Gatsby, Jack, Jesse and Nick entered the cramped shop. In the center of the room stood a tall, distinguished, grey-bearded man in an exquisitely cut suit, and with gold rings on every finger, is having a beard trim.
"Ah my boy...!" Meyer Wolfsheim says, as he embraced Gatsby.
"Meyer, Meyer..."
"You smell so good." Meyer says.
"Mr. Carraway; Mr. Williams; Mr. Dawson; my friend, Mr. Wolfsheim." Gatsby guides the trio and Wolfsheim toward the back of the shop.
"A wonderful pleasure, Mr. Dawson. I'm glad we've finally met. I've heard all about you."
"Really?" Jack was surprised, while Wolfsheim gently takes Jack's hand for a shake.
"Of course! Gatsby here is always talking about you. After all, you're his splitting image cousin. The Titanic survivor." Wolfsheim heartily laughs, then playfully punches Jack's arm. Gatsby raps a coded knock on a hidden door at the back of the shop. The door slides open, the rumble of music pours out...
"Come, join us for a little lunch..." Wolfsheim says sinisterly as they enter the Angry Diamond Speakeasy. Gatsby ushers Wolfsheim and the trio down narrow creaking stairs, through the crowd and into the smoke-filled speakeasy... Jesse is taking in his new, but seemingly seedy surroundings, then begins to wonder what he has gotten himself into, as he followed everyone down this dark corridor. Wolfsheim taps Gatsby's shoulder, "Tell Walter Chase; "he shuts his mouth or he doesn't get a penny..."
"We'll talk about that later..." Gatsby snaps back. The head waiter appears.
"Highballs, Mr. Gatsby?" the waiter asked, while Jesse fidgets behind.
"Yes, highballs it is." Gatsby then points to Jack. "You take good care of my cousin here! And his friend there." He also pointed towards Jesse. A portly man of obvious stature, surrounded by scantily clad flappers, yells from a corner booth.
"Hey Jay...! You're under arrest!" the commissioner yells playfully. Gatsby smiles and tips his hat.
"You be careful now. You're turning into a real Jazz-Hound Commissioner." then turns to his cousin. "See, that's the Commissioner back there." Gatsby waves to the commissioner, and is also seen as the king here, while he greets patrons high and low... He sees Senator Gulick at the craps table.
"You be careful at those tables now Senator!" Gatsby says.
"Of course! I'll put a bet on for you Jay!" Waiters clear a front row table, which is considered the best seat in the house - Gatsby helps Wolfsheim to his. Wolfsheim eyes the girls on the stage while Gatsby flashes Jack a charming smile, even though he knows Jack has a wife now.
"Shall we order?" Gatsby asked the trio, then flags a waiter. "Lobster tails all round." then he tells everyone at that table, "They decorate it with truffle slices and fine herbs. Very artistic." Wolfsheim glances to Gatsby, and then turns again to Nick, who was sitting next to him...
"So... How is the bond business Mr. Carraway?"
"It's fine, thank you."
"I understand you're looking for a business gonnegtion-"
"No, no. This isn't the man. This is the friend I told you about." Gatsby says.
"Oh! Beg your pardon, I had a wrong man." Wolfsheim pats Nick on the back, unsettling him further... Gatsby takes a quick glance to his watch and to Wolfsheim, jumps up.
"Now, if you'll excuse me. I have to make that call." Gatsby then gestures to the three men in front of him. "Meyer, do you mind?" Gatsby leaves Nick, Jesse, Jack and Wolfsheim alone.
"Gatsby! What a gentleman! From one of the finest families in the Midwest... Sadly all dead now." Wolfsheim then looked at Jack. "Except you. He's all you got now. Anywho, let me tell you, when I made the pleasure of becoming Mr. Gatsby's acquaintance just after the war, I knew I had discovered a man of fine breeding. A war hero! Such... medals. And, an Oggsford man. Oggsford College in England. You know Oggsford?"
"I've heard of it..." Jack says.
"Then you would know that a man like that can be trusted. With a friend, with someone like you, he would never so much as look at your wife..." Jesse broke out of his trance-like state, then turns his attention to Wolfsheim. Meanwhile Nick studies Wolfsheim, noticing an oddity about his outfit. Wolfsheim notices, then looks at Nick.
"Looking at my tiepin? Finest specimen of human molars..." Jesse vomited in his mouth, and before Nick can recover, Gatsby suddenly returns.
"Gentlemen. Everything alright...?" Gatsby notices a dark cloud seems to hover over everyone. "Oh, yes... We were just talking about other people's wives..." Nick says uneasily.
