Catering With Benefits (3) - An Appetite for More - 3. I Would Like to Dip My Toe in the Water

Jonathan and Virginia Price, who had led almost separate lives for most of their marriage were now in their mid-fifties and found their priorities changing with age. They were extremely wealthy and their lifestyle was funded by a national chain of jewellery design studios and retail stores. The business had been passed down the Price family for three generations and Jonathan was the current owner.

Due to Jonathan’s preference for male sexual partners, Virginia had long had live-in lovers employed to satisfy her personal needs. Her current, being a young man in his thirties, named Jared. Virginia lived full-time at the family home, Crystalline, in Castle Hill. Jonathan had for many years used rent boys to satisfy his sexual appetite at his Potts Point apartment.

***

Just as Virginia and Thomas were finishing their lunch in the wisteria pergola, Jonathan came strolling down the path and was about to change direction when he saw his wife and her assistant. Virginia called out to him to come join them for a coffee. Jonathan, who was not used to socialising with staff, was at first reluctant but ceded to his wife’s insistence. He joined them at the table without offering his wife any sign of affection but said, “A very pleasant day to be lunching outdoors. Do you two do this often?”

“Thomas and I have a catch up every now and then, it is much more pleasant than sitting in an office to do business, you should try it sometime Jon.”

“Good afternoon Mr. Price, can I pour coffee for you Sir?”

“Thank you Thomas, just black for me.”

“Jon, I have been explaining to Thomas about the changed circumstances between us and that you will be spending more time here at Crystalline.”

“Do you usually discuss our personal life with the staff Nia?”

“Yes Jon, sometimes I do. Thomas is more than staff, as you put it, he is my personal assistant, and a damn good one. We have a closer relationship than just employer/employee. I rely on Thomas a lot and I owe it to him to keep him abreast of circumstances that affect my daily life.”

“As you wish Nia, that is your choice.”

Thomas, sensing coolness towards him from Price said, “Mrs. Price, I have business to attend to in my office, so if you don’t need me any longer I will excuse myself and leave you and Mr. Price to enjoy your coffee together.”

“Thank you Thomas, it has been a most enjoyable lunch and thank you for bringing me up to speed about you and Andy.”

“My pleasure Mrs. Price, and good to see you Mr. Price. Goodbye for now.”

As Thomas departed Virginia rebuked her husband for his attitude towards Thomas, but his reply was, “Is there any champagne left in that bottle?”

“I think there is, do you want a glass?”

He poured two glasses and began the conversation with a toast to their new life.

“What do you mean, new life Jon?”

“Nia, a few months back I was approached by an ex Prime Minister with an interesting proposal.”

“Which ex PM?”

“Turnbull, I’ve known him from back in the days when he was a merchant banker. We did some business together. I haven’t seen much if him in recent years, especially when he was PM.”

“So why has he contacted you now?”

“I think he is still hurting about his removal from the top job and also that he was not able to achieve much of his personal agenda while in politics.”

“How does he expect you to help him with that?”

“He wants me to stand for pre-selection before the next election.”

“What! You enter politics?”

“No need to sound so surprised, I’m not that useless or unliked.”

“I didn’t mean that Jon, it’s just that you’ve not previously shown much interest in politics, especially getting so directly involved.”

“Well, now I am, especially as I have seen this country so mismanaged in the last decade. If I ran my business like our governments run this country, we’d be living in a caravan park.”

“You sound very bitter, I didn’t realise you took politics so seriously.”

“It’s not politics per say, but I do care about this nation and its people, especially the young who will inherit the mess we leave behind.”

“You know Jon, in all the years we’ve been married, I don’t think I have ever before heard you talk like this. Why have you changed now?”

“I don’t think I’ve changed, I’ve always cared, but I guess I was always too busy running the business to do anything about it. Since Malcolm’s approach it has made me think more about these things. You know over the years I have attracted a lot of good managers to Price’s and developed their skills to the point that I think I can now safely hand over the reins of management to others. There are a lot of capable and honest people working for me, so I feel confident that they can take over from me, so that I have time to pursue other interests.”

“And one of those interests being, Politics?”

“Yes, Nia I think I would like to dip my toe in the water and test the temperature.”

“I think that’s very brave of you, given the current state of politics in this country.”

“Brave or not, that is the very reason I want to give it a go.”

“So, is Malcolm going to sign you up to the party?”

“That was his suggestion, but I don’t want to make the same mistake he did.”

“You mean being controlled by the far right of his party, so that he could not advance his agenda?”

“No, he made his mistake long before that. I have long admired Malcolm’s ideals of social reform and environment protection, but he never had a chance in a party of climate deniers, religious bigots and old fossils with misogynistic tendencies and a belief in the long discredited theory that trickledown economics actually work.”

“I don’t understand Jon, do you think you can change all that?”

“Not from within the Liberal Party but outside the party.”

“Now I’m even more confused.”

“Nia, Malcolm may have given me the idea of joining a political party and eventually standing for pre-selection, but that does not mean I have to join his party of choice.”

“So which party will you join?”

“I have considered all parties. The greens have most of my beliefs on their agenda but they are still naive and inflexible. They haven’t yet learnt the basic art of politics, and that is compromise.”

“So that leaves the Labor Party or, god forbid, One Nation.”

“Yes Nia, the Labor Party. But they also have a lot to learn about where their voter base is. They knock the Liberals for always backing big business, and rightly so, but they still live in that old world of, us and them, by their over reliance on the support of the unions. The real people of Australia are mostly in the middle.”

“So who are they, these people in the middle?”

“One group is the young professionals, they don’t join unions. Like many of the people who work for us, I don’t believe they see the need for a union in their workplace. I have always treated them fairly and they in turn are loyal to the company. Then there is what they call, the gig economy, plus self-employed people who work from home and part-time workers. They don’t join unions either. The Labor Party has to learn that this country no longer has manufacturing industries since they all transferred to China. Consequently none of the traditional unionised workforces. Then of course there is the aged, who are much healthier than their parents were at their age and consequently live longer, spend more and vote with intent. It is a rapidly changing world and a political party that does not recognise this will not appeal to voters or be successful at elections.”

“So does that mean you are seeking the support of the Labor Party Jon?”

“While they are not perfect, I believe it is my best option. They have their problems, but their social and environmental agenda is more aligned to my beliefs.”

“Jon, excuse me for appearing a little cynical, but could this sudden interest in politics have anything to do with your return to our home?”

“Why would you ask that, Nia?”

“Because, no political party will endorse a candidate with your lifestyle. I know there are openly gay politicians but you Jon, fall in the middle, closeted, married and mostly living away from your wife.”

“That may be in the back of my mind, but I genuinely want to be here with you and I will need your support if I go ahead with this.”

“That’s OK Jon, I will be, as I have always been in the past, the dutiful wife in public, but you have to be honest with me and with yourself about your reasons for being here.”