Two influential Art Critics and a prominent Gallery owner make a bet that they can make an unknown artist famous. The artist they choose is dedicated and talented with an eye to spotlighting the injustices of American society. He is also a serial ki...
With his appearance at the post symphony cocktail party imminent, Siggy was nervous and excited. He was accustomed to focusing on nothing other than his art, yet the idea of play acting was actually appealing to him. He found himself considering it as fun, amusement. Sometimes putting on a mask is liberating, the ability to lose yourself in a character.
It reminded him of an experience he had had as a young man. Siggy had spent a summer acting with a dinner theater murder mystery troupe, an improvisational experience where he would interact with the audience as a variety of characters. It came at a point in his life after the death of his parents where everything seemed dark and grim. It was a welcome relief that allowed him to escape reality.
Neither he nor Wilson were attending the symphony proper, instead they would join the party later in the evening at Fisk's uptown hotel, The Charlton House. Now was the time for preparation, dressing and grooming to both fit in and stand out. All of the other attendees, including Bertram, Devon, and Elaine would be arriving directly from the symphonic performance and would therefore be decked out in black tie and haute couture. Wilson would dress in black tie as well, but Siggy needed to don something that made him stand out without appearing sloppy or crude.
Wilson had given Siggy's appearance a lot of thought. The outfit he'd worn to the Armory was effective, but not entirely right for this occasion. No tee shirts or jeans tonight. After looking at some possible ensembles, he decided on an upscale variation of that same look. The black silk bandanna was good, as was the Zegna black wool jacket. He chose an off white collarless linen shirt with wooden buttons that looked like it was lifted from some colonial role play. Instead of jeans, he selected a pair of loosely tailored japanese fisherman pants and a pair of matte black sneakers he'd purchased earlier that day.
After Siggy was dressed, Wilson nodded with satisfaction, "Not bad at all."
Siggy looked into the mirror and smiled, "This actually looks pretty good... comfortable too."
"Ready to go?" Wilson asked.
"Ready as I'll ever be."
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The Charlton House was a classic brownstone and brick hotel built at the turn of the twentieth century. A twelve story structure almost out of place among the towering buildings of Manhattan, it was considered one of the City's great old structures. The building was one of Bartholomew Fisk's two hotels, the other being a modern twenty story high-end hotel located near the park.
The Charlton House was Fisk's city residence and primary entertaining venue in the city. He occupied the entire twelfth floor which consisted of one enormous residence and three smaller apartments where his staff were located on most days. He made a point to have them leave on the days he hosted his parties after all the preparations were made. This insured his guests privacy in their vices. That level of discretion made his get-togethers the most coveted of invitations, allowing bad behavior without the risk of loose lips or unwanted publicity.
