“I’m only going to say this one more time, Emily.” Jonathan’s entire body tensed up. The last thing he wanted to do was fight with Emily. This was becoming a regular thing between them, most often about whose function or event they would be attending. Usually, the Bank President won out over the sitting President of the Helping Hands Network and head of the PTA. “We will be attending the Saint Agatha’s Hospice fundraiser first. Then,” he held her shoulders and kissed her forehead, “we’ll go to your ‘thing.’” He turned, facing the full-size mirror, straightening his tie. 

               Emily plopped down on the bed staring at her husband, watching him fix his tie. “I can’t take much more of this, Jon. I’m tired of playing second fiddle to your,” she gestured wildly, “whatever the hell these things are!”

               He turned around to face her. “Fundraisers, sweetheart. And you, of all people, should understand that not attending one of these functions could end my career. You know philanthropy is a big part of the HMR’s revenue streams, right? We give to them.” He picked up a pearl necklace from her jewelry box on the oak dresser. It was simple. Elegant. And accented her candy apple red silk dress. Slowly he let the pearls fall across the back of her neck after fastening the clasp. “And they use our bank to disburse their funds. We make money because of their generosity.” Jonathan reached down for her hands and pulled her to her feet. “Besides,” he kissed her neck, “you know Kochler has no heirs, and he doesn’t want the family name to die with him.”

               Emily was unresponsive to his kiss. “I know. It’s always about your career. Your dreams. Your aspirations.” She let go of him, walking out the door but not before saying, “And I’m tired of it all.”

               “Josh, we’re going to a fundraiser tonight, and I do not want you staying up playing video games all night, you hear me?”

“Yeah, sure. Whatever.”

               “Excuse me, young man?”

               Josh saw Jonathan standing behind his Mother, his pristine pinstriped suit, solid red tie, with a gold tie clip. “Yes, Mother,” he sighed.

               His Dad scowled at him, shaking his head. “Rosalita will be here until after dinner and then . . .”

               “My chores and reading for an hour before bed.”

               Emily smiled at her son, kissing him on the forehead. Josh hated that. But he hated every social event both his parents attended more. Especially the ones he was forced to get all dressed up for. He looked like a miniature of his Dad; pinstriped suit and tie; gold tie clip; black shoes shined so brightly the reflection alone could blind you. Thankfully tonight wasn’t one of those nights. “You are such a good boy.”

               “Honey, please.”

               “Sorry. Young man.” Jonathan nodded approvingly, winking at Josh. “Be good. We should be back before midnight.”

               His Dad mouthed ‘one’ holding up a finger.

               “Okay.”

               “I love you, Joshua.”

               “Mom.” Josh wined. The kisses were one thing, but when Emily actually used his full name? It was embarrassing.

               “Well, I do.” She smiled and blew him a kiss. “Okay, Jon. Let’s go.” She took her husband’s arm and let him lead her out of the entryway at the bottom of the stairs.

               Rosalita came in just as the couple was leaving. “Rosalita, no video games for Josh tonight, understand?”

               “Yes, Mrs. Von Otto.”

               “Goodnight, Josh,” she called back, her voice echoing through their entryway.

               “You heard her, Mr. Josh. Dinner. An hour of reading and then bed.”

               “Yeah. Sure. Whatever,” Josh said, walking away from her. The housekeeper snatched his arm after ensuring the door clicked shut behind his parents. “You will NOT whatever me, young man.” She guided him straight into the kitchen. “You will NOT treat me like you do those kids you go to school with and don’t think I don’t know or overhear you. In my country, our parents taught us respect. Yours wouldn’t know how to do that if it bit them. But I will NOT allow you to treat others as badly as your parents. Understand me?” She let go of him, pointing to the counter where steam drifting off a plate. The marble countertop bar was where Josh usually ate because it was easy.

               The kitchen was spotless, cleaned by the staff that Josh rarely saw. Rosalita was in charge and made a point of making it look like it was easy. The five underlings Emily allowed her to hire came in, normally before anyone was awake and after everyone was in bed to clean. And it was immaculate! Nothing was out of place. Not a speck of dust or dirt on any surface, including the cracks and crevasses of the tile flooring. Rosalita knew how to get everything done and trusted the people she and Emily picked. Jonathan often tested his staff, wondering if anyone would be tempted to steal from his family. On multiple occasions, he would leave the liquor cabinet open and accessible with bottles of bourbon and scotch worth a few thousand dollars just to see what they would do. Not once did Jonathan find anything missing. He even went so far as to leave his money clip on the floor with a few thousand dollars in it. In the morning, he found it sitting next to the coffee that Rosalita brought him.  

