First Class Menu

by Aj Harmon

  After a shower, Lindsey decided she’d go out for dinner. Several of the staff at Aaron’s Grill had talked about a new Thai place that had opened up just a few blocks from her apartment. She hadn’t lived in Soho for very long – just a couple of years now – and there were still hundreds of restaurants she needed to try out. A night out for dinner was just what she needed, so she called Trudy to see if she and Trevor would be her guests for dinner.

  *****

  The week went by fast. They always did. The last five years had flown by for Lindsey. She had worked so hard and had given up any sort of a personal life. She hadn’t had a date in years. She hadn’t had sex in even longer! But she told herself when she felt lonely that it had all been worth it.

  By the time Thursday arrived, she felt a bit on edge. David’s cooking class was in the evening and she wondered if he’d come. She’d thought about calling him the week before to find out why he hadn’t shown up, but had thought better of it and resisted the urge.

  As she sauntered into the classroom five minutes before class began, she tried to appear cool and relaxed, but she felt anything but. Lindsey nonchalantly scanned the room. He wasn’t there. She put her bag down and twisted her hair into a knot on the top of her head and secured it with a claw. Then lathered up her hands in the sink and scrubbed them clean. Now at the top of the hour, class began…without David.

  6.

  David spent every waking minute at the gallery making sure everything was ready for Friday’s big opening. By lunch time on Friday, he was exhausted but thrilled with the way the space looked.

  Lou Borsten’s pieces were front and center in the expanded gallery. David was confident that most of her pieces would sell in the first couple of nights. He was sure she would be a sought after commodity in the years to come and he was glad he could be instrumental in her ascension into the Manhattan art world.

  Audrey arrived dressed to the nines a little after lunch. Several newspaper critics would be arriving shortly to get a sneak preview of what the public would see in just a few hours and Audrey wanted to make her best impression.

  “You aren’t dressed!” she frowned as she walked in David’s office.

  “My suit is hanging on the back of the door. I can be ready in five minutes,” he casually replied.

  Of all the Lathem men, David was the most even tempered. Little riled him and disappointments were just a fact of life that didn’t deserve getting depressed over. Maybe it had something to do with his older brothers’ passion. Matt was a go-getter, definitely a type A personality. Mark threw himself into anything he did with one hundred percent gusto and determination. Whether it was sports or work or vacations, he gave it his all. Andrew was a combination of his two older brothers and then there was David; reserved, introspective and a bit of a loner. They all looked alike, but were all very different.

  “They said they’d be here at two and I need you to be ready to dazzle them with your brilliance,” Audrey smiled at her friend.

  David dropped the pen in his hand onto the desk and shut the three-ring binder. “Then you’d better get out of her so I can change,” he grinned.

  Audrey hustled from his office, practically slamming the door on her way out. Not feeling any time constraints at all, David removed his shoes and socks and placed them neatly in the bottom file cabinet drawer. Then he pulled his polo shirt over his head and unthreaded his belt from his jeans. Grabbing some deodorant from the same drawer, he freshened himself up and then sprayed some cologne over his bare chest and neck. As he bent over to replace the glass Calvin Klein bottle, a quick rap on the door came and then it opened. Still bent over, David glanced back to see blue sparkly clogs all but hidden under denim jeans.

  “Oh! Sorry!”

  David stood and twisted his head to see Lindsey in a state of shock. David turned to face her, barefooted and bare chested, the top button of his jeans undone and hanging low on his hips.

  “This is a surprise,” he smiled. “Come on in.”

  *****

  Lindsey froze! Her eyes were focused on the smooth rigid chest in front of her. David’s muscles were chiseled and on display and she found it difficult to tear her eyes away.

  Finally she managed to look up. He had that crooked grin on his face and was enjoying her ogling. David took a step towards her and once again her eyes dropped, this time to the open button at the top of his jeans. There was a trail of hair that began just below his belly button and disappeared underneath the denim. David stopped next to her and pushed the door shut behind her.

  “I was just getting changed,” he informed her.

  “Oh,” she managed to spit out. Shit! I’m an idiot! Speak, dammit! “I came to talk to you about the set up for the food…for tonight…the gallery opening.”

  Chuckling, David walked back to his desk, the garment bag in his hand. “Yes, I know tonight is the gallery opening. I’ve been working on it for months now.

  Shit! Say something intelligent would you? “There was a young woman at the front who told me I should talk to you about setting up.”

  David unzipped the bag that held his suit and pulled out his black dress shoes from the bottom and put them on the floor next to his chair. Lindsey watched his every move, mouth slightly open, eyes wide open.

  “There are tables already set up for you and the bar should be up by now too. If you want to hang on a minute I can show you.” David pulled out a crisp white dress shirt and flung it over his shoulders, pushing his arms through each sleeve.

  “I’ll let you get dressed and I’ll meet you out there,” Lindsey pointed through the door. And then she disappeared, closing the door quickly behind her.

  Once on the other side, she closed her eyes and leaned back on the door, exhaling the breath that had caught in her throat the minute she had walked into David’s office. She had not been prepared for that. She covered her mouth with her hand as his half naked image burned itself into her brain. Lindsey had thought he looked very nice dressed, but undressed? Wow! She could only imagine what the rest of him looked like and her brain was working overtime to finish the picture in her head.

