We arrived at the Palms early Saturday afternoon. It was the only night that everyone could get together. George outdid himself again, pimping out the suite with everything you could possibly imagine. Topless waitresses stood at the door taking our jackets, offering us drinks and basically anything else we wanted. As Elijah walked in behind me, his faced cringed as he avoided looking at the tits that were on parade.
“Okay, so why the Elvis costume?” Scratching my head, his sequins shone back at me like I was watching a burlesque show.
“He is the King and we are in Vegas.”
“Okay, so again, why the Elvis costume?”
“Because I’ve always wanted to dress up as him and seriously I could not do this in Brooklyn.”
The response did not satisfy me but, hey, his prerogative I guess. We made our way to the bar and sat on the stools waiting for the rest of the party to turn up. Over the next hour, four of Elijah’s college friends arrived as well as two of his cousins. He did the introductions and they were a laid-back bunch, not as geeky as I expected, except for the one dressed up in some sci-fi costume. When the hell did this become a costume party? It wasn’t long after that my father arrived.
“Andrew, I’m glad you could make it.” Elijah shook his hand as my dad eyed him up and down, amused by his attire.
“How could I miss my favorite son-in-law’s bachelor party?”
“I'm your only son-in-law,” Elijah quickly interjected with a small laugh. My dad patted him on the back; their mutual admiration for each other was always evident. I turned away, not wanting to be caught looking. If I was being honest with myself, it was the kind of relationship I wanted with him as well if we didn’t butt heads all the time.
It had been months since I saw him. In true Andrew fashion he hadn’t aged one bit. He looked forty, tops. His brown hair was still slicked back in the same style it had been for years, his emerald-colored eyes an exact match to mine. He turned my way, there was no avoiding it.
“Son, nice to see you.” He extended his hand and I shook it like it was a fucking business meeting.
“Dad, always a pleasure.”
“So I hear the merger at Lexed was quite a success. Well done.”
“We are where we projected we would be. Even better, actually.”
“Your dedication has paid off. Your sister tells me you’ve been spending quite a lot of time in New York.”
I was certain he knew. Adriana told my parents everything. It was her one weakness. There was no beating around the bush. Irritated, I couldn’t believe we were back to discussing this.
“Just spit it out, Dad. What do you want to know? That I saw Charlotte again? That she looked utterly amazing? That she’s successful and moved on?”
“I'm glad she’s doing well. She always was a smart one.”
“Seriously Dad, that’s all you’re going to say?”
“Lex, what would you like me to say?”
“I don’t know. That I should leave her alone? That I shouldn’t have started all this shit again?"
“You’re a grown man. What you do with your life is your decision.”
“Funny, because that advice is seven years too late. Maybe if you let me make my own decisions back then I wouldn’t be living this fucking nightmare right now!”
“Son, listen to me—”
His sentenced was cut off as Rocky entered the room yelling, “I'm here, motherfuckers.” He was quick to apologize as soon as he caught wind of my dad standing there.
“Oh sorry, Mr. E.”
“Rocky, please, your language doesn’t offend me. Besides, it’s a bachelor party. I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“Shit, then let’s get this motherfucking party started!”
Rocky walked over to the sound system and cranked up some music, Sir Mix-A-Lot’s Baby Got Back played loudly. As the beats played, Rocky made himself designated bartender for the night. Oh shit, we were in trouble. “A toast to Elijah, Mr. Kama Sutra himself… Oh shit, sorry Mr. E!” Rocky blurted out realizing his Kama Sutra comment may not have gone down well with my dad.
“Please, call me Andrew.” He tapped on his chest as the aftermath of the shot settled. “Damn, it’s been years since I’ve had one of these... Not since the night Emily and I—”