Mavis Schuyler was not happy. Not in the least. It was New Year's Eve and the best party in all of Schuyler Square was being given by her former maid, Rosanne. Not only was the party being hosted by Rosanne and her husband Mike, it had been somehow crashed by Bernard Morton and all of his employees making the entire affair more like some kind of low brow bowling event instead of the festive soiree that Mavis typically threw. Well, it was closing in on midnight. As soon as the new year came in, she'd find her date and make him take her home. This particular joke had gone on long enough.
"Mother? What are you doing here?"
Tyler appeared at her elbow holding two glasses of champagne, his bow tie crooked. Mavis kissed her son's cheek as she reached for one of the glasses. "Darling--just what I needed. My date has vanished and I'm parched." Mavis drained the glass. "Now tell me what are you doing here?"
"I asked you first."
"Rosanne invited me. Now it's your turn."
"Mindy invited me."
"Good Lord, is Mindy Cooper here too? Did Rosanne invite the entire town?"
"It looks that way."
"Why is everyone from Kutrate Kemical invited?"
Tyler shrugged. "I guess Mr. Morton asked if he could combine the company's Christmas party with the party Rosanne and Mike were giving. He thought it would be more fun."
"He thought it would be cheaper," Mavis replied knowingly. "Bernard Morton is the best looking cheapskate I know."
"What do you know about him anyway?"
"Well, let's see. He's rich and handsome. What else does anyone need to know?"
"Do you think he's hiding anything?"
"Such as?" Mavis plucked the other glass of champagne out of Tyler's hand and drank it just as Mindy Cooper approached the two of them. "There you are!" Mindy said to Tyler. "I've been escaping from Bernard's clutches all night long--" Mindy stopped when she saw Mavis. Oh. Hello, Mavis."
"Mindy," Mavis said frostily. "Splendid. Are you reporting on the party for your little newspaper?"
Bernard Morton joined them, moving in smoothly like a snake. "Here's my date," he said, slipping an arm around Mindy's waist.
"Your date? I thought Mindy was with you," Mavis said to Tyler but Tyler had vanished into the crowd.
"Of course Mindy's with me," Bernard said smoothly. "How are you, Mavis?"
"Very well, Bernard. How are you?"
"Just great. Nice party, huh? Those lottery winners really know how to throw a bash."
"I understand that you decided to join ranks with Rosanne and Mike and have your party at the same time?"
"In for a penny, in for a pound. I told Rosanne and Mike that they'd be doing me a huge favor if we could split costs on this one. My Girl Friday here doesn't seem to know how to stay in a budget."
Mavis noticed how strained Mindy looked. Hmmm. Interesting. "So, Bernard," Mavis inquired, "do you have any resolutions for the new year that you'd like to share?"
"Just one," Bernard replied. "Before this year is over, I'm going to kiss my bachelor days good-bye."
Mindy no longer looked strained. Instead she looked like she might throw up. "Excuse me," she murmured
"Really, Bernard," Mavis said as soon as Mindy left them and raced toward the ladies' room, "isn't she a bit young for you?"
"Mindy? Not really. I think she'd make a fine Mrs. Bernard Morton. Don't you?"
Mavis changed the subject. "How's business?"
"Excellent. Really a great year."
"Why is that? Should I be investing in Kutrate Kemical?"
"Only if you want to make money. We are on the verge of a huge breakthrough, Mavis. It's going to set Schuyler Square on its ear and make me so much money that I'll be able to retire in style without worrying about that annoying fiscal cliff."
Mavis lowered her voice. "Is it legal?"
"Of course it is! Now ask me if it's ethical. I think you can guess the answer to that one."
Showing posts with label engagements. Show all posts
Showing posts with label engagements. Show all posts
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Schuyler Square Day 131 Tyler Schuyler
Truthfully, Mindy Cooper made Tyler a little nervous. Make that very nervous. She was so...pushy. So know it all. So very much like his own mother. But Mindy wanted to marry him and if he didn't come up with a good reason not to marry her, he knew that she wasn't going to give up easily.
Sitting in his room back at Schuyler Manor, Tyler pulled out a piece of paper, drew a vertical line down the middle of it and neatly wrote across the top REASONS WHY I SHOULD AND SHOULDN'T MARRY MINDY. His father had taught him to always figure out the pros and cons of any business deal and Tyler couldn't seem to escape the feeling that marrying Mindy would be more or less the biggest business deal of his life.
He stared at the paper for a long time before finally writing on the "should" side: "Mindy is very pretty."
