5 - Margaret

The waiting room on the top floor of the Ritz Carlton gave her a tingling warmth. The woman to her right hand was making a weird noise while breathing, looking half-asleep. A black gentleman was sitting in front of her, routinely checking his window pane suit, carefully-folded pocket square, and burgundy bow tie. She was still catching her breath, walking all the way here, and looked down to the latest Vogue and began scanning it for the third time.

It had been 15 minutes since the chubby housekeeper, Eddie, greeted her kindly and went inside to inform Nucky. She heard a vague exchange of words, possibly agitated, and the warmth became heat. She started regretting coming here. Will he recognize me, or even remember me among a sea of other women? Am I intruding? Is it polite to ask a powerful man the day after you saw him? Am I...

Eddie interrupted her train of thoughts when she was calculating when the elevator would come and invited her in with a warm smile: "Please, you must come zis way."

She struggled for a second to stand up and started taking ginger steps toward Eddie. The black gentleman called out when she walked past him: "Tell Nucky I ain't got all day." Eddie responded with similar kindness and smile, opened the door, and announced "Mrs. Schroeder to see you" before entering Nucky's office.

That airy office was laden with treasures. Vast windows threw in sunlight onto ornate wallpapers. All furniture looked classy and shiny. On a luxurious wooden table, crystal goblets and tumblers sat with a decanter half full with - presumably posh - whiskey. Crystal vases filled the corners. By the sofa was a tea table with a green plant, a mini statue, and a lady's portrait. Stacked with newspapers and other documents, Nucky's table stood majestically on the other end of the room. That table looks larger than our bed. Nucky was sitting on his high-back chair when she entered the room.

He stood up with a fleeting nervousness on his face. Then everything dissolved into relief. When he started walking towards her, there was nothing but a confident smile that greeted her. Nucky invited her to take a seat and asked her if she wanted tea. She wouldn't have asked him for a cup of tea even with all the relief in the world, but he insisted anyway. He might have asked her something else but she couldn't think straight. With as much grace as she could muster, she sat on the sofa.

Quietly, Eddie exited the room and closed the door behind him. She could hear his muffled voice when he told the crowd that Nucky would see no more visitors. Margaret took a deep breath, and with some newfound courage from Nucky, she began asking him for a job for her husband.