Finally, during a dinner party in early August in the Hamptons, the ribbing got so bad that Melanie had asked that she and Logan leave early, complaining of a headache.  Logan had become adept at brushing the jousting from his friends and peers off, sometimes even in a self-deprecating manner.  But Melanie had increasingly become brittle about it.  She’d gotten to the point wherein she couldn’t stand the whispers and innuendo any longer.

When they returned to their seaside vacation mansion, just 10 minutes from the mansion that had been the scene of the dinner party, she’d confronted Logan, “Logan, I’ve never butted into your business before, but I really am worried now.  What is all this talk about you losing your shirt over this….stubbornness?  Everyone I know seems to be talking about it,” her frustration building.

Logan shook his head, rubbing Melanie’s arms affectionately, smiling still.  He didn’t immediately respond, and instead turned towards the bar, and poured himself a shot of whiskey.  He lifted his eyebrow at Melanie, lifting the bottle slightly in her direction, silently asking if she wanted one also.  She shook her head.  He set the bottle down, picked up his glass and took a sip of the smooth drink. Mmmm…. he really should thank Warren for his thoughtful gift.

He smiled at his agitated wife, “Dear, don’t worry.  They’re just having some fun with me, because I haven’t bought any of the stuff being sold these days, stuff that they like and that depend on housing prices rising.  The stuff they’re buying is pricey, very little margins to be made, even if they pan out.  In my case, if everything goes the way they say they’ll go, all I would have lost is maybe, I don’t know, $10 -$20.  And maybe some of my pride.”

“That’s $10 -$20 million, Logan,” Melanie said sarcastically, unconvinced.  She watched him impatiently as he took another drink from the scotch tumbler that he held.

For Logan, the drink was a pleasing diversion and a strategy to help him take a minute to consider how to respond to Melanie, given the argumentative state she was in.

Logan took a step back, as he calmly regarded her.  Finally, he responded evenly, “Don’t worry Melanie.  And don’t let their digs at me get to you.”