John nodded. He had felt power once. He had stood in a boardroom in San Francisco, wearing a suit that cost more than his first car, and watched a term sheet get signed. He had felt invincible. He had felt like the laws of thermodynamics did not apply to him. And now he was standing next to a propane grill in his own backyard, listening to a man who sold timeshares describe the feeling of sixty knots.
By three, the guests arrived.
He took the margarita. The salt stung a small cut on his lip. He didn’t remember getting the cut. Probably from shaving. Or maybe from the dream he’d been having lately, the one where he was drowning in a pool full of broken glass. He didn’t tell Linda about that dream. He didn’t tell her a lot of things anymore. john persons pool party
Priya tilted her head. She had known him for fifteen years. She had been in the room when he cried after his first company failed, and she had been in the room when he screamed after his second company succeeded. She was the only person alive who had seen both versions of him. John nodded
At six o’clock, the sun began to lower, and the light turned gold and cruel. Shadows stretched across the lawn like accusations. He had felt invincible
And when he came back up, the party was over.