A Place at the Table
16 Social Studies
Liam
MEREDITH PICKED ME UP Friday and we had a nice dinner while we caught up on what was happening at school and in our lives. It turns out she’s been very busy.
“So, we have an appointment tomorrow morning to meet the architects at the condo to go over the plans.”
“We do?”
“Well, I do. You don’t need to come if you’re not interested.”
“No. I mean, yes. I’m very interested. I just didn’t know. It’s difficult not having you nearby. Thank you for including me,” I stumbled. I’d been thinking entirely too much about the college party we were attending Saturday evening to even recognize that it is only part of the weekend.
“I thought you would like to take the opportunity for a little tour of the University campus. Perhaps we could pick out a couple of items at the campus store to expand your wardrobe and then go to the football game,” she said.
“Football?”
“When the game ends, we’ll have time to get a little dinner and then go to the party. Of course, if you have too much school work to do…”
“No. Not at all. Well, I have reading to do. Frau Dr. Meier assigned Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse. I’m to discover, by reading the book, why she assigned it to us. I think it’s more than just because it is a classic treatise on Buddhism and enlightenment written in German. I can only read a few pages at a time before I need to put it aside and just think about it.”
“I have read about the book, but I haven’t read it.”
“If I become enlightened, I’ll share.”
We retired for the night and I left her with a soft touch of my lips on her fingers.
“This is great!” I said. There was no other word I could think of. The furnishings in the apartment were rather old fashioned. The walls were papered in a floral print. It had a hominess about it that was very comfortable but I hoped I would be able to update it a bit.
“You are not stuck with the décor,” Meredith laughed. “This is Mr. Singleton, the architect who has drawn up plans on renovating for you.”
“Pleased to meet you, Mr. Singleton. I’m eager to learn what you have planned.”
“Based on your assistant’s description, we have a simple but elegant plan in mind. If you would imagine French doors here in the dining room, on the other side you would find a lovely study, done in a true gentleman’s style with wainscoting and rich wooden bookshelves. Imagine your desk, your reading chair, and soft light. That part of the renovation and remodel is the most structurally significant. However, we plan to remove this small vestibule, leaving only a coat closet at the door. The remaining space will be used for the updated kitchen. I understand that not only are you a fine cook yourself, but that occasionally you will have a guest chef for special occasions. The kitchen will have more room for professional quality appliances. The other rooms will remain unchanged in layout but we are making several decorating thoughts available to you, depending on your personal taste.”
“I can see it in my mind’s eye,” I answered. “Do you suppose we could make the look a little more modern. I don’t mind a tasteful antique as a focal point but the amount and age of the furnishings in this room are overwhelming.”
“I believe that would be an excellent choice and will have our artist draw up a couple of concepts for you,” Mr. Singleton said.
“Some of the discarded antiques would work fine in the adjoining apartment,” Meredith said. “I’ll be happy to select the items and have them moved with your approval, Liam.”
“I trust your guidance on that,” I said. We walked out the door of the condominium and in a step were at the door of the second unit. The floorplan was a mirror of the first apartment but this unit would be vastly reduced in space with the loss of the dining room in order to accommodate my study. Meredith planned to leave the remaining space open other than the bedroom, removing the vestibule but not expanding her kitchen. “Will you be all right with the loss of so much space?” I asked.
“Oh, yes. It will be quite lovely. I plan to use the space as an open living/dining/office area. I’ll simply use the furniture to define the areas. I am far less likely to be entertaining in my apartment than you are. I’ll have a cozy conversation area with a low table for informal dining.”
“If you are happy with it, I am happy,” I said. “But don’t spare an expense or make do with something that doesn’t please you.”
“Over here is the Student Union,” Meredith said as she guided me across campus. Her dormitory had been a rather depressing building and the room she described sounded claustrophobic. I was glad she would soon be able to move to her apartment. “The Union has all the services we need. We eat in a common cafeteria, there is a coffee shop, a bookstore, and what we call the commissary. It’s really just an extension of the bookstore that sells clothing, supplies, and even snack foods and refrigerated drinks. This is the building in which the bursar receives tuition and the housing authority assigns rooms. Essentially, it is the hub of college life. Let’s get you a University sweatshirt. It might be a bit chilly in the stadium. It looks like it could rain.”
