Chapter 129: The Congressman
Howard Hughes had an astonishing obsession with perfection.
When filming *Hell's Angels*, in order to find the perfect clouds to use as a reference for the airplanes' speed in the film, he hired the president of the University of California, Houston Campus at a high salary and spent a full eight months waiting for the perfect clouds he envisioned.
Therefore, hearing that such a man was heading to Greenland to film an iceberg, Colin wasn't the least bit surprised.
Obsessive, crazy, unconventional—that was Howard Hughes.
"When do you leave?"
"We still need about two weeks to prepare. The film crew needs to be arranged, and most importantly, the ship to Greenland. I need the journey to be as comfortable as possible, and I have to convince the captain to follow my predetermined route."
Taking a sip of the white wine in his glass, Hughes looked up at Colin and extended an invitation, "So, Colin, are you interested in coming with me to see the place where the great ship sank?"
Faced with Hughes's invitation, it would be a lie to say he wasn't tempted.
However, considering the length of the journey, especially adding the trip to Greenland and the filming process, it would easily take weeks or even months. And that was without factoring in the potential filming delays from Hughes—after all, he had already made it clear.
This trip was to film the perfect iceberg he envisioned.
And who knew what his definition of "perfect" even was.
So, after some consideration, Colin still refused Hughes's invitation.
He didn't have that much time to accompany him on a voyage, especially with the serialized comic in *The Messenger* needing to continue.
"A pity. I was planning to discuss my ideas for the Titanic film with you on the ship."
Hearing Colin's refusal, Hughes took a sip of wine with some regret.
A nearby waiter immediately stepped forward and refilled his empty glass with white wine.
While the two were eating and talking, another waiter approached their table and whispered a few words to the waiter serving them.
Hearing his colleague, the waiter nodded, approached Hughes, and with a unique Viennese-Long Island accent, said: "Mr. Howard Hughes, Mr. Fiorello Henry LaGuardia has arrived."
"He's here?"
Responding to the waiter's notice, Hughes took out a handkerchief to wipe the grease from his mouth, then turned and gestured to Colin.
"The man you were looking for has arrived."
As just mentioned, Colin's purpose for coming to the 21 Club was certainly not to drink or simply discuss news of a ship voyage with Hughes.
In fact, upon learning that Hughes had come to New York, Colin had already asked a favor of him.
And Hughes had readily agreed to Colin's request, arranging this meeting.
Inside the 21 Club, after the two waited in silence for a few minutes, a waiter led over a short man dressed in a neat suit.
"Howard Hughes, have you forgotten who I am? How dare you invite me here?"
His gaze fell upon the wine glasses on the table. The man, who had distinct Italian features, raised an eyebrow, glanced at Hughes, and spoke with pointed meaning.
"So, are you planning to expose me, Mr. Congressman?"
Faced with the man's 'threat,' Hughes showed no fear. He even deliberately raised his glass, took a sip, and shot him a provocative look.
"..."
They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds.
The atmosphere between Hughes and the man seemed to grow heavy, but Colin, who was on the side, noticed the waiter's calm expression. Clearly, the waiter didn't think it was a problem.
"Of course not."
Sure enough, the next second, the man, who had been stern-faced just a moment ago, broke into a smile, shrugged at Hughes, and said:
"You know I've always been against the existence of Prohibition."
As he spoke, the man gestured to a nearby waiter, who cooperatively handed over a prepared wine glass.
Raising the glass and taking a sip of the white wine, the man finally sat down before them with a relaxed expression.
"The passage of the act not only failed to achieve its intended effect but has actually made various social problems worse. Even we congressmen have to hide away just to have a drink. What in the world could be worse than that?"
Don't think that only the general public was affected by Prohibition; political figures suffered from it as well. There was even a case in Detroit where a police chief, a mayor, and a congressman were arrested for drinking.
The man voiced a few complaints, then took a few more sips of his white wine.
Only then did he get the conversation back on track, looking at Hughes and asking, "So, what's the reason you called me here this time, Hughes? I already told you, the Military won't agree to your request to buy fighter jets."
"You can tell the Military for me that I can offer more money. Three times, five times—it's not a problem."
Faced with the man's relayed refusal, Hughes showed no disappointment, speaking with a calm expression.
"Alright, I'll try again."
Seeing this, the man didn't say anything more, simply nodding in response.
There wasn't much he could do when faced with such an obsessive and wealthy fellow.
"Actually, this meeting wasn't my idea."
However, just as the man thought the matter was concluded, Hughes, sitting beside him, suddenly spoke up, introducing Collin Roper: "This is Collin Roper. He's the one who wanted to meet with you this time."
"Fiorello Henry LaGuardia, I assume you're acquainted with him now. I'll leave the rest to you two."
After introducing the two at the table, Hughes didn't linger. He picked up his wine and walked straight toward a table where some ladies were drinking.
"Mr. LaGuardia, it's a pleasure to meet you."
Colin withdrew his gaze from Hughes's back and immediately greeted LaGuardia with a nod.
Hearing Hughes's introduction, LaGuardia's expression was a little surprised, but he recovered quickly and returned the greeting to Colin: "The pleasure is mine, Mr. Collin Roper."
"So, what is your purpose in wanting to see me?"
LaGuardia already had a few guesses as to why Colin wanted to meet him.
As a congressman, he was no stranger to this. People would often use all sorts of connections to meet with him, hoping he could do something to help them.
Some of these requests LaGuardia agreed to, others he refused.
"As far as I know, Mr. LaGuardia, you seem to have an interest in running for the next Mayor of New York?"
(end of chapter)