. I didn’t need a suit with extra support. Or any support. But a party with boys meant looking our best with what we had. We really didn’t get that many opportunities to socialize with guys. Peggy Anne blushed, but agreed to meet me after my class the next day to go shopping.
Peggy Anne Ransburg
I WASN’T SURPRISED not to be chosen as Liam’s personal assistant. When Dr. Parolini had told us to follow our hearts in what we studied, there was no question but that it would be music for me. I loved playing the piano and it was possible that I might even be able to play concerts eventually. There were times when the required courses seemed like an interruption to what I really wanted to do.
But I owed it to the Cynings to give it my best. They were paying for my music education.
Nonetheless, we were going to a party at Buxton House Saturday. And yes, I was going to get a new swimsuit. Afterall, there would be other boys there besides Liam. Like Richard.
There were about a dozen at the party, pretty evenly divided between boys and girls. I sound like a baby. Between men and women. But that meant when I took my wrap off to swim, everyone could see me. I quickly tucked my hair under my cap and dove into the pool. I was first in the water, so I could turn and see the others as they prepared to dive in. All the girls had gone for very sexy swimsuits, forgoing the ones with little skirts. Meredith’s was backless, which I thought was very daring. But the two young girls—I was introduced to one as Lonnie’s girlfriend and the other as a friend of hers—were in scandalous two-piece outfits that left their stomachs bare. I had to shrug it off. They were the youngest at the party, everyone else being over eighteen.
“Hey, it’s good to see you,” the man’s voice said next to my shoulder. I turned in the water and was face-to-face with Richard Lingam. I’d noticed his swimwear, too. All the men had racing suits on with their tank tops. He looked good.
“Nice to see you, too, Ricky. How do you like West Point?” I asked.
“It will be better this year, now that I’m no longer a plebe. You know, you’re the only person I let call me Ricky, Peg. Please don’t do it around the younger girls.” Richard blushed a little.
“Sorry. I didn’t think of that. Talking to you once a month, I guess I’ve slipped into bad habits.”
“It’s okay from you. I just don’t want it to get back to the cadets. And Donnie would not understand.” We treaded water silently for a bit. “What are you going to do now that the selection has been made? Did the conservatory respond?”
“I’m still waiting to hear. It’s bad timing to get in anyplace by fall term. They have invited me for an audition, though.” I was friends with Meredith and Karen—roommates with Karen—but Richard and I started writing to each other when we were just sent to school. Later, when we had that privilege, we began talking by phone but could only really afford once a month. We shared a lot of our life goals with each other and how we felt about what we were doing. I knew Richard hadn’t been certain he should go to West Point, but the opportunity was too good to pass up. Just as the opportunity for Karen to go to law school, Meredith to go to the University, Lonnie to go wherever he wanted.
In a way, the five of us who had not been selected were all treading water. We’d all been waiting for this day, not knowing what we would do after it. Richard was my friend and I knew we’d see each other through the next few years as we had the past.
Richard Lingam
GETTING A CALL from Meredith Sauvage shocked the hell out of me. I knew, of course, she’d been chosen to become Liam Cyning’s personal assistant. I wasn’t too disappointed. I supposed I had something I could contribute if I’d been offered the position, but I wasn’t pining away about it. Liam was a good guy, but it wasn’t like I really counted on being his assistant.
I was a Cognoscente—a craftsman in my own terms. And the thing military school had awakened in me was my affinity for firearms. That’s what finally convinced me to accept the appointment to West Point. They’d laid out a plan for me to work in the design and fabrication of weaponry. I couldn’t imagine what good that skill would have done Liam. And I certainly wasn’t going to make his bed for him. I only made mine under threat of inspection.
But it would be nice to see the old gang back together again. We were a pretty strange crew back in primary school. Liam was never fond of having the girls around, but usually he treated them fairly. He really had a stick up his butt the day Meredith hit him in the face. The thing was, we were all ready to go along with him. He said “Let’s go see the horses. The girls won’t miss us.” Lonnie was already plotting out the route we’d take when Meredith showed up. We’d all called her Meri the Savage at one time or another—though never to her face. Liam really lost it when he brought the name out in front of her. Pow!
It was sure I’d never call her that!
It was always like that, though. Not the name-calling or hitting. I mean, Liam coming up with an idea that always sounded so good. “Let’s go get ice cream after school. That test was brutal and we need a treat.” Well, yeah. We’d all agreed with that. Then Lonnie got in on it. We’d need to give the slip to our teachers and miss the bus. If we met at the north entrance of the school at the bell, we could slip from there into the woods and around to the main road. Donnie would come up with routing and timing. At exactly 3:15, when the bell rang, we were out that door and off into the woods. Meredith stopped us at the edge of the woods.
“It’s all good so far,” she said. “But we all need to ask ourselves if this is the right thing to do. We could still make it to the front of the school in time to catch our buses.”
“Are you saying you won’t do it?” Liam asked.
“No. I’m with everyone else if we do this.”
“As long as you all promise not to leave me alone to take the blame for anything and come to my defense if I get in trouble, I’m in,” Karen said.
Peggy Anne and I just looked at each other and shrugged. The ice cream was great. The restrictions put on us by angry parents weren’t. But we lived and learned.
