I was relieved to hear she wasn’t asking me to help her choose paintings because I knew absolutely nothing about art. I also suspected that it would be a fairly lengthy process.
“…I know you have a lot you’re working on, but I was wondering if you might be able to get off on the nineteenth and come to the show, at least for a little while. I figured that if I told you ahead of time, you could maybe plan for it or something like that.”
When she paused, I knew she was expecting an answer. I chose my words carefully, not wanting her to read more into it, but knowing that she also needed someone to be proud of her. She deserved that.
“I’d be honored to come to your showcase.”
“Thank you.” Her tone softened. “I don’t think my parents will be able to make it, so it’ll be nice to have you there.”
No pressure…
Eleven
It had been surprisinglyeasy to ensure that February nineteenth was cleared off my schedule. What hadn’t been easy over the last couple weeks was convincing myself that I’d made a wise decision committing to going to this showcase.
While Keli hadn’t said anything specific to make me think she thought this made us something more than we were, my intuition said that I might need to have a serious discussion with her sometime soon.
Not tonight, though.
Keli had needed to be at the showcase early to set up her paintings, which meant I arrived on my own, a few minutes after the showcase began. I’d dressed well, though not in a suit, and saw that I’d chosen wisely. The others walking around the gallery were attired similarly, which meant I blended in, even if I didn’t feel as though I did.
Once inside, I stepped to the side and scanned above the crowd, looking for Keli. It took a minute or two, but I finally spotted those familiar dark curls piled up on her head in some sort of haphazard thing. The gallery was large enough that once everyone spread out, it wasn’t difficult for me to make my way across the room to where Keli stood, her back to me.
“Good evening,” I said, stopping a foot or so behind her. She turned around, and I smiled at her. “You look lovely.”
“Thank you.” She leaned toward me expectantly, and I bent down, kissing the corner of her mouth in a chaste but not entirely platonic kiss. She wore the same dress she’d worn on Christmas Eve, and it looked just as good now as it had then.
“Do I get a personal tour through your contributions?” I asked as I stepped up to put my hand on the small of her back.
“Of course.” She beamed up at me and gestured in front of us. “This is the first one. I call itIncriminating Evidence.”
“Why that particular title?” I asked as I studied the painting in front of me.
The content was fairly simple. A woman standing on a cliff, overlooking a body of water. The lake was surrounded by a forest, and all that could be seen of the woman was her back. It was a nice picture, and the fact that I couldn’t see anything spectacular probably had more to do with my lack of artistic knowledge than it did with her skill.
“When I was working on this one, I was in high school, and this jerk was harassing the entire art club. I was trying to ignore him, and when he got in my face and asked what I was drawing, I snapped back that I was drawing the lake where I’d dump his body.”
Incriminating Evidence.
I chuckled. “I like it.”
“Not all of them have stories like that,” she said.
“What’s next?” I asked.
She pointed to the painting on the right. “That one’sDancing Lilies.”
This title, I could understand. In a way. Five lilies, one in each corner and one in the center. I wasn’t quite sure why they were dancing, or the point of the painting, but it was nice.
One by one, she showed me her work and told me the titles of each one. Every time, I expressed my approval and appreciation. I didn’t tell her that I didn’t have much knowledge when it came to art, not wanting her to think I was trying to belittle her work.
While we stood in front of one she’d namedUntitled Solitude, two men came up behind us. A small, almost secret smile curved Keli’s lips, and I realized she wanted to hear what these men had to say about her work.
“The quality of work in this year’s showcase isn’t up to par with previous years.” The taller of the two men spoke first. “I told Ray that quality should take precedence over quantity, but he insisted that people would rather dismiss a few lesser artists than see empty spaces.”
I hoped the pair were simply finishing up a conversation they’d been having, and not talking specifically about Keli’s work. Perhaps it would be better for all of us if I moved Keli away from them, but I had come too late to the realization.
“Take this, for example,” the tall man continued. “The artist has some talent, but their process is still clearly in its juvenile stage. They have yet to come into maturity. The title itself is enough to make that clear.”
