Oliver Benjamin
forced Roy to drink and then secured two more. He seemed to be
coming back somewhat.
At the same time, Partment, Bennie, Colin, Niles and Martin
were watching the event from the other side of the Promenade.
Martin brought popcorn.
“Roy’s going to love this,” Martin said. “Are you sure we
shouldn’t go get him?”
“No,” said Partment, “It’s better that he’s not here.”
“What about Yak?”
“That fearful mandarin?” Partment sniveled, “He’s useless.”
“Hey look,” Niles said, “It’s him.”
The stage had been set for the band to play, but before they went
on, a sturdy and vainglorious man in his late fifties walked out on
stage. With short grey Caesar-cut hair, square jaw and generous
tracksuit, he looked like Jehovah at the gym. When he strode to the
microphone he did so like a menacing warlord.
Before speaking, Bidden grinned winningly at the jubilant crowd.
“Now this is what I call I party!” he thundered, thrusting his cup
of Biddenbrooks towards the sky. The crowd cheered, each of them
raising their cups in unified response.
“That’s your father?” Niles asked Colin.
“Don’t blame me. I didn’t choose him,” he sighed.
“I have a confession to make,” Bidden went on, “I didn’t invite
you all here because I’m a nice guy.”
Giggles bubbled through the mass, frothy and effervescent.
“I invited you here because I wanted to celebrate something.
Years ago I started a project. There was a wrong in the world that I
wanted to set right. Something magnificent was being sullied and
degraded, so I decided to devote my life to saving it, that there would
always be beauty in the world, that it would always remain glorious.”
A wave of chemical emotion washed over the crowd. Some of
them were moved, literally, to tears.
“This is our thousandth Biddenbrooks Coffee Emporium,” He
raised his cup once again in triumph, “And I think we have earned
the right to say…that beauty once again walks among us!”
The world did indeed seem more beautiful to the crowd of
enthused patrons. Rich colors were setting fire to the leaves that
rained down upon them from a violet sky. Rainbow swirls collected
in the smiles of their radiant fellows now dancing slack and arbitrary
with a surfeit of love. Salarymen were jumping up and down, trying
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