We were invited to a garden party at the home of Oxford’s Vice Chancellor. Locals refer to him as the VC, it’s a similar position as a university president. In a town comprised mostly of the University, this is a powerful post to hold.
I hope you are impressed because I am. It was fortunately a damp day; therefore, they moved garden party inside, allowing for opportunistic snooping. I didn’t have a chance to check out their medicine cabinet but I was able to peep a bit through a three-story posh Oxford home, a startling contrast to my lowly one-bedroom flat.
The other guests seemed most impressive by the art. True masters hung on the wall. I wanted to stroke these museum treasures to see if they were photographic reproductions but I was never alone with them long enough get my hors d’oreve residue fingers even close to the frames.
I wanted to go upstairs and explore but I could no more scurry about investigating than one would wonder though private areas at a White House party.
The VC’s party started as any typical party. People mingled about. Small talk could be heard everywhere; men exchanged titles; wives exchanged the latest scholarly lectures they attended. Wine and canapés made their rounds and so did the Vice Chancellor.
The VC stopped by the group I was mingling in and introduced himself to us. At 5-foot 8-inches, bald, smartly dressed, and of thin stature, he would never be described as intimidating, in fact he was rather reminiscent of many of the gay men I met in Atlanta.
He was charming and highly skilled in the art of cocktail conversation, a skill I have never developed. “Where are you from? Oh, you’re from Bombay, Oxford has an award-winning restaurant owned by former soldiers from Bombay who developed their restaurant based on the first emperor’s personal chef, who’s taster’s great grandson is now the chef. You’re from Georgia? John Oglethorpe was an Oxford graduate and the founder of your state. But there is another state, whose Governor is also a Oxford graduate and not someone we like to claim, as his right wing views are rather atrocious.” As I wondered which of the states he could be naming, he whispered the Louisiana’s Governor. We all nodded relieved he didn’t name all the American Governors, whose politics were embarrassing, as that might have taken some time.
Like a jazz musician he saw an opening and took the solo, “Bill Clinton graduated here but I don’t count him as a graduate. I found Bill a man who was a bit too accustomed to being listened to, if you know what I mean”. Then he suddenly reintroduced himself, “I’m the Vice Chancellor. My most memorable moment was when I bestowed the degree onto Chelsea and had outstanding dinner with her family. Politics aside, I found Hillary a delight and we had a lovely time. She was very interested discussing the differences between educational systems with me. I am the Vice Chancellor.” As introduced himself for the third time, the organizer of the party interrupted him to formally introduce him to the group. As he told the group his title and welcomed us to his home, I couldn’t help but wonder, I had read where he met the Dali lama and Nelson Mandela. Had Hillary been the most memorable dinner to date?