Meredith led me into the commissary and we went down racks of clothes to find a sweatshirt in the school’s brown and gold colors. I was surprised at how comfortable and warm it felt and wished Elenchus had adopted this mode of clothing instead of the navy blazer boys wore to class every day. She also chose brown wool knit hats we could pull over our ears.
“I’ll like dressing like this every day,” I said
“Oh, no. Not every day. While the atmosphere is more casual here, there’s still a lot of pressure to meet a certain standard. Since there are always guests on campus who are looking for potential employment candidates, you’ll find most students keep as high a standard of dress as they can reasonably afford so they won’t be passed over at first glance.”
“Is our society really so shallow that we judge people by their clothes?”
“You need only think about that for the answer to become clear.”
We ate in the cafeteria and joined the throng going into the stadium for the one o’clock football game.
I’d been cool to the idea of going to a football game. I didn’t think much of school sporting events and did not intend to compete, even though I loved running. The college game, however, carried its own excitement and I found myself cheering as loudly as the others in the stadium and sharing their disappointment at the close defeat of the home team. Meredith also carried a warming blanket, which she tossed across both our laps. It was a bit early in the season for a blanket on this October day, but she held my hand discreetly beneath the lap blanket.
My parents, of course, wanted to inspect ‘the new property,’ as they called our apartments. We had picked up the keys from the management company when we met the architect and led them through the plans. Mother sniffed at the décor, but was pleased that we planned something more modern after the refit. I saw Father looking carefully at the plans, spread out on the dining table. That was one piece of furniture I thought I would keep. He made a mark on the plans and called us to look at it.
“You need a door. I’m sure you have discovered the door between your studies at Buxton House. You need the same access here,” he said. I agreed but was not sure of his reasoning. “You and Meredith will have an increasing amount of collaborative work. You need to be able to interact freely without drawing the attention of your neighbors by going back and forth through the hall. I’m sure that is what led to the speculation about the former owners. You will be the youngest residents in this building. It wouldn’t be wise to be on the gossipmongers’ lips.”
“I see,” I said. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“I actually marked the same thing on the architect’s set of plans,” Meredith said. “The way the doors are constructed at Buxton House, they ensure privacy when desired and access when needed.”
“Well done, Meredith,” Mother said. “I am happy that you were the first to join Liam’s staff. It has been a long time coming. You’ll need to consider hiring a valet for him when he moves to the college. This can be one of your early assignments.”
“Certainly, ma’am.”
We left the condos and my parents’ driver took the four of us to a lovely restaurant for dinner. I was a little disconcerted at the idea of Meredith needing to ride in the front with David. I was sure there was plenty of room for four of us in the back seat. But that also reminded me of something Mother had said, so I brought the subject up as we were served.
“Mother, why would I need a new valet? What is wrong with Erich?”
“Oh, son. Do you have any idea how old Erich is?” Father asked. “He’s seventy, if a day. He was your grandmother’s tutor, my valet, and then your valet. While you were away at Elenchus this fall, he has semi-retired.”
“He won’t be terminated, will he?”
“Heavens no! Erich has a place with us at Buxton House for as long as he lives. I daresay your grandmother will keep him active when he isn’t busy around the house. She always has.” I was certain Mother winked at me.
“Now Meredith, I reviewed the work you did on the Lincoln Arms report,” Father said. “A job that showed your worth immediately. You’ve been with us nearly four months now. What are your impressions?” Father liked to review things and usually had good questions.
“Liam is an easy person to assist and mentor. He takes suggestion well and learns rapidly. I enjoy being with him. I still find Buxton House a bit overwhelming, but have only recently had quarters there. We aren’t there that frequently. I’m sure I will adjust. Please tell me more about the staff you expect him to need in the new residence.”
