Isn't That Rich?: Life Among the 1 Percent by Richard Kirshenbaum, Michael Gross Read Free Book Online Page A

in my parents’ generation. Look how that turned out.”
    The following week, I visited a leading clergyman who was recuperating from an illness across town in the well-stocked library of his sprawling West End Avenue apartment.
    “If the option is either divorce or a deal, I prefer the latter,” he said.
    “You do?” I asked, somewhat surprised.
    “Yes, of course,” he said, offering me tea. “There is something to be said for family dinners, vacation time, and holidays. Divorce is a disaster for the children. Some never recover. The kids don’t care if the parents are sleeping together or sleep in the same room. They care that they are both there when they wake up in the morning and go to bed at night. They just want everything to be OK.
    “Sometimes people can’t stay together and divorce is justified. But I always counsel people to stay together if they can,” he went on. “I cannot tell you how many people I counsel who have separate bedrooms and lives. And they’re the well-adjusted ones. It’s different when people are unhappy in their twenties and thirties, but making a deal is a phenomenon for fifty-year-olds.”
    “And do you condone extramarital relationships?”
    “I didn’t say that. That’s not my business, and who am I to judge? That said, if it comes down to a messy divorce with the parents at war, I honestly think this is a better solution.”
    “If you are young and don’t have children, divorce is perfectly fine,” the Seventh Avenue Kingpin declared over luscious gigande beans at the superb Yefsi Estiatorio.
    “Is that why you stay together?” I asked, knowing he has his own deal with his long-term spouse.
    “When you have children—and I also have grandchildren—divorce adversely affects a lot of people. I believe in this idea of the family unit. When you build a life together, you don’t divorce your wife or your family because she might not be interested in sex anymore. Sex is not always the driving issue. In fact, I would rate it a distant third at a certain age.
    “My children and grandchildren are my focus. I have friends who have gone through two- or three-year divorces. The damage is incalculable. And then the kids mostly hate all the new players who show up … It’s a story as old as time. The kids, who are no longer kids at this point, are also afraid the parent is going to end up with someone inappropriate and change the will. Don’t think I haven’t seen that before, especially if the kids aren’t as successful as the parents and are living off their largesse. And let’s not forget some second wives can be more demanding and mercenary than the first one! That’s trouble.”
    “Well, you know what I always say: where there’s a will, there’s a relative,” I said.
    He continued: “Imagine spending years and millions, suing each other—years of character assassination in court. For what? Because someone won’t put up with the wife’s trainer or the husband’s stripper? The Europeans have it right. When the man wants to have a bit of fun, he buys the young lady a Hermès bag and off she goes. The wife gets the earrings from Graff; the bigger the indiscretion, the bigger the stone. They’re not testifying against each other; they’re smart. Think of all the eight-figure divorces.”
    “So did you say anything to your wife about the new deal?”
    “Some people do and some people don’t,” he said, avoiding the question and looking at his Cartier tank. “The smartest women, in my opinion, turn a blind eye to keep the family together.” He downed his espresso and waved good-bye.
    He had an appointment to keep, but didn’t mention with whom.
    Part of the upper crust, fabulous interior designer Lily Whitebread and I were catching up over a scrumptious Nutella, fruit, and toast confection at the Eurosleek Artisan Boulanger. Witty, entertaining, and très intéressante , Lily lives the transatlantic lifestyle while her husband lives in and around