Free Case of Lucy Bending by Lawrence Sanders

fake colas in plain view on the table before
    them. If the younger kids were aware of what was going on, none of them dared snitch.
    One of the caterer's men came around with pad and pencil to take orders: how many rares, medium-rares, and well-dones. The expert barbecuer set to work while a hired accordionist strolled among the tables, playing "Lady of Spain."
    Eddie Holloway, elaborately bored, sat at the head of the children's table. He had been charged with the job of maintaining discipline among the younger children, but he knew it was a hopeless task. He made no effort to halt the shouting, pushing, or the throwing of food.
    Wayne Bending sat next to Eddie. Next to Wayne was his brother, Harry, and Wayne had promised his mother to help Harry cut up his steak. But the nutty kid was such a food freak that he grabbed up his steak and gnawed on it like it was an apple or something. Wayne gave up in disgust.
    Most of the boys sat in a group at the head of the table, most of the girls sat side by side at the other end. Gloria Holloway was at the foot of the table with her best friend, Lucy Bending, on her right.
    Gloria was a haughty, snippety girl whose dark brown hair was permed once a month into a cap of tight curls. She had a highly developed sense of social caste, but her supercilious manner was somewhat marred by a missing upper incisor.
    She was skinnier and bonier than Lucy, and the development of her body had convinced her that she had a splendid career as a high-fashion model awaiting her. But as the two girls ate their dinners, ignoring the tumult about them, Gloria told Lucy she had changed her mind.
    "I am going to be a famous actress of stage, screen, and TV," she announced. "First of all, you get to travel all over the world, and you can keep the clothes they give you to wear in movies and things. Also, you get all kinds of proposals from rich men, and when you make like, you know, a commercial, well, every time that commercial is on television, you get paid again, so you make millions of dollars."
    "Who told you that?" Lucy asked curiously.
    "My father. And he should know."
    "My goodness, I should think so. Being a banker and all."
    Gloria's eyes glazed over, and she leaned close to Lucy.
    "Listen," she said in a low voice, "last night I came past my parents' bedroom, and they were in there, and the door was closed. I could hear, but not exactly. I mean, I didn't catch all the words. They weren't fighting, but mother's voice was louder. I couldn't hear daddy at all. And I heard mother say, 'You're important, you know you're important, so why don't you go to a doctor?' Isn't that strange?"
"Definitely," Lucy said, chewing her steak thoughtfully. "Definitely strange. If you're important, why do you have to go to a doctor?"
"I don't know," Gloria confessed. "That's why it's so strange. I mean, important people like the president and judges and movie stars and all, they don't have to go to doctors—do they?"
"I don't think so."
"Well, anyway, that's what I've decided to be: a famous actress. With ?cads of clothes and all the shoes I want. A bigger house than this old one. With a lot of servants to do the work. You know, cook and clean up and all. Maybe a big boat."
"And cars," Lucy added enthusiastically.
"At least two," Gloria said. "Maybe more. I'll be married, I suppose, to a very rich man. Older, you know, because he's in love with me. But I'll have boyfriends, too. Do you want the rest of my steak? I can't finish it."
"No, thanks, I'm full. But pass it up to my brother Harry; he'll eat it. He finishes everyone's food."
Gloria passed her unfinished steak up to Harry, who greeted it with glistening eyes behind his thick, horn-rimmed glasses. The two girls sat back with folded hands, waiting to be served dessert.
It was dark enough now to switch on the Japanese lanterns strung from the boles of bottle palms framing the Hollo ways' pool. After dessert had been served and consumed, the tables were cleared and