Chapter 7 : Stars and Pedastals

*Lily*

William’s whole persona changed, and I hardly recognized him as he addressed the woman standing before us. Her flaxen hair was pulled back in a tight bun, and she wore a Burberry trench coat.

“Hello, Elaine.” William nodded, barely looking up from the wine list.

“William, where are your manners?” Elaine put her hand on her hip, flashing a three-carat diamond-sized ring in my vision. “Who do we have here?”

William cleared his throat. “Elaine, this is Lilian.”

I frowned at him for not using my real name, but I gathered he didn’t want Elaine telling his ex-wife, who might mention it to Eva. I tried to push Eva to the back of my mind, wondering if she might be okay with the fact that I was dating her father in some alternative universe. I feared the answer would always be a resounding no.

We exchanged greetings with the friend of Eva’s mother, and I couldn’t help pondering what William’s ex-wife looked like. I was sure she was beautiful. The woman, Elaine, turned to me now, asking where we’d met.

I could tell William’s patience was tapped, so I offered, “We met at an art show.”

I sipped my water and smiled at her. She smiled back, though her smile never met her eyes. I excused myself to the restroom, avoiding the awkward situation. I hoped to give them a chance to clear the air before I returned.

I’d met women like Elaine before while working summers at the resort–women who try to make themselves feel big by making you feel small. Their antics never worked with me because I had decided long ago who I was and who they were.

Back at the table, Elaine was gone, and William started to apologize, but I raised my hand.

“I understand why you called me Lilian, which is not my full name, by the way,” I said. “This is just dinner, William. I know you’re thinking of Eva. Let’s see where this evening takes us.”

Eva and her mother lingered between us now. I could tell that his mind had shifted to more unpleasant memories as he handed me the dessert menu. I opened it and didn’t think I could consume another bite until I saw the tiramisu. We ordered two pieces with deliciously strong coffee.

“The coffee won’t keep you up all night?” he asked.

“No, I’ll sleep like a baby.”

“Ah, to be twenty again,” he mused. “I must say, it’s refreshing to see a woman eat like you do.”

“William! That’s rude to say.” I laughed.

“It’s true! All the women I know consume roughly five hundred calories a day, with a diet of salad wedges and lemon water.”

“Well, that sounds quite lacking to me.” I scooped the last bite of cake onto my fork. “So tell me, I’m dying to know. What is my after-dinner surprise?”

“Let’s go.”

I was ready. If William wanted to take me home, throw me down on his bed, and ride me till sunrise, I had decided before dessert arrived that I’d submit to the moment. Life was short, I was young, and he was the sexiest man alive as far as I was concerned.

I was far from knowledgeable about sexual rendezvous but felt it was time, and who better to learn from than an experienced older man like William? I wasn’t sure when and if a chance like this might arise again, so I mentally prepared myself to be bold.

I tried to play it cool by saying that this was only dinner when I wanted it to be so much more. I told myself it didn’t matter that he’d lied to that woman about my name when it hurt my feelings slightly. It was a complicated situation, and he was protecting his daughter–my friend. I, too, should have been more concerned for Eva’s feelings.

Tipsy from several glasses of Dom Pérignon, I leaned on his arm to step into the car. I sat closer in the car and brushed my leg against his. However, we didn’t have time to get frisky on the five-minute car ride to our next destination.

“Here we are. Thanks, Jerry. I’ll text you when we’re through.”

After getting my bearings, I saw that we had stopped in front of the enormous stone columns of the Museum of Natural History. He took my hand and ushered me to the door. “Wait, isn’t this closed?” It had to be close to nine-thirty. An attendant opened the door for us. “Sir, right this way.”

My heart rate pulsed double-time as we crossed the threshold of the magnificent museum with the elaborate stone staircases. “Where are you taking me?”

“You ask a lot of questions, you know that?”

“I love museums. I was just at the MET earlier today.”

“Well, I hope you like this one. We can see anything you want, but I have a special screening in the Hayden Planetarium.”

My eyes widened as we passed through the great halls, exploring the massive rooms filled with wooley mammoths, giant elephants, and triceratops. William knew the place without looking at the map. He guided me through the Butterfly Conservatory to the Big Bang Theater and then to see the Giant Sequoia Round and Amethyst Geodes. After an hour, we hit the museum’s crown jewel and evening’s highlighted surprise, the Hayden Planetarium.