“A valet, certainly. Someone nearby but not live-in. A young man needs privacy for his own affairs.” My parents both laughed. “It would be good to have a housekeeper. Someone who could cook at least a few times a week and keep the apartments clean and tidy. Both positions could be part time at present with the possibility of full-time employment at a future date. I wouldn’t rush to fill the roles. It is quite possible you might discover candidates at the University. You needn’t limit yourself to established professionals in the area.”
“I think that with a capable housekeeper, I could probably manage without a valet for a while. I have my driver’s license now and Meredith has a car. Perhaps I’ll want one of my own in the spring,” I said.
“Young men and their cars,” Mother laughed. “Remember that neither Dennis nor Erich are simply drivers. As you become better known you may need security. I’m sure nothing is required yet, but keep it in mind.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
All told, it wasn’t an unpleasant evening with my parents. Dinner concluded with a nice apple crisp and coffee. My parents had Dennis drive Meredith and me to our dormitories to change while they enjoyed an after-dinner drink. I changed quickly and he dropped me at Meredith’s dormitory so we could walk to the party together.
We were greeted at the Gamma Delta Epsilon sorority house by our hostess, Miss Carolyn Dubois. Indeed, everyone we met was very sociable. The women all wore party dresses and the men were in sport coats. I’d chosen my gray blazer for the evening. I figured this was not the time to make a statement with either my tweed or a brightly colored shirt. I might have been the most conservatively dressed man at the party.
“Miss Sauvage, I’m so glad you accepted our invitation. Mr. Cyning, on behalf of the Greek Council, let me welcome you both to Robert Livingston University.”
“Thank you, Miss Dubois,” I said as I took her offered hand. “I am looking forward to great things here.”
“While I am already resident, Mr. Cyning will not begin classes until midterm,” Meredith added. “We’re so happy to have the opportunity to meet people and make friends before we’re caught up in the pressures of academia.”
I thought we were being a bit formal but we were taking our cues from our hosts and other people at the party were also introduced by their full names. There were far more women at the party than men, which I suppose was logical since the sorority had invited individual guests and not entire fraternities.
“What do you plan to study here, Mr. Cyning?” John Berringer asked me. He’d been introduced as president of the Greek Council.
“I’ll have a varied course of study,” I said. “I am advised that the University has an excellent program in history and in literature.”
“An unusual course of study for a Leader,” Miss Dubois rejoined.
“Not so unusual as you might assume. History and literature are the surest measures of human society. I agree that other disciplines are also important and my assistant, for example, is exploring social studies. I hope we will be able to cross-pollinate, as it were, so we can both benefit from the other’s studies.”
“You must have a very close relationship, Mr. Cyning.”
“Miss Dubois, if we are to become friends, I hope you will consider calling me by my given name, Liam. I’m finding the constant Miss and Mr. appellations to be a bit stifling,” I sighed, dodging the suggestion she made altogether. Meredith and I had agreed beforehand that for purposes of the party, we would be together as a date but she would maintain the role of my assistant.
“Wonderful. Please call me Carolyn. And this is John. Most of us here are quite comfortable on a first name basis but feel our way along as discreetly as possible in a new social circumstance.”
“I do understand that, Carolyn. When Meredith joined my staff, it took us nearly three weeks before we used each other’s given name. And we had known each other as children!” I laughed.
“If I might ask, Meredith, what does an assistant to Liam do?” John asked.
“It is a diverse responsibility,” Meredith said. “Among the first things that I did was act as scribe and brainstorming partner on a consulting job Liam had this summer. I also organized a party and have spent a great deal of time organizing his files and library.”
“I won’t let her hide behind a secretarial role,” I said. “Most recently, she has negotiated the purchase of an apartment for me and is managing the architect and renovation so it will be ready when I get here in December. And she is an excellent tennis partner.”
“You won’t be living on campus, then?” John asked. “I was told Miss Sauvage… Meredith… had visited several fraternities here inquiring about housing.”