               “I was wondering where this was,” he said to her, feigning surprise.

               “The staff found it on the floor last night, Mr. Von Otto. I wanted to make sure you had it before you went to work.”

               “Thank you, Rosalita.”

               “My pleasure, Mr. Von Otto.”

               But now, in the kitchen, Rosalita kept her eye on Josh. Josh was like every other rich only child. Mom and Dad spent thousands on him, buying whatever his little heart wanted. He only wanted a couple of close friends, but money couldn’t buy that. No matter how much you threw at it. So, Josh was a spoiled, rich brat. And Rosalita made up her mind that after raising her own three kids and multiple other rich kids that ended up blowing all their money or turned into complete assholes, Josh wasn’t going to be like that. She took it upon herself to straighten him up. Not that Emily would mind. She did her best to discipline Josh, but her pregnancy and delivery took a toll on her. After Josh was born, Emily decided to have no more kids. Emily and baby Josh almost died, and where was Jonathan? Absent, like normal. Not even Emily’s closest friends were available during Josh’s birth. It wasn’t until after the delivery, when she and baby were recovering in the hospital, that her friends came to visit. Jonathan saw her a week after Josh’s birthday. Josh didn’t know all this, but he felt tension between his parents, wondering if they would get a divorce. Kids have a sense for these things, and Josh wasn’t different.

               Josh looked down at the food. Smoked salmon, lightly seasoned. Broiled baby carrots and red potatoes. And a small kale and spinach salad lightly covered with an Italian dressing. Emily didn’t allow him to drink any carbonated beverages, so Josh tasted soft drinks only when he was at Will’s house. And that was rare, considering Michelle’s aversion to sugar. Tonight, however, was a rare treat. Rosalita had an unopened bottle of Coke sitting beside his plate and a full glass of ice. A bottle opener sat on the napkin with the fork and knife.

               “You can have this,” Rosalita pointed at the bottle, “after you finish everything on the plate and your salad. And I promise I won’t tell your Mother.”

               Condensation rolled off the bottle onto the coaster. Josh’s mouth watered at the sight of it. A real Coke! And in a glass bottle? That was a rare treat. He wasn’t sure what Rosalita was up to, but he couldn’t care less at the moment. “All of it?” he wined. Deep down inside, Josh knew he would eat every last bite. He wanted it to look good. Chances were Rosalita knew, but he wasn’t about to risk it.

               “Si. Every. Last. Bite.” Rosalita turned her back to Josh, poking around in the refrigerator to check that everything was fresh. It was rare to have leftovers, and wasted food wasn’t something Rosalita could stand.

               Josh savored every last bite of his meal. He loved the salmon and veggies. That was a trait he got from his Mom. His Dad typically ate too fast and too much. Josh was surprised Jonathan wasn’t a huge fat guy like his other colleagues. Jonathan loved to run, swim, and occasionally ride his bike, so he ate whatever he wanted when he wanted. It also helped lower his stress and keep his heart healthy, another aspect many of his coworkers suffered from. He didn’t take any medicine, even though he was in his late fifties, and only in the last year did he start wearing glasses.

               Per the dinnertime ritual, Josh cleared his dishes, rinsing each one and leaving them in the sink. Rosalita finished her inventory and saw that Josh hadn’t opened the Coke yet.

               “Josh? Are you planning on drinking that?” She pointed at the unopened Coke.

               Josh, smiling and nodding affirmatively, said, “Absolutely!” He ran over to the bottle, snatched the opener from the counter, and ripped off the cap with a loud POP! Holding the bottle up to his lips, he tilted it back, letting the cold liquid slide past his teeth down his throat. It burned, the carbonation filling his senses, but he couldn’t stop. It tasted so good! That high fructose corn syrup delighted his tastebuds. After the initial sip, he set the bottle down and belched long and loud, smiling from ear to ear.

               Rosalita smiled. “What do we say?”

               “Excuse me,” he grinned. “And, Rosalita?” She looked at the boy, seeing something she’d never seen before. Happiness. The kid was happy, full of joy, kind of happy. Something she’d not seen on his face. “Gracias,” he said sincerely.

               “De nada,” Rosalita replied, smiling. “Finish that,” she pointed at the bottle, “then get on your chores, si?”

               “Si,” Josh answered, taking another drink.