Lunch with the wealthy

By Jim Thompson
HCP columnist

The wife told the husband that they were meeting two of her best friends for lunch. One of these friends was bringing her husband along; ergo, the wife was expecting her husband to come as well.  

On the appropriate day and time, all showed up at Major Drum’s very upscale restaurant.

The three women – all friends for a very long time – had done well in their careers. They were all retired now.  

The other husband had wisely pulled back on his career many years ago when it became apparent that his wife’s career was on a rocket ship with a very large well-known company. Decades ago, he had become a house husband.

Although this was a wise thing to do under the circumstances, I have seen this happen before. Such men often fail at trying to become relevant, although they can be a good partner if they have the strength to do this.  

The worst case I ever saw was a woman who had solely inherited a paper mill from her father. Her husband was an extremely pathetic case.

In this current case, the husband with the affliction sat down and began to tell of all the medical operations he had had and his excellent, superior history of recovery. He regaled the party with the usual missteps one has in the hospital. Of course, he had gone to the best hospitals in the country.  

He planned to get back to bicycle riding soon.  

Not so pushy, his wife, of the fantastic career, told a few anecdotes from her life, especially her experiences taking care of her very elderly mother. Routine information of interest to the empathetic. 

The other two women added some dialogue to the conversation but not much. The husband dragged to the soiree looked interested, moved his head from side to side and it seemed purposely determined to not fall asleep. In an hour and a half, he was not asked one question.

When it was time to settle the bill, husband number one made sure he grabbed the waiter and paid for it in entirety. He flashed his platinum card for all to see.

At the appropriate time, the party broke up, promised to get together again when the star couple were back in town.  

Such is the life of the wealthy.

Jim Thompson, formerly of Marshall, is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Cincinnati. He resides in Duluth, Ga. and is a columnist for The Highland County Press.