“We were encouraged by my parents and grandmother to find off-campus housing since there will be occasions that I need to entertain and I may also need to meet with clients,” I said.
“Will you also be moving off-campus, Meredith?” Carolyn asked sweetly.
“I have acquired an apartment nearby so we can coordinate our endeavors.” I thought Meredith handled that perfectly.
“Well, I do hope we will have more opportunities to socialize,” Carolyn said, laying a hand on my arm. “Please, let me introduce you to some more of our guests.”
Meredith
“THANK HEAVEN that’s over!” Liam said as we walked back to my dormitory to pick up my car. We’d decided to drive out to Buxton House and simply relax on Sunday.
“Did you feel pressured?” I asked.
“Not at first, but perhaps I should not have suggested first names. Everyone got far more friendly from that point. Especially the women. And I couldn’t help but notice you being chatted up by several of the men,” he said.
“Yes. I thought we did a good job of establishing that we were together at the party, but it didn’t seem to affect them when it came to asking me out,” I said. Liam stiffened. “It’s too bad there was no one there I could see myself spending more time with than at the party.”
“Hmm. Too bad. The same can be said for the number of girls who pressed their phone numbers on me.”
“Literally?”
“Oh, yes. I’m sure I have the slips of paper in my pocket here.” He dug in a coat pocket and pulled out a dozen slips of paper. “I’ll just throw these away when we get to Buxton House.”
“Oh, don’t do that. With such a huge initial splash, I’m sure you will be getting far more. We should do something with them that will commemorate the occasion. Perhaps pin them to the wall and see if they grow,” I laughed. Poor Liam was quite flustered.
“I look at the names on these slips and cannot for the life of me remember which girl was which. I should have collected photographs.”
“What a wonderful idea! I’ll help organize them and see if I can remember which is which. Then you can decide if you want to take any of them out.”
“Take them out? Look at this. Here are six names with the same phone number! They all live together!”
“That’s a good thing to note, Liam. If you do take any of them out, the entire sorority will receive a report on it.”
“That definitely puts them out of bounds, as far as I’m concerned.”
“I don’t think you would have any real problems,” I said as we climbed the stairs to our rooms. “You are always a perfect gentleman. And I thank you for being my date tonight. You made the whole event tolerable.”
“As your date,” he said hesitantly when we reached my door, “may I kiss you goodnight?” I bit my lip. Well, we had spent the day together and held hands.
“Yes,” I whispered. He touched my cheek with his fingers and it seemed I was magnetically drawn to him until our lips touched. And we stayed that way. Our lips spoke volumes to which we could give no voice. I surrendered.
It was Liam who pulled away and, while gazing into my eyes, lifted my fingers to his lips to lightly kiss.
“Goodnight, dear Meredith. Thank you for a most enjoyable day and evening.” He let go of my hands and backed toward the door to his room as I placed my hand on the doorknob and pushed it open.
“Goodnight, sweet Liam,” I whispered. And then we both bolted into our rooms. “Too soon. Too soon. Too soon,” I whispered over and over to myself until at last I fell asleep.
It was too cold for swimming or tennis on Sunday but it was a perfect crisp fall day for riding. We enjoyed a new level of camaraderie, at least in my way of thinking. Our conversation was free and easy. I was sure the horses and the ever-present Leonard were bored by our chatter.
“What do you think about John’s challenge to me that history and literature, or general humanities, was not an appropriate study for a Leader?” he asked.
“I did have a degree of respect built for John,” I answered. “I think he is legitimately looking for an answer—perhaps to his own studies. If I am not mistaken, he is an Inquirer. He wants to know the how and why of everything he encounters. His suggestion of a more scientific education shows more about his own character than that of a Leader.”
“He was easy to talk to, I admit,” Liam said. “I hope I get an opportunity to spend more time with him at some point. I think it would be good to know several Inquirers. I can’t hope to understand everything the way they seem to.”