She was pretty. She was smart, too. And ambitious. Way more ambitious than he was but that wasn't too surprising. Just about everyone Tyler met was more ambitious than he was. When one is born into a wealthy family, one seldom harbored much ambition beyond getting a fantastic tan on one's next vacation to the Virgin Islands.
Stymied to come up with more reasons why he should marry Mindy, Tyler moved to the "shouldn't" side" "I'm too young. I might meet someone better. Mindy picks her teeth when she thinks no one is looking. My mother hates Mindy. Mindy hates my mother. Suppose she wants to raise any children we might have as Democrats?"
Disgusted with himself, Tyler wadded up the paper and threw it away. He probably should marry Mindy just to prove to himself and everyone else in the world that he wasn't a wimp who was incapable of doing anything other than sit around and write stupid lists to himself.
But what would Mom say?
Tyler didn't want to go there. His mother would have a fit if he married Mindy Cooper. Not that Mom had been the best role model in the world, but Tyler knew for a fact that Mavis Schuyler lived by the maxim: Do what I say, not what I do. She might even disinherit him.
His stomach turned at the thought. If Mom disinherited him, what would he do for money? Would he have to work? At a job? No way! Graduate school was hard enough. Tyler couldn't imagine having to be some place for 40 hours a week and being expected to produce something.
"Tyler?" Mavis opened his bedroom door without knocking. His mother didn't believe in knocking. "What are you doing?"
"Homework," Tyler replied.
"Well, finish up and come downstairs. I'm having someone over for drinks and I'd like you to meet him."
"Why?" Tyler asked suspiciously. His mother had just gotten rid of that cop. Surely she hadn't found some other creep to bring home.
"Because I want you to," Mavis replied somewhat mysteriously. "Now hurry. He'll be here in a few minutes."
Tyler rolled his eyes. His mother was too old to keep on picking men up and he was too old to keep on meeting them. Maybe he should marry Mindy. It would be one way to get out of his mother's house. "Who is it?" he asked before his mother left.
"His name is Vlad. I think he might be Tiffany's real father."
Sitting in his room back at Schuyler Manor, Tyler pulled out a piece of paper, drew a vertical line down the middle of it and neatly wrote across the top REASONS WHY I SHOULD AND SHOULDN'T MARRY MINDY. His father had taught him to always figure out the pros and cons of any business deal and Tyler couldn't seem to escape the feeling that marrying Mindy would be more or less the biggest business deal of his life.
He stared at the paper for a long time before finally writing on the "should" side: "Mindy is very pretty."
She was pretty. She was smart, too. And ambitious. Way more ambitious than he was but that wasn't too surprising. Just about everyone Tyler met was more ambitious than he was. When one is born into a wealthy family, one seldom harbored much ambition beyond getting a fantastic tan on one's next vacation to the Virgin Islands.
Stymied to come up with more reasons why he should marry Mindy, Tyler moved to the "shouldn't" side" "I'm too young. I might meet someone better. Mindy picks her teeth when she thinks no one is looking. My mother hates Mindy. Mindy hates my mother. Suppose she wants to raise any children we might have as Democrats?"
Disgusted with himself, Tyler wadded up the paper and threw it away. He probably should marry Mindy just to prove to himself and everyone else in the world that he wasn't a wimp who was incapable of doing anything other than sit around and write stupid lists to himself.
But what would Mom say?
Tyler didn't want to go there. His mother would have a fit if he married Mindy Cooper. Not that Mom had been the best role model in the world, but Tyler knew for a fact that Mavis Schuyler lived by the maxim: Do what I say, not what I do. She might even disinherit him.
His stomach turned at the thought. If Mom disinherited him, what would he do for money? Would he have to work? At a job? No way! Graduate school was hard enough. Tyler couldn't imagine having to be some place for 40 hours a week and being expected to produce something.
"Tyler?" Mavis opened his bedroom door without knocking. His mother didn't believe in knocking. "What are you doing?"
"Homework," Tyler replied.
"Well, finish up and come downstairs. I'm having someone over for drinks and I'd like you to meet him."
"Why?" Tyler asked suspiciously. His mother had just gotten rid of that cop. Surely she hadn't found some other creep to bring home.
"Because I want you to," Mavis replied somewhat mysteriously. "Now hurry. He'll be here in a few minutes."
Tyler rolled his eyes. His mother was too old to keep on picking men up and he was too old to keep on meeting them. Maybe he should marry Mindy. It would be one way to get out of his mother's house. "Who is it?" he asked before his mother left.
"His name is Vlad. I think he might be Tiffany's real father."
Friday, October 5, 2012
Schuyler Square Day 130 Mindy and Tyler
"What would you think about getting engaged?"
Tyler Schuyler spit out the ice cream he was eating. "What?"
