‘You sound like a bride on her wedding day,’ Jodi smirked, and Beth sucked in a breath. The butterflies in her stomach increased the speed of their wings and Beth steeled herself.
‘That’s it. It’s now or never. Show time.’
***
Beth and Jodi walked through the entryway of the first floor of the museum and headed to the information desk to snag a map.
‘This place is huge,’ Jodi commented. ‘It’s been years since I’ve been here. How’s that for a born-and-bred New Yorker?’
Beth fixed her stare on the map. ‘A lot of the permanent galleries are on the first floor. That much I know.’
Scanning her eyes across labels indicating ‘Egyptian Art’ and ‘Impressionist Gallery’, she turned her attention to a list of special exhibitions outlined in the margin and quickly found what she was looking for. ‘There it is: “Legends of Venetian History”. It’s back here – in galleries 950 through 960.’
‘Furthest point in the building,’ Jodi muttered glumly, looking at her feet. ‘Figures. I should have worn ballet flats.’
But Beth couldn’t concentrate on her friend’s footwear concerns – she was completely focused on her goal and took off in front, making a beeline for the furthest galleries on the first floor.
The museum was busy with tourists and extra crowds in town for the holidays.
‘This place is packed. Now I remember why I don’t go to tourist hotspots in New York. Case in point, don’t you think?’
Beth agreed that it was indeed busy, but she also knew that somewhere amongst that crowd was the answer to her puzzle. She just had to make it to the Venetian exhibition and, once she was there she was sure that she would find whatever she was looking for.
Or whomever,her inner voice clarified, reminding her of the belief that this clue would provide her with all the answers she needed about this entire adventure.
Giddy with anticipation, Beth noticed that her palms were sweating and she had a brief flashback of the kiss that Ryan had placed on the back of her hand that morning.
There are no coincidences,the same little voice in her mind reminded her once again – repeating it like a mantra. However, the voice went silent the moment that the doorway to the far galleries appeared before her. Beth stopped in her tracks and Jodi bumped into her back.
‘What are you stopping for?’ she asked sharply. ‘Come on, we’re here.’
Outside of the gallery entrance stood a museum docent, handing out programmes to the special exhibition. Beyond, Beth spied colourful and beautifully ornate Venetian masks – the same kind as the one that was in her bedroom – and she couldn’t help feeling once again melancholy as memories flooded her brain. Venice. How ironic. The city and its themes were almost a constant backdrop to her and Danny’s relationship – for good and bad.
No coincidences, she reminded herself once more. She was on the right path, she just knew it. She took a deep breath and continued on behind Jodi, who took two programmes and handed one to Beth. Beth opened the small booklet and flipped through it. She scanned a list of the art that was on display and soon found what she was looking for.
San Giorgio Maggiore at Duskwas the showcased work in gallery 955.
She pointed at the map. ‘This is where we have to go. Here.’
Jodi nodded, taking in her surroundings. Her eyes were wide as saucers she looked at all of the beautiful masks on display. ‘This stuff is amazing.’
Beth nodded and swallowed hard. ‘It’s representative of the city. Probably one of the most beautiful places I have ever been in my life. I’ll never forget it.’
A second wave of bittersweet sadness washed over her. No, she would never forget Venice. Never forget her time with Danny there.
But Beth wasn’t going to live in the past any more – she lived in the present. And she had to get on with her life. No matter what that entailed.
‘Come on. Follow me,’ she urged Jodi, willing herself to put the melancholy out of her mind. It seemed as if fate was playing a cruel trick on her just then. Placing a clue from this treasure hunt deep within a display of fantastic Venetian artefacts and history.
Jodi and Beth walked deeper into the maze of galleries to find the painting. Finally, the doorway to gallery 955 stood in front of them, and Beth paused one final time.
She wasn’t one hundred per cent sure what lay beyond the door (except for Monet’s painting, of course) but she did know that this was the final step, the end of the treasure hunt. The big finale.
‘You want me to go first?’ Jodi asked quietly. For a moment Beth thought that she might take her up on the offer, but she decided that wasn’t right.
Since the very beginning, and every step along the way, Beth had doggedly pursued this quest herself. It was only right that she take the first step in the last clue. This was her puzzle to solve – this washerstory. She shook her head. ‘No, I need to go first.’
Taking small steps forward, she entered the gallery with Jodi behind her. The duo made their way delicately through the throng of people around them. Beth took in everything – every face, every piece of artwork, every display – until she was finally staring at the back wall of the gallery towards her prize.
