“It’s his first in a few years. I don’t think he expects many people to be there. I think it’ll be me, Em, Reggie, Shan, and maybe Esther if she can get a babysitter. Wanna surprise him with us?”
“Yes! I’m in!Absolutely.”
When I hang up with Lauro, I send off the recipe to Cherise, complete with photos and extra-careful step-by-step instructions, and clean up the kitchen. I zoom through a shower, blow-dry, makeup, and then for the outfit. It’s a tall boots kind of night. And ooh! Faux-leather shorts. And that one tank top that crosses against my neck. When I survey myself in the mirror, I see I’ve put together an all-black ensemble. Like a caricature of an art student. But I don’t care! With the boots up to my knee and the short shorts I look tall and hot for once.
I speed out the door and pass Vin in the hall. “Hi,” he says, eyes glued to my thighs.
“Hi! How was your mother’s? I’m going out with art class friends. Pesto pasta in the fridge. Be back later. Bye!”
And I’m gone.
The venue is a converted church in Brooklyn. Daniel and two other artists. Their paintings are displayed grandly on the altarand after perusing them, Shan, Reggie, Lauro, and I drink wine in the pews.
Daniel’s paintings are enormous. He’d need a ladder to paint them. They’re of people, of course, crowded and luminous and painted with gradations of just one color each. Somehow, I’m equally reminded of landscapes and figures.
Daniel stands beside his paintings with his hands clasped behind his back. He’s in a bow tie.
“He hasn’t moved at all,” I observe, eyeing him over my wineglass.
“Yeah,” Shan agrees. “He must be super nervous?”
“He said he doesn’t want to be a distraction to the art,” Lauro says. He’s looking for something, glancing over one shoulder.
“Well, it’s very distracting!” I say. “Having the artist stare at you while you look at their art.”
“Go tell him, then,” Lauro says with a smirk, apparently giving up on what he was looking for and settling back into the pew.
Just then, Esther waddles through the crowd, green church dress on, Fabi tugged along in her wake. She makes straight for Daniel. When she gets there, she says something to him and his pose relaxes for the first time. He reaches down and high-fives Fabi. Esther straightens his bow tie. He laughs at something she’s whispered.
“Good job, Esther,” Lauro says with affection. “Come on. Now’s our chance. She defrosted him.”
We all get up and file over.
When we first got here, Daniel saw us, his eyes widened, and he bowed his head to us. But that was it.
Now that Esther is here and teasing him about his pocket square, when we approach, Daniel actually goes in for a light hug of each of us. “Thank you for coming.”
Daniel, Shan, and Lauro start talking about the exhibition, but I take a chance and sidle up next to Fabi and Esther. “Another gallstone?” I ask her.
She laughs. “No. This time I just wanted to take my grandson to see some art.”
“Where is the art, Abuela?” he asks, looking around at his own eye level.
I point up, to where Daniel’s paintings are suspended, ten feet in the air.
“Oh. Wow.”
While he’s looking up at the sky, I can’t help but do the old tap-the-shoulder trick. He looks to his opposite side and then to me. I shrug, innocent.
Fabi looks up at the art again and I go to tap his opposite shoulder but this time, his little hand snakes up and catches me, pinching my fingers.
“You’re fast!” I crow.
He eyes me critically and unhands me. “I know kung fu.”
I love this answer. “Oh, me too.”
He steps back and eyes me. “Really?”