"Other people's wives? Ah... I see." Gatsby says taking his seat, then looks to Wolfsheim. "Other people's wives... Meyer?" Wolfsheim nods, smiles, and checks out the dancing girls.
"Well, my work here is done. I'll leave you gentlemen to talk about your sports... and your women..." Wolfsheim follows his favorite dancer off...
"You'll have to excuse him... In his old age, he's prone to "digress..." He's a regular around here; a real denizen of Broadway..." Gatsby says to the three men, then looms over the table.
"Who is he anyhow?" Nick finally manages to ask. Gatsby turns to look at Wolfsheim.
"Meyer? He's a gambler." Nick looks over Jesse and Jack's shoulders to see Wolfsheim mingling with the ladies; but occasionally glancing in their direction...
"An actor?" Gatsby looked at Wolfsheim again. Both Jesse and Jack also turned, while the ladies seem to flirt with the two attractive men, who were already married.
"Meyer? No. He's the man who fixed the 1919 World Series."
"Fixed it?" Nick says, shocked.
"Fixed it."
"How did he manage that?" Nick says, as Jesse and Jack turned. Gatsby seemed annoyed, but he continued.
"He just... saw the opportunity, I suppose. He's a very smart man." Gatsby tries to change subject now. "Now, old sport, about Miss Baker, and that request we spoke of..." Before Gatsby can go on, Tom Buchanan pushes Gatsby out of the way, then looms over the table.
"Hey Nick! Jesse! Where've you two been!? Daisy's furious that you both haven't called up." Gatsby turned, while Nick, Jesse and Jack stand.
"This is Mr. Gatsby, Mr. Buchanan." Nick says uneasily. With strange intensity Gatsby offers his hand.
"I'm so very, very... delighted to make your acquaintance." Tom turns back to both Nick and Jesse.
"I wouldn't have expected to find you in this temple of virtue. Especially from you, Jesse."
"We're having lunch with Mr. Gats-" Nick turns, but inexplicably, Gatsby is gone. Jesse also notices Jack is gone. Nick, surprise rising into anger... while Jesse has his face in his palms while he shakes his head.
...
At the Hotel Sayre - rooftop garden - it is now dusk, where Jordan is perched at an elegant table, that overlooks the Times Square and the advertisement of the man in the beautiful Arrow shirts. Both Nick and Jesse, frustrated, dodging the fashionable and famous...
"Why did Gatsby invite you here?" Nick asked Jesse.
"How should I know? I have a sister that lives here-"
"Sister?! I thought you were making your fortunes in this fair city as well. Look at how well you're dressed-"
"Investing? Stocks? I don't know what those are."
"New York is a great place to make fortunes. Your dreams come true in this big stinking city. Bonds buying-I should have you invest in a company. You'll see how far your money will grow from there."
"Bonds buying-?"
"Oh come on, Jesse! There's more to being here than taking my sister and having her meeting Gatsby. Invest! Brokerage! Bonds! Smell that? That's the smell of money."
"All I smell is car exhaust, and dread in this city." Jesse says, while Nick rolled his eyes, then banged their way through the door, until they arrived at the top of the hotel's rooftop garden.
"I'm looking for Ms. Baker. Yes. The famous sporting star. The golfer... There... I've spotted her." Nick comes to an abrupt halt in front of Jordan. "What game are you, Gatsby and his cousin playing at!?" An immaculate maitre'd offers both Nick and Jesse a couple of chairs.
"Will the gentleman be joining?" the maitre'd asked. Jesse took his seat. "One moment please-" Nick says, frustration mounting.
"Please, Nick, sit down. This is a polite restaurant." As Nick's frustration grows, so does both Jordan and Jesse's embarrassment-
"It's all very strange. He picks me up in his fancy yellow car... And he's going on and on and on about his life and the war and rubies and Oxford and... What is-" Nick says, trying to comprehend what was going on around them.
"If you'll just have a seat-" Jordan says.
"Just take a seat-please-" Jesse also pleads.
"What is this big request!?"
"Tell him, Jesse." Jordan says. Jesse looked confused.
"Tell him what?"
"Tell him-Nick-! He just wants you to invite Daisy to tea." Jordan says.
"Tea?" Nick says, not what he had expected. He also turns to Jesse, for help. Jesse rubs his face in frustration. He hated to be dragged in situations such as these.
"Daisy...? And Gatsby...?" Nick sits...moving his chair closer to Jesse now. "Why? What will his cousin think-?"
"Well... I don't know quite where to start. You see... I met Gatsby, five years ago, in Louisville..."