Albert thought back on how rewarding his social life had been recently. It had been three years since he had broken up with his fiancee. Actually, she had 'dumped' him. He hadn't dated much for the first year after the breakup but had instead spent long hours brooding alone in his apartment chain smoking ever vanishing packs of cigarettes and watching television, anything from the local weather to Public Policy Conference to reruns of Green Acres to Prime Time Wrestling to Candy Stripe Nurses to the lissome women on the Twenty Minute Workout. Soon after he started dating again, he decided to be very selective in the ladies he asked out. He was satisfied with not having a steady girl now and looked forward to remaining free for a long time.
As he drove through the streets to his date's house, he thought back on how his fiancee's announcement that she wanted to call off their engagement had come as a complete shock, although he could now see where it shouldn't have been such a surprise. They had been engaged for almost a year, and then one day she simply told him she didn't think they were going to be able to make it. She was very gentle about it. At the time he had been working as a jeweler, and although he had hopes, it didn't look like he would be going anywhere fast. She worked for a bank and knew, being young with plenty of time to go far, that she was on a solid track toward a vice-presidential position. She came from a family that was well-acquainted with the Mercedes and the Guccis.
"Compatibility of lifestyles is a very important consideration in marriage, Albert," she said softly. "Much more important than many people realize, or care to realize, and I'm afraid we may be heading for disappointment in that department."
He knew she had their disparity of earning power in mind and tried to get her to realize she wasn't looking at the question correctly, but she was steadfast. She did discuss her decision with him extensively in an obvious attempt to help him accept her inevitable, unswerving decision.
Albert had met tonight's date, Ann, at a party she had given in her home. He had carefully cultivated many socially active single friends and got invited to many parties where he had the chance to meet women. Ann lived alone in an elegant two-story house.
He rang the doorbell. "Oh, how thoughtful," she exclaimed when she answered the door. "They're beautiful. They must have cost a fortune."
"Oh, for you, it was the least I could do."
The flowers had indeed been very expensive, but it was part of the style he had developed. He always brought a bouquet of flowers on a date. He had discovered that many women relished a lavish treatment. Ann told him she still had a few things left to do and invited him to come in and make himself a drink while he waited. She looked very good in the tight skirt she was wearing. He gave her a 7 in looks but guessed she would only be about a 5 in bed.
As he sat drinking his vodka gimlet in the party room, he remembered how she had shown him and other guests around during her party and proudly pointed out some of the finer things she owned. The 4-foot television projection screen and the video camera and matching cassette recorder were still there in the party room. He also remembered two large sets of sterling silverware in the dining room, and a brief conversation there in which one of the women talked about how she had been a victim of date rape.
Ann was like his fiancee in many ways. He remembered how he had wanted to lash out at his fiancee after she had dumped him but later saw he shouldn't take it personally. After he started dating again, he had come to realize how many other women thought like her.
After she was ready, they went out to his car. "A Porsche," she exclaimed, "and it's one of the new ones. I love Porsches, even more than Cadillacs I'm getting to think." She owned a Cadillac. "I like that suit, too. It's very nice." Albert always made sure he wore high quality suits on his dates and to parties. He personally didn't care to wear them and was especially averse to ties that to him always felt so uncomfortable, but it was clear that women were more impressed with men who wore a suit and a tie. He had not wanted to admit it at first when others had pointed it out to him, but he was eventually convinced that wearing a suit made a difference as to how people, both men and women, responded to a man. "This car is really nice," she said as she caressed the golden velour seats.
At the Criterion, Albert talked to the maitre d' as if he had been going there for years. As the waiter took their order for drinks, Albert told him, "Bring the usual appetizers, please."
Ann looked around at the elegant decor, "I've only been able to come here once before, but I remember it's a fantastic place. I'm glad you chose it. You have very good taste."
"Thank you. I know one thing for sure. Everyone would agree that I have excellent taste in choosing dining companions."
"Oh, you did have to say that. Thank you."
After they had begun eating their main course, they began telling each other about themselves. She asked where he was from and Albert told her, "I came here from Germany eight years ago." His accent had no doubt suggested that to her before. "I was able to come because of my sister. She married a U.S. citizen."
"Is all the rest of your family here now?" she asked.
"My mother is still back in Frankfurt. She doesn't want to come. It would be cheaper if she lived here. You see I have to help support her, but I don't mind. I understand why she doesn't want to come."
"And how do you like the United States?"
"I've lived in some of this country's finest cities, and I've found that America really is the land of opportunity."
"You're a jeweler, aren't you?"
"In Frankfurt, my father trained me to be a jeweler. I worked for a jeweler in Beverly Hills until a year and half ago. Then I decided to start a business of my own that's not jewelry."
"And how is it going?"
"It's getting better all the time. I have some partners and we're working hard at developing it. We work well together. That reminds me, I'm going to have to excuse myself. I have to make an important phone call to one of my partners that can't wait. I'll be back in just a minute."
After he got back, she asked him some specific questions she had about jewelry, which he answered in detail.