“You probably need people of all classes around you. Think of the things you learned from Richard as a Cognoscente. And I know that you have benefited from Lonnie’s approach to things as a Commander. I should probably not be your only Advisor,” I said.
“Yes, I can see the benefits of having as wide a range of friends as possible. John reminded me of my friend Roald. I always learn something from him when we debate. I am less inclined to surround myself with Promoters.”
“You mean like Carolyn?” I laughed.
“Yes. The social butterfly who introduced me to people of many classes but always tried to convince me she was superior to them or perhaps a better choice.”
We rode on in silence for a while until I asked, “What have you learned about deciding why Dr. Meier assigned Siddhartha for you to read? Aside from being German literature, I’ve drawn a blank.”
“Well, you haven’t read it. I’ll see if I can find an English translation,” he said. “The story of Siddhartha is rooted in karmic Buddhism. We repeat life until we have learned the lessons it has to teach us and then we reach Nirvana, a stage of perfect oneness and enlightenment. I think Hesse’s story tries to encapsulate that journey. Siddhartha is a Brahmin, which is the scholar class. But he doesn’t find the answers he wants there. So, he leaves and joins the ascetics. They deny their bodies and seek spiritual enlightenment. Not finding it there, he wanders into town and meets Kamala. That’s the same root as Kamasutra. Sensuality. But Kamala denies him that part unless he becomes a rich merchant, which he does. But not finding enlightenment as either a wealthy man or a sensualist, he wanders back to the river and simply sits and listens. And while listening to the river and helping the ferryman he discovers true peace in a simple life.”
“I really would like to read that,” I said. “But why did Dr. Meier assign it to you if not simply because it is good German literature?”
“I’m still working on that, but I think it has to do with the message that we go through different stages in life—different classes, if you will. I think she is getting at the idea that even our classes may not be permanent, but that we might progress through different stages of life as different people. I’m not stating it very well, but I think she means our lives are a discovery, not a given.”
“I think you should develop that idea further.”
Our next two weeks were filled with projects, assignments, and papers to be written. I discovered he could type, but the process was painstaking for him. I had no difficulty with his handwriting, so I gladly typed up his papers on the weekend.
“Meredith, it seems we’ve both been working too hard lately. Let’s go out Saturday night and just have fun,” he said.
“What do you have in mind?” I asked. We hadn’t kissed since the night of the party and I was a little wary of what ‘having fun’ might entail. Still, we’d worked so well on our projects that the prospect was even more appealing than it had been before.
“At the party, I asked several people what was fun to do near campus. Several of them mentioned a place called the Rathskeller. It’s apparently a bar that’s very popular among the students. It has good food, three-two beer, and music. I’m not interested in drinking but the food and music sound like a great way to relax.”
“I know the place. It’s about a half-mile off campus on the other side of the shoe factory. I’m told lots of people walk over there. It’s a little farther for you. Why don’t you have Erich take you and I’ll walk to make sure I know the way? Then when we’ve had our evening, we can walk back to my dorm and I’ll drive us back to Buxton House for the night.”
“Agreed!”
Everything I’d heard about the Rathskeller was positive. It was a place easily accessible to students but far enough off campus that news of their behavior was unlikely to get back to the provost. I’d heard that even some of the factory workers stopped there after their shifts. Beer of the three-point-two-percent variety was served to anyone over eighteen. There were no hard spirits served at all and a staff of burly men enforced a cutoff if the bartender signaled it. It would be a perfect introduction for Liam to the college scene and possibly the first time he had ever worn his denim jeans off campus at Elenchus.
I walked along the sidewalk, occasionally being passed by other students who hurried by. About three hundred yards away from the bar, I saw Liam get out of Erich’s car in front of the establishment. I hurried forward past the shoe factory where my progress was suddenly arrested.
“Just what we need.”
“Alone and pretty. She’ll do.”
“What are you doing?” A man grabbed my arm and I opened my mouth to scream but one of the strikers clamped a hand over it. The last thing I saw as I was hurried through the picket line was Liam sprinting toward me.
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