Rich People Problems-Kwan 2017 (WWT)

Several hours later, Oliver, Nigel, and Kitty found themselves in Yolanda Amanjiwo’s
drawing room, a vast space with black travertine floors that felt more like the lobby of a
resort hotel than a home. Half the room was comprised of a reflecting pool that extended
outdoors into an even larger pool, and from the middle of the pool rose an immense Jeff
Koons gold Balloon Dog.
Yolanda and her husband, Joey, stood at the far end of the room in front of a wide
marble block that displayed a collection of ancient Apulian vases. As Kitty was led to the
receiving line, she knew she had made the right choice by wearing a black off-theshoulder
vintage Givenchy gown with white satin gloves and her not overly flashy
necklace of graduated diamonds ending in a teardrop canary diamond of forty carats. As
she approached her hosts, flanked by her debonair escorts in their white-tie tuxedos, a
butler announced in a high, nasal tone, “The Honorable Oliver T’sien, Mr. Nigel Barker,
and Mrs. Jack Bing.”
Yolanda was a tall, thin woman with a gravity-defying bouffant hairdo, clad in a
dramatic strapless scarlet column gown that Kitty recognized to be Christian Dior
couture. She had obviously chosen her plastic surgeon with meticulous care, since she
possessed one of those faces that looked perfectly taut and sculpted, but not a single
muscle moved when she spoke. Which was a pity, since she spoke in an exceedingly
warm, rapid-fire Indonesian accent. “Oliver T’sien we meet at last I am such an admirer of
your family and of course your grandfather was such a great man so revered Nigel Barker
how lovely to meet you my God what a beauuuuuuutiful set of pictures you took today
can I commission you to please do a portrait of my Irish setters?”
“Actually, I did take some pictures of just the two of them. I’m having them printed as a
gift to you.”
“Oh my goodness Joey did you hear that Nigel Barker did a portrait of Liam and Niall
and we didn’t even have to pay him a million bucks!” Yolanda prodded her husband
frantically, who looked like he was in the midst of waking from a long coma.
“Ummm” was all the short, paunchy man said, his eyelids heavy.
“And you must be the divine Kitty Bing I have heard so much about you and my God
what a divine dress it must be a classic Givenchy and that party you threw during
Shanghai Fashion Week ooh la la I wish I had been there Karl Lagerfeld told me your new
villa is to die for and your plane the big one has a spa in it my God what a genius idea I
must visit I absolutely must!”
“Thank you. Of course you’ll have to visit my spa—we call it the mile-high spa.”
“Hahahehe mile-high spa you’re too funny oh my goodness Kitty I know we are going
to be dear dear friends.”
As the Amanjiwos continued to greet the arriving guests, Kitty broke into a big smile as
she spotted Wandi Meggaharto Widjawa arriving.
“Kitty!” Wandi screamed from across the room, as the two ladies ran to hug as though
they hadn’t just seen each other yesterday.
“What are you doing here?” Kitty asked excitedly.