“This was my favorite place to come as a kid. It’s hard to see the stars in the city, so I’d come here.” William told me.

“You grew up here–Upper West Side? We spent our summers in Montauk, but I went to college just up the road.”

The giant spherical room with its domed theater reminded me of the Death Star from the “Star Wars” movies.

“Come on.” William took my hand, and we sat in the deathly quiet auditorium. He looked at his watch right before the lights dimmed. We sat in a completely darkened theater in silence before the projector behind us slowly came to life. We watched a twenty-five-minute film about the Earth and the planets.

“When I was young and came here, I wanted to be a scientist,” William said.

I stared at the awe-inspired nighttime sky filled with gorgeous diamond-like stars. I couldn’t take my eyes away from the solar system and galaxies. I forgot where I was and just marveled at the beauty projected on the screen. I glanced at William, who stared as fixated as I was.

“Why didn’t you become a scientist?” I asked.

“I couldn’t,” he whispered, even though we were the only two in the room. “I never had a choice. I was always expected to follow my father’s career and take over the business. I don’t want to put that on Eva. I want her to decide for herself what she wants to do in life.”

I thought this was both sad and sweet. I hated the idea that people like William and my friend Rachel couldn’t follow their passions. It was kind of him not to put that pressure on Eva. However, the thought of Eva even running a snow cone shack seemed implausible, much less a multi-billion dollar company, but I held my tongue.

I couldn’t help thinking about his opulent upbringing. The life he was born into was so different from mine. He spent his summers in a house on the ocean, where I worked in my uncle’s hardware store until I was old enough to drive. Then I worked at the lake resort until I left for college. There was no discussion about working—my brothers and I had no choice, just as William had to work for his father’s company. In that sense, we were similar, though I had fought to make my dream of painting a reality.

Next, we watched an enthralling film, The Digital Universe Atlas, incorporating more views of the planets, star clusters, and galaxies in 3-D. Afterward, we named the star constellations, and an expression my father used to say popped into my head—‘He’s not the brightest star in the Little Dipper.’ He’d say this about my brother’s friends or boyfriends of mine he didn’t like. The distance between us saddened me. We might as well have been as far away as the stars in the night. It wasn’t fair to say my parents alone created the space. I knew I had as well.

“Is your father still alive?” I whispered.

“No, both my parents have passed,” he said.

“I’m sorry.”

He glanced at me, “Are your parents still living?”

“Yes, and I have two older brothers, both married, living in a small suburb just outside of Minneapolis. Two sweet nephews, ages four and six. I miss them all.”

“Do you get back often? Do they come to visit?” he asked.

“No, they’re not exactly thrilled with my being here. They think it’s a phase I’m going through.” I tried not to sigh.

William moved forward in his chair and turned to face me. “Do they not see how talented you are?”

“They aren’t creative types. They consider art a hobby, not something someone would choose a career in. Who knows? They could be right.”

“No, they are not right,” he said. “I’m sorry to contradict them, but you are extremely talented, Lily. I meant it when I said I wanted to sponsor your work and provide you with the space to advance your career. I have a friend who owns an art gallery in Vancouver. I know he’d love to see your work.”

His exuberance lifted my mood. I tried not to think about how I hadn’t heard a word from my parents about my show. They only ever called to ask when I planned to come home.

“Well, I should be getting you back. It’s getting late,” William said as the show ended.

We stood to leave. I tried not to hide my disappointment that our night together was ending.

I stopped him outside as we waited for William’s driver, Jerry. “William, thank you so much for this. Tonight was amazing. I’d never been here, and it was incredible.”

“Well, there’s much we didn’t have time to see. You need about four to five hours to explore it all. We’ll have to come back.”

I tingled with the idea of our second date. We got in the car and made the drive across down, all the while wondering if William might try to kiss me goodnight.

When the driver approached my apartment building, Wiliam jumped out and got the door for me. He walked me to the door, still sheltering me from the biting wind.

William eyed a few sketchy youths and a homeless man sitting against the wall by the door to my building, holding a brown paper bag between his legs. If he disapproved of my neighborhood, he held it in.

I started to take his jacket off, but he stopped me.

“Keep it.” He kissed me chastely and said, “Good night, Lily. Thank you for a wonderful evening. Can I call you again?”

“Of course. I’d like that.”

He held the door open for me. “Good night, Lily.”

Then he disappeared into his Range Rover.