Minday looked at her boyfriend of almost two months coolly. "Don't act like I just asked what you thought about getting West Nile disease. I'm talking about getting married."
"To who?"
"To me, silly." Tyler might be cute but he sure was on the dumb side. That was OK with Mindy. She liked being the smart one in a couple. It made for a lot less headaches. Tyler could be Pinky and she'd be The Brain. "Why not? We get along, we have fun together, we're both quite attractive--I bet any kids we produced would be stunning."
"You're asking me to marry you? I thought guys were supposed to ask girls."
"Tyler, that thinking is positively antiquated. Why should I wait for you to ask me?" Mindy didn't add that she knew that if she did wait, she'd be old and grey before Tyler got around to popping the question. She didn't want to be old and grey before she got married; she wanted to be young enough to enjoy shopping and taking fabulous vacations. "So, what do you think?"
Tyler slowly finished the enormous sundae that he'd ordered. "Well," he finally said, "I don't think it's a totally bad idea."
"Gee, thanks."
"Don't get mad. It's just that we don't know each other all that well. Marriage is a big step."
Tyler obviously had never heard of divorces. "I know it's a big step," Mindy said patiently. "That's why people get engaged first, to see if they're ready to get married. We could get engaged, have a sumptuous engagement party at your house, maybe even move in together and see what happenes next."
She watched as Tyler processed the idea. It was like watching a cow chew its cud. "I guess we could do that," Tyler said after several long minutes of deliberation. "Would I have to get you a ring or something?"
"A ring would be nice." Mindy would pick it out, however. She didn't trust Tyler to choose anything big enough.
"Would we have to tell anyone that we're engaged?"
"Why? Are you ashamed of me?"
"No, but you know how my mother is."
Oh, yes. Mindy knew exactly how Mavis Schuyler was, which was another reason why she wanted to be engaged to Tyler even if it was only for a week or two. It would make Mavis nuts and that was reason enough for Mindy. "Your mother and I will become the best of friends," she predicted, smiling sweetly at her almost-fiance. "I bet we'll find that we have a lot in common. Come on, Tyler, what do you say? Will you marry me?"
"I guess so," Tyler answered.
Mindy picked up her spoon and began eating her own sundae. Tyler's response wasn't what she'd call enthusiastic but that was all right. He'd said yes.
Tyler Schuyler spit out the ice cream he was eating. "What?"
Minday looked at her boyfriend of almost two months coolly. "Don't act like I just asked what you thought about getting West Nile disease. I'm talking about getting married."
"To who?"
"To me, silly." Tyler might be cute but he sure was on the dumb side. That was OK with Mindy. She liked being the smart one in a couple. It made for a lot less headaches. Tyler could be Pinky and she'd be The Brain. "Why not? We get along, we have fun together, we're both quite attractive--I bet any kids we produced would be stunning."
"You're asking me to marry you? I thought guys were supposed to ask girls."
"Tyler, that thinking is positively antiquated. Why should I wait for you to ask me?" Mindy didn't add that she knew that if she did wait, she'd be old and grey before Tyler got around to popping the question. She didn't want to be old and grey before she got married; she wanted to be young enough to enjoy shopping and taking fabulous vacations. "So, what do you think?"
Tyler slowly finished the enormous sundae that he'd ordered. "Well," he finally said, "I don't think it's a totally bad idea."
"Gee, thanks."
"Don't get mad. It's just that we don't know each other all that well. Marriage is a big step."
Tyler obviously had never heard of divorces. "I know it's a big step," Mindy said patiently. "That's why people get engaged first, to see if they're ready to get married. We could get engaged, have a sumptuous engagement party at your house, maybe even move in together and see what happenes next."
She watched as Tyler processed the idea. It was like watching a cow chew its cud. "I guess we could do that," Tyler said after several long minutes of deliberation. "Would I have to get you a ring or something?"
"A ring would be nice." Mindy would pick it out, however. She didn't trust Tyler to choose anything big enough.
"Would we have to tell anyone that we're engaged?"
"Why? Are you ashamed of me?"
"No, but you know how my mother is."
Oh, yes. Mindy knew exactly how Mavis Schuyler was, which was another reason why she wanted to be engaged to Tyler even if it was only for a week or two. It would make Mavis nuts and that was reason enough for Mindy. "Your mother and I will become the best of friends," she predicted, smiling sweetly at her almost-fiance. "I bet we'll find that we have a lot in common. Come on, Tyler, what do you say? Will you marry me?"
"I guess so," Tyler answered.
Mindy picked up her spoon and began eating her own sundae. Tyler's response wasn't what she'd call enthusiastic but that was all right. He'd said yes.
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