Lutek gasps.
Elly says, "Fuck me."
My brain flatlines. I can't comprehend that kind of money for a piece of art one of us has created, let alone what this now means.
"So, I think we have cause to celebrate." Bess unwraps the foil. "Get your mugs out and bring them over."
Jeanette pulls out her phone and types furiously on it.
All our phones beep and vibrate at the same time.
And like some choreographed minuet, we look at them in unison.
Jeanette:
It's going to get up past a million!!! Are we sure we want to risk ruining the opportunity for that kind of money? I think I might want to change my mind again
I look up from my phone to see everyone else has too and is exchanging glances.
Except for Carlos, who's removing lint from his woollen trousers.
Another round of beeps.
Elly:
Put ur phones on silent 4 fucks sake
Bess pulls out her phone and looks at it with a frown. "Why are all of you getting group messages?"
"Ah," says Lutek.
Fuck. I have nothing. All my brain energy's been diverted to the new million-pound potential fork in our treacherous road.
"Because..." says Jeanette.
We all wait, in a mixture of hope and trepidation, for the rest of the sentence.
"Mistral's organising a surprise post-auction thank you party?" she continues in a volley of rushed words.
"Oh," says Bess. "Should you have told me that?"
Elly:
Good 1 now we have 2 org party ??
"How about I collect your mugs while you do whatever you need to do so urgently with Mistral?" Bess moves from station to station. "Make sure you let Mistral know thatA Lettered Manis going to fetch much more than a million pounds."
Every head lifts from their phone to look at her.
"Much more?" says Jeanette. "How can you be so sure?"
"Because the reason it's already at nine hundred thousand pounds is because it's been picked up by news outlets."
"What?" says Elly, furiously thumbing the screen of her phone.
"It's not a main headline, but it's got enough coverage that my viewing numbers on TikTok are now over ten million and the gallery's website has crashed twice since yesterday."
"No. Fucking. Way," says Elly, looking at her phone.