  “Everything alright?”

  Lindsey’s eyes flew open and her cheeks blushed bright red. “Umm, yes, fine thank you.” And she all but ran right past Audrey down the hall and into the gallery.

  *****

  After babysitting the critics from the newspapers for over an hour, David needed a drink. He hoped the bar was already stocked. As he popped the top off a bottle of beer, he watched the staff Aaron had sent over placing tablecloths and serving utensils on the tables. He looked around for Lindsey but didn’t see her. He smiled at the memory of her in his office, obviously pleased with what she saw. David didn’t work out for others to enjoy. He spent hours at the gym each week because it made him feel better. He hadn’t played sports in high school but a good run on the treadmill and thirty minutes on the bowflex and his body felt healthier and his brain worked faster. And filling out a shirt nicely was just an added bonus, one he was glad of today.

  Audrey plodded up next to him. “Any more of those?” she asked.

  David grabbed another bottle and removed the top and handed it over. “I thought you thrived on that,” David nodded over to the last of the reporters scribbling in a notebook.

  Audrey sighed. “I’m happy to schmooze a reporter from anywhere, but that one? He doesn’t know a paint brush from a toilet brush! How he got a job on the arts and entertainment beat is anyone’s guess.”

  David grinned and Audrey took a long sip of her drink. “Doors open in ninety minutes. I think we’re ready,” he said encouraged by their hard work. “Just need the food to be ready before the first guests arrive and we’re good to go.”

  *****

  Lindsey sat in the front of the delivery van…hiding. She didn’t need to be here. Her staff was completely competent and didn’t need her hovering around. In fact, she suspected, it made them a bit nervous. This wasn’t a society wedding,
or a political event. Just an ordinary catering job they did all the time. Nothing special today. Except it was…for Lindsey. She had come under the pretense that it was a “Lathem” event, therefore Aaron would expect that it received her highest attention. Only the very best was good enough for the Lathem’s and she would ensure it, although she really came because she wanted to ask David why he’d dropped out of the cooking class. Was it her? Was it Gwen, his cooking partner? She wanted to know. The curiosity was killing her.

  All of the hors d'oeuvres were cold or room temperature. Gary had it all under control. He was filling trays with ice and pulling serving trays from the back of the van. If she tried to help she’d just get in his way so she stayed in the front seat. The rear door of the gallery had been propped open with a crate and bodies dressed in white jackets were going in an out…Lindsey had stopped paying attention.

  “Are you hiding?”

  Her head whipped up to see David standing in front of her, his shoulder leaning on the open van door.

  “What?”

  “What are you doing out here?” he grinned. “I’m all dressed. You can come inside.”

  Lindsey blushed again and tried to hold her head up. “Of course I’m not hiding. I’m supervising.”

  His laugh filled the alley. Lindsey smiled. Awkwardness gone.

  “Come in,” he held out his hand. “Come see what your staff has done. Everything looks terrific.”

  Lindsey took his hand and followed him back inside. She looked over the refreshment tables and nodded in approval. “Looks good.”

  “Feel free to look around,” David offered. “Lou is a terrific new artist and her work is amazing.”

  Lindsey smiled and was about to speak when Audrey hurried over to David and grabbed his hand.

  “He’s here!” she mouthed.

  “Who?” David asked his boss.

  “My father-in-law! Come on!” Audrey dragged David to the front door and the very important looking man…the man who owned the gallery.

  Lindsey turned her attention to the food and gave her staff the once over, making sure they would give the proper impression for the evening ahead.

  *****

  Janie Lathem stood in front of a large painting of the Statue of Liberty. “I want that!” she told her husband, Matt.

  He grinned and went off to find David and make the purchase for his wife.

  Katy stood next to Janie and tilted her head. “It’s not a…a typical painting is it?”

  They both studied the colors; blues, greys and browns with just a hint of green on the statue, the lines a tad more abstract than a traditional painting.

  “It’s different, yes,” nodded Janie. “But it speaks to me. And Matt and I have a, umm, a fondness for the old lady.”

  “Yes, I know,” grinned Katy. “I know all about your fondness!”

  Matt returned, David in tow. “I’m really happy you like this,” David smiled. “The artist is quite brilliant.”

  “She is certainly unique,” added Katy.

  Mark returned to the group and handed Katy, his wife, her drink. “Pretty good, David!” he smiled. “Some of these pieces are spectacular.”

  “You’ve only seen the first few,” David grinned. “I’d like to hear what you think of the rest.”

  “I’ll tell you what I think,” Katy replied.

  “I know you will,” David chuckled. “I can always count on you to tell me what’s on your mind.” He left them to continue wandering through the gallery as another interested buyer caught his arm.

  David was being pulled in all different directions; Audrey needed him to speak to a good friend of her father-in-law, Lou needed to be, once again, encouraged to mingle with the patrons, his mother, Maureen, wanted to tell him how wonderful the evening was for the fifth time, and then there were those actually interested in purchasing pieces on display. His head