Not surprisingly, we always picture rich people in their private jets toasting with high-priced champagne and laughing forever like an echo; convertible luxury cars sliding from New York to the East Hamptons; penthouses on 5th Ave. with glamorous parties surrounded by beautiful people and the most exclusive network: The Great Gatsby life... Yup, Google it and you’ll see what I’m talking about! Nevertheless, what we don't expect is to see someone who can buy anything be rejected and feel lonely and unhappy, why’s that?
This is Harry’s story. He is f*cking rich, but he feels so poor that the only thing he has is money.
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If you can afford a fancy coat, an expensive stylish bag or an incredible wax alligator pair of shoes, you are probably a potential client of GlamMoore, the biggest upscale, nation-wide department store. For many years and generations, this multi-billion dollar company has belonged to the Moore family and soon will be given to Harry. But, wait. let's start from the beginning.
It was 2003 when Rose and George Moore received the tragic call: their son passed away on an aircraft accident near Saint Tropez, France. The worst part? Having to identify the body since they only found some pieces of one of the richest boys on the planet. After that day they never recovered, they lost their minds, they were “dead” living one day at a time waiting for a miracle...
... which happened two years later.
... which happened two years later.
Jonas was this lovely/ hyperactive kid abandoned in an orphanage in upstate New York. Lucky for him, he had exactly the same traits of the Moore’s dead son. During Xmas season, one of the socialites who used to donate resources to the orphanage saw Jonas and contacted Rose right away:
__ Sweetie, you need to stop by and check it out with your own eyes. It feels like your son is alive, this is unbelievable. I cry every time I see this boy. This is God giving you a second chance. Life is full of second chances.
We won’t never understand how controlled we are by destiny no matter our choices. Jonas was a huge fan of Harry Potter and he did see his life change like a magic. One night he went to bed in a simple spare room with nine other random boys and the day after he woke up in a luxury suite with an incredible balcony facing Central Park. Once he got the Moore surname, he also changed his name to Harry. Poor little Jonas was erased, deleted, was left in the past and from that instant his mission would be to fill the empty space in the heart of the Moore’s dynasty.
Day by day, he was becoming the most spoiled boy of Manhattan and his parents were at his beckoned call in order to make up for the absence they felt. Harry was forced to accomplish an overwhelmed schedule: bilingual school, etiquette classes, polo with his new friends, theology classes at Saint Thomas Church, brunches, parties, social events and all this supervised by his nanny Brittany (a personal assistant who was in charge of taking care of his agenda and making things happen). In a few years he would be prepared to lead the whole empire:
__ Brittany, don't tell me “ops I did it again”, this is the second time it happens. Andrew just showed up at this party at St. Regis wearing the same Gucci hoodies after I told all my friends it was an exclusive piece from GlamMoore. Send the whole collection back to Italy and call our office to see what happened. This is quite embarrassing.
For the record he was only 16 and full of attitude not to mention arrogant. Another short story. He was in this fancy rooftop bar in Midtown East and the bartender refused to serve him alcohol since he was underage. So instead of ordering a soft drink or just leaving, he came back and asked her out loud:
__ Hey, I have a question for you. Are you happy?
__ Yes, I’m very happy, why?
__ Cause beautiful, you are not!
And he turned his back followed by his friends laughing. Harry was definitely the leader, the center of attention, and he was always ready to steal the scene at any cost.
There is an Abraham Lincoln quote that says, “Nearly all men can stand adversity but if you want to test a man’s character give him power.” Years later those episodes kept on repeating and getting worse. Something was going wrong. He was crossing the line and no one could stop him. He was becoming invincible until he wasn’t.
One night before his 21st birthday he was walking in the corridor and overheard his parents having a fight:
__He made a scene to get Rihanna to his birthday party tomorrow at The Plaza. It's not about the money, she’s only asking five million for the night, it’s nothing. The fact is which boy would ask for that when they could have anything? He is GAY Rose, he is not our son. Our son is dead. I can’t believe God is taking my second chance away.
Rose was trying to argue in a trembling voice when Harry decided to leave downtrodden. That was a shocking scene in which he realized they were not his family. That sense of rejection was coming back in his life for a second time. Therefore, he locked himself in his bedroom and cried for endless hours until he was overcome by fatigue. From that day, he promised himself he would never cry again.
Rejection usually comes from those we love the most. So how long does it take to heal our wounds? One month, six months... maybe years of therapy. Of course, it’s not going to kill anybody - at least not physically. And if you are those who overcome rejection easily, good for you. But as a human being you won't escape from the same drill: crazy diets; spending hours at the gym defying the limits of your body; using expensive creams to rejuvenate your skin; seeking support in friends, in synthetic drugs (taking a few more ecstasies to picture life with colors that you cannot see), having sex with as many people you can because your own company is not enough and you finally get the paranoia that any unsuspecting person who crosses your path will bring you the expected emotional security.
Harry decided to move on with his life without having “that talk” with his parents. He changed his hair cut, renewed his wardrobe, his style, he hired the best personal trainer, recruited someone to take care of his diet, visited some specialists to get some “tricks” and three months later another magic happened: Harry went from Harry potter to HARRY HOTTER!
TO BE CONTINUED
Bruno de Abreu Rangel
"The author thanks Daniel Franken for his assistance editing."
