Author Games: Ace of Spades

Task One: Males

Adam Burke

Lunch was always a quiet affair in the Burke household. My mother insisted that we wear only button downs, not a full tuxedo as we donned for dinner. My father would move seats from his place at the head of the table to sit with my mother and I on the sides, eating alongside us informally.

It was quite possibly the worst part of the day, including dinner. At least then there was usually guest. Lunch was simply endless questions and infinite business talk. Today was no different, except I arrived a few minutes later than normal.

"Adam," my mother gently reprimanded me as I pulled out my chair, "lunch is at noon. It's 12:02."

"Apologies, Mother. Barry and I were in the middle of a heated round of doubles tennis. We couldn't let the charming Worth twins win, now, could we?"

I would have stayed out longer if I could have, but my sweet mother, for her tiny frame and deceivingly harmless laugh lines, would have had my hide for later than 12:03. I didn't want to risk it.

My father leaned across the table, his stark white shirt a striking contrast to the elegant dark wood of our long table. "I expect that the Worth twins are nursing yet another loss?"

"As always, Father. You know Barry and I are an unbeatable team." I let out a soft, fake laugh and unfolded my napkin gently.

"Yes, I'm sure that Barrington's father is very proud of him as well. How is your partner, dear? Still fighting that dreadful company for the land?"

My father sat back with a sigh. "Yes, but we'll surely win. We need a new Midwest headquarters. Far more important than any small business, isn't it?"

I forced a smile as my father continued to drone about DIY shops and how the small business was ruining corporate America. It wasn't that I was bored, but I'd heard the spiel hundreds of times - business luncheons, dinner parties, even weddings. The Worth twin's double wedding meant twice the relatives from the brides' families that Father could talk to for hours on end.

"Adam, dear, is your golf date with Jacob Worth still on? His wife must be jealous that you spend so much time with him. Oh, if you go out to the lake course, please don't wade into the water to play the gentleman again. You ruined your dress shoes last time."

My mother was almost worse than Father. He, at least, was talking about something that got us those fancy dress shoes. My mother cared for appearances and material things like golf clubs and full names.

"They were Russian, Mother," I reminded with a grin. "Not exactly Milan-style waste. Thank you," I added as the staff brought out lunch - simple this time, sandwiches, though they were freshly made on freshly baked bread.

Only the best for the Burke family lunch.

"So, the gala is coming up," I mentioned after a bite and a wipe of my mouth with the generous napkins that arrived with the meal. One for the lap, one for the face, eight hundred more silk-spun cloths waiting for the next day. "Am I to assume that I must find a respectable young lady to bring? Mya Harrison recently got engaged, so I'm afraid my usual date is off the table."

"Mya is such a brilliant girl. It's a shame that Ulysses snatched her up, eh? When will you settle down, Adam?"

I gave another smile to my father. "Not for a while. If I want to be a partner by the time I'm thirty, I have to get serious about my career."

It was sad how easy it was to lie to my parents. I didn't give a damn that Mya had gotten engaged to Ulysses, I had no intentions of becoming a partner, and for once, it would be nice to wear jeans to lunch and not just for Extra-Casual-End-of-Year-Fridays (the last working Friday in December where 'Casual' didn't mean 'No Tie').