Best Wishes - what a group of people would wish for - Brief Article

Ebony, April, 2001 by Laura Randolph Lancaster

IT must have been the champagne. But then again it could have been the bonus, which is the reason the four of us had ordered the $100-a-bottle bubbly in the first place. We were celebrating the recent success of our Sister-friend, Sharon. A brilliant and creative trial attorney, she had received the bonus a few weeks earlier for her brilliant and creative work on a super-tough trial.

So that you will understand the level of glee at the table, you should know that there was nothing average about Sharon's bonus. On the contrary, her bonus met the top three requirements of a really good one: It was unsolicited (one Thursday morning, the firm's managing partner strolled into Sharon's office, handed her an envelope, and told her to open it over a long weekend--which, he added, she should begin at that very moment); it was sincere (the check came with a beautifully written letter of appreciation); and, most important, it was substantial (read: a minimum of four zeroes to the left of the decimal point).

Whichever it was, the bonus or the bubbly, by the time we ordered dessert, you would have thought everybody at the table had received a check. One that had five zeroes to the left of the decimal point.

Terry started it. The what-I-would-do-if-somebody-gave-me-six-figures -on-the-condition-I-could-only-use-it-to-spoil-myself-silly conversation. The catalog of wildly indulgent things we'd each have to do/have/buy if, say, we didn't have to worry about paying the mortgage or the car note, which can throw a pall on the whole thing (if you know what I mean).

We wished for everything from the truly frivolous (Louis Vuitton Hair Cubes, $300-a-jar skin caviar body cream) to the truly sublime (snorkeling with angelfish in Cozumel, skiing in St. Moritz). By the end of the night, however, we'd narrowed the list from our three wildest wishes (trust me, you don't want to know) to our three best wishes. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as we enjoyed fashioning them.

* Dinner for four at Alain Ducasse. The food at this New York restaurant is said to be nothing short of awe-inspiring. Which is why, to quote The New York Times, "ordinary diners have less than a snowball's chance of landing a table at Ducasse." Though dinner for four can easily approach $1,500, word on the street is that the 16 tables are already booked for the next six months, and there is a 2,700-person waiting list. But, hey, what can you expect from a restaurant where, when you order verbena tea, they bring the plant to your table and a white-gloved waiter snips the leaves with silver shears?!

* Five days on a real Fantasy Island. Our No. 1 choice: Fregate Island Private. As the name implies, Fregate is a private island off the East Coast of Africa, where the indulgences are said to be endless, luscious, scandalous! To wit: There are only 16 villas and a maximum of 40 guests; the resort's 100 staff members want to make sure they can attend to your every request. At $1,500 a night, I say they not only better attend to each and every one of my requests, they better anticipate them. ("Mrs. Lancaster, I don't know if you will be using your hot tub tonight, so I've scattered rose petals on it just in case.")

And what will each of us request? In a word, pampering. Major, serious, intense pampering. When, for example, I'm sunning and funning on one of the seven idyllic beaches that stretch for miles, I want pool boys to pass by with atomizers and spray my face with a cool mist of water. Sharon wants a massage under the stars. Nightly. On her terrace overlooking the sea. Terry wants to do something exciting and exotic that will make time stand still. What that is she doesn't know. For that kind of money, Terry wants them to figure it out. I could go on, but you get the point.

* Weekly Lulur Spa Treatments. This one, I'm delighted to say, is more than a wish; the four of us are actually going to get one. Not every week, but at least once. But if what I hear about it is right, once might be enough. Only recently has this sumptuous Balinese treatment even been practiced in the United States. It's so new, in fact, only a handful of U.S. spas even offer it. In Bali, the treatment is an ancient bridal ritual that was given to palace brides for 40 nights prior to their weddings. Women who have had it are rumored to glow for weeks afterwards. Maybe it's the lush application of jasmine-frangipani oil. Or the combination of European, Chinese and Indian massage techniques. Or maybe it's the turmeric powder mixed with sandalwood, rice powder, and spices used to exfoliate your body.

Whatever it is, I can't wait!