We grew into our roles—into our classes. Liam was a Leader. Lonnie was a Commander. Donnie was a Defender. Meredith was an Advisor. Karen and I were Cognoscenti but of very different types. And Peggy Anne was a Creator. Sweet and gentle and always coming up with a beautiful bit of art or music.
“Hey, Richard,” Liam said as we filled our plates with burgers and potato salad. “I have a question to ask you.” We sat at an end of the table and everyone was too busy eating to bother with our conversation. Though I noticed Peggy Anne sat beside me and Meredith next to Liam. “Lincoln Arms has a stockpile of rifles that have a hold on them for some reason. I can’t get anyone to tell me why they aren’t being shipped. I can shoot but I don’t have any particular skill with firearms. Donnie tells me you are specializing in that.”
“Yes. I’m not the best shot in the world, but I can break down and reassemble any weapon you give me,” I said proudly.
“Meredith said you’re still in town for a couple of weeks. Would you be interested in coming in for a tour of the plant and to take a look at these rifles?”
I grinned. Tour Lincoln Arms? I hadn’t realized Liam had an in with the firearms and munitions factory. Yes! “I could do that. Do you have permission to take someone in there?”
“My parents are the majority stockholders in the company. It was my mother’s inheritance. They’ve given me carte blanche to learn everything I can about the company this summer. I’m sure I can include you as an expert guide.”
I suddenly had a sinking feeling. I’d considered myself to have nothing to offer as Liam’s assistant. Now I find out that his parents own an arms factory. I could have kicked myself all the way to the pool and then drowned myself. If Liam one day inherited that factory, he’d need an arms expert. What was I thinking?
I agreed to go with him Monday morning and take a look at his rifles.
Lonnie Porras
“MEREDITH, DID LIAM tell you about the time we put an entire putting green in the lobby of our dorm?”
“You’re kidding.”
“No,” I said. We were all sitting around the firepit on the patio relaxing after the afternoon of swimming and then eating. We’d all had a beer or two as well, though none of us were inebriated. I’d made sure Susan and Rosemary didn’t have more than one. Meredith had asked me to bring an extra girl and I delegated the task to Susan. But they were both only fifteen. “Nappy didn’t even ask anyone else in the dorm. He came straight to Liam and me.”
“Boys, I believe you have a cleaning job that will keep you occupied for the rest of the weekend. If you finish before Monday morning, you can continue cleaning the dining room and hallways,” Liam mimicked our dorm parent.
“He sent us to our room and told us he expected us to start cleaning by eight o’clock Sunday morning. We had to clean it up and scrub the entire lobby before the cleaners came on Monday evening.” Everyone was laughing and Liam was shaking his head. The whole thing had been his idea and everyone in the dorm thought it was a good one. None of them helped Liam and me clean.
“Why such a big deal about a green carpet on the floor?” Susan jumped in on the conversation She looked confused. Meredith was looking at Liam with an eyebrow raised. She must remember some of his ideas in primary school.
“We didn’t use green carpet,” Liam said. “I’d have been happy with that, but once Lonnie started planning how to do it, it got a little out of control.”
“It was perfect,” I said. “We sodded the entire lobby and had a five-hole putting green. Mr. and Mrs. Wellborn had gone out for the evening and we had everything ready to move in as soon as they were out of sight. The guys stacked all the furniture in the dining room. We didn’t figure Nappy would mind since he’s an avid golfer. Came straight to us and told us we’d need to clean it up in the morning. Then he spent two hours with his own putter practicing on our green!”
Everyone started laughing at that.
“Let’s see. Seven of us knew each other in elementary school. Two more guys go to school with us at Elenchus. And I’ve brought two gorgeous coeds from St. Agnes. How did you meet Liam, Hana?”
“I met Liam at a charity festival for the Children’s Hospital,” Hana said. What a dish. If I hadn’t been attached to Susan, I’d have been all over her. She’d been blind to anyone all afternoon but Donnie. I thought Karen was over-compensating with the attention she was paying to Roald Adams. Sure, the guy was sharp and an Inquirer but Karen could do so much better. By default, that left Remy Fournier and Rosemary Dean quietly facing each other. Remy was a little shy. If he’d been a little more forward, he’d probably have gotten on well with Peggy Anne. They’re both Creators. I wasn’t sure yet where Rosemary was going to settle. Susan had only recently been told she was on track to be a Commander, which suited me fine. Rosemary? I thought she might be a Promoter.
“Liam does charity events?” Karen asked.
“He did this one. Handled the grill like an expert. Then he got down on the level of a little girl who was feeling lost. He told her he was sure they could find her mother if they got on the Mommy Express. They started choo-chooing around the park with all the kids attaching to the train as they yelled, ‘All aboard.’ And sure enough, when they pulled into the station, the little girl’s mommy was there to take her home. It was so sweet.”
“Geez, Liam. I know you don’t have a girlfriend, but isn’t five a little young for you?”
Roald missed the point. I knew Liam had taken Hana out the next weekend. But what they didn’t want to tell people, I wouldn’t volunteer. Even if I wasn’t going to be his assistant, I was pretty sure I’d still be managing his ideas eventually.
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