"Now tell me something about yourself," he told her.
"I was trained as a medical secretary. I met my ex-husband working for him in his office. He was an internist. He was very nice to me at first. We got along well for the first few years of our marriage. Of course, we had everything we wanted. He was doing very well in his practice. We didn't have much time to spend together, which I didn't mind at first, but it got tiring after a couple of years."
"So you slowly drifted apart."
"Yes, but that probably wasn't the major reason we broke up. What I objected to the most was that he didn't want me to work. It was some sort of ego thing to him. Couldn't stand to have his wife working, especially as a secretary." Ann explained what a hard time she had trying to find ways to keep busy and how the marriage ground down to a halt. She was now working at a hospital. She continued, "I got the house in the divorce, and most of the furniture. I also got a good alimony cash settlement. I wouldn't have to work if I didn't want to, at least not for a while. It's nice to know the money is there."
"Money brings freedom."
"Sure does. You know right after my divorce I told myself it didn't matter. I tried going out with some men who didn't have much money or who didn't seem to care about it. They were nice and all, but they just weren't exciting to me. I find that a man who has money or is about to make a lot of money is very exciting and sexy."
"I know a lot of women who feel that way."
"I know several years back it was popular for women to say it didn't matter if a man made a lot of money, but I'm glad that's changed. I happen to like the attention that yuppies are getting. Young people who are trying to become successful in business or their professions should be admired for it."
"You've got a good point." He remembered they used to be called 'yumpies' at first, which he thought more properly corresponded to 'young, upwardly-mobile professional.' For that reason, he thought of them as 'yumps.' She was about 30, attractive with a lot of energy. He wondered how she might be in bed. She would be lively if nothing else. If he did go to bed with her tonight, it would have to be at his place. He always preferred to do it in his place. He had certain rules he liked to follow. He tried to go out with women who did not know each other very well. Otherwise it could lead to all kinds of problems. Of course, he didn't mind if one gave good 'references' to another. He strongly preferred it if they lived alone.
Tonight he was wondering whether it might not be better to avoid having sex altogether. After they finished eating, Albert tried to make sure the evening didn't end too soon so he tried to stir up the conversation and suggested cordials.
"Tell me more about your business," she said.
"It hasn't gone anywhere near as far as we would like. We could expand our profits significantly. We think we deserve tremendous success because it's a risky business."
"Oh, you're absolutely right, but I'm still curious about just what kind of business it is. Does it have anything to do with jewelry?"
"I'm afraid my partners and I are pledged to absolute secrecy. If certain trade secrets get into the wrong hands, it could ruin the business overnight. We don't even discuss these things with our families."
"That's quite all right. I understand."
"It's not the jewelry business although my knowledge of jewelry often comes in handy."
"You plan to ever to go back to the jewelry business? I would think that would be profitable without all that much risk."
"That's true, and I may go back to it someday, but for now this is more satisfying and it brings much more money. Now tell me more about yourself. I bet you've always appreciated the good life. I'm sure it would be very hard for you to live at any lesser level than you do now."
"Oh, yes, you get real used to having things you want."
They talked about her early life and more about her marriage and then went to the disco next door and danced for an hour. On the way home, he kept wondering what it would be like at her doorstep. Would she ask him to come in? Would she think that something was wrong if he declined the invitation?
He still remembered the bad experience he had one time he went into a date's house at the end of an evening. Soon after they went into the house, the woman started noticing things missing, and there was a disarray that had not existed before. After she found her bedroom a total mess, she realized she had been burglarized and called the police. It took some time before they arrived since it was a busy Friday night. They inspected the scene carefully, asked her many questions, made a report, and even took some fingerprints. The entire investigation took almost two hours. He stood by faithfully the whole time, trying to calm and console her.
After they got to Ann's house, he showed no interest in coming in and she picked up on it. They exchanged the usual compliments and parted. He rushed back to his car, not wanting to take any chances on her coming back out.
He felt he couldn't wait until tomorrow to see his partners so he rushed to Gary's house. He was sure they would be there. When he arrived, they were happy to see him. Gary took him immediately to the back bedroom.
"We did real good," said Ron, the other partner. On top of the bed and all over the floor, there was a video camera and matching cassette recorder, two color television sets--one console and the other a portable, a stereo component system with reel-to-reel tape recorder, two portable radios, a microwave oven, a computer with its printer, a large television projection screen, two sets of sterling silverware, assorted jewelry, five expensive dresses, about $300 in cash, several credit cards, an exercise bicycle, and many other small items. Everything was of the best of quality.
"We've got the large pieces of furniture in the garage," informed Gary. "It's all choice stuff."
"What did you expect from a doctor's ex-wife?" asked Ron.
"Remember I told you to be looking out for that video camera and recorder," said Albert.
"It was right there where you said it would be," said Gary. "I'd say we netted ourselves about $30,000 worth tonight."
"This business is getting better all the time," Albert pointed out glowingly. He could take it easy with the portion he would get from the take, but he preferred to keep right on working. There were plenty more good prospects available.
