All the characters in this story can vote in Federal elections
I'd not been home in over four years.
*
As my folks had divorced while I was in my senior year of college, I'd gone straight to work at a hedge fund in Connecticut. I guess I chose the job to put as much distance between all the family pain and myself as I could. I of course sent the obligatory greeting cards on holidays and birthdays, both to my parents and my sister, but other than a few phone calls from my mother, I'd stayed as far away from home and my emotions as I could manage.
I could have stayed and worked for one of the Sand Hill Road VCs after college, however the bitter divorce of my parents and the attendant vitriol was too much for me and I beat it to the east coast. But, no matter how much money I earned and how I enjoyed the singles scene in Manhattan, my heart would always belong to San Francisco.
I'd recently been promoted to senior analyst for tech stocks and was assigned a two month stint in the Bay Area. My task was to ferret out undervalued stocks. Because my degree was in computer science and my minor was in finance, my firm thought I would be perfectly suited to be their "eyes on the ground", an approach they employed to ensure finding those undiscovered gems that made clients money.
HR had told me I'd be put up at long term corporate lodging on the Peninsula, but I argued for staying in the city. I won the argument when I agreed to pay the difference in lodging expenses from my own pocket. When they acquiesced, I chose the Mark Hopkins on Nob Hill, as it has the single best view of the bay from their bar; The Top of the Mark. I intended to use the view to my advantage when wining and dining the principals of companies I was there to evaluate. The ambiance tended to disarm people once they settled in and had a glass of wine or two.
I'd been in town for a couple of weeks getting re-acquainted with the new "tech vibe" running from one end of the Bay to the other. A few companies I'd visited looked promising and I'd singled out a couple of company founders to chat up to see if I could shake loose any inside information that would give us a leg up when considering where to put our client's monies. I'd also been invited to a couple of VC meet and greets where I was the one whose brain was being picked. What a world, this world, where finance and technology seems so interlocked that at times I wondered if one could any longer function without the other.
But today was Valentine's Day, and most of my business was done by mid-afternoon. I decided to go for a walk in Golden Gate Park, get a massage, and then hit the bar at the Top of the Mark to see if I might find some unattached, sweet young thing to chat up, and maybe, if I was lucky, spend the night with her in Eros' embrace.
After my massage, I cleaned up, put on my best evening suit, and headed upstairs to the bar.
As it was still early, the room was not yet crowded. I found a spot at the bar where I could scope out the crowd without being obvious. I put a hundred dollar bill on the counter and told the bartender I was "camping out". He smiled.
I ordered a Noilly Prat, extra dry, over ice with a twist, a drink I could nurse until the place filled up and the serious drinking started. The next day was Saturday and I had no scheduled meetings during the weekend. I figured I could let loose.
Over the next two hours, many couples came in filling the place with both bodies and noise, but so far, no unattached ladies.
I was beginning to think I'd head to my room and call an escort service, when a cacophony of laughter came from the elevator area. I tried to see who it was, but a couple stepped right in front of me as the group came into the main room. I couldn't see anyone, but from the laughter, I guessed it was a group of single girls out for the evening. From the sound of things, this wasn't their first bar of the night.
By the time the couple who'd been obstructing my view got their drinks and moved away, the girls were seated as far from my seat at the bar as they could possibly be seated. I considered sending over a bottle of wine, but decided I wait a minute to see if any guys came after them as the elevators are too small to hold a really large group of people.
After a couple of minutes another group of girls came in to the room, looked around, saw the first group, and made a bee line to join them. There were a dozen or so in all. This was going to be easy.
I waited until they'd ordered their second round to walk over to their table. To find the right one, meant I'd have to spend some time with a few of them until I was certain which one was ready to be cut from the herd.
As I approached, two of them, both with their backs to me, stood up. I noticed one of them, the one wearing a dress, deep red in color, had the most beautiful calves I'd seen in a long time. I thought to myself, I had to do everything exactly right so if the face matched the calves, this was going to be the one. Then she turned around.
"BILLY! Oh my god, Billy, what are you doing here?"
It was my sister, Rose.
She leaped the three feet that separated us and wrapped her legs around my waist and started kissing me all over my face.
"Billy, Billy, Billy, I'm so glad to see you,: When did you get in town?"
The rest of the girls were silent, all heads turned in my direction, with various looks indicating there was a huge question that needed an immediate answer.
"Rose, I think you better introduce me to your friends."
"Oh my god, Billy, I'm so glad you showed up tonight. I really need a man right now."
She was drunk.
"Hi everyone," I said, easing Rose back on to her feet. "I'm Rose's brother, Bill."
"Billy," Rose corrected. "This is my big brother Billy. Hey," she said turning to face me with a stern look on her face, "Why didn't you call me to tell me you were home? Are you still mad at me?"
"No silly. I've never been mad..."
"Hold that thought, I've really got to pee," Rose said, turning around and heading straight for the bathrooms. The rest of the group was completely silent.
"Uh, I'm sorry to barge in like this, but, well, I really don't know what to say."
"How 'bout you find another chair and join us," the other girl standing offered. "I'll go check on Rose."
"Okay. Sure. Thanks," I said spotting an empty chair at a table with only three people.
I walked over and asked them if they were expecting anyone else. When they said no, I grabbed the chair and moved it back to the perimeter of the group Rose had come in with.
"So Billy..." one of the girls started to say.
"Bill please. Billy sounds so, I don't know..."
"Okay, Bill. Well then Bill," she continued. "How come your little sister Rose, didn't know you were home. And just where is it you've come from?"
"Well I don't live here. I live in Connecticut. I'm only here on business."
"That only answers part of the question," another girl spoke up. "Why didn't Rose know you were here?"
"I..."
"Leave him alone, you meanie," Rose said, stumbling back into the circle and choosing my lap instead of her own chair.
"He's here now, and I'm sure he has his reasons for not telling me he was in town." And then, in a complete about face, "Yeah, why didn't I know you were in town. Where you stayin' anyway?"
And before I could answer...
Rose put her arms around my neck and fell asleep.
"How much has she had to drink," I asked.
"A lot," the girl, who'd gone to the bathroom after Rose, said. "I'm Marie, Rose's friend from work."
"Hi, Marie," I said. "What's the occasion?"
"We all just got unemployed," Marie answered.
"You were all fired at the same time?"
"No. Our company got bought out and we all elected to take severance rather than go to Seattle."
"Oh. Okay. But how come none of you have dates for tonight? It's Valentine's Day for goodness sake."
"We're gay."
"My sister's not gay."
"I see it's been awhile since you talked to her," another girl spoke up. "Hi. I'm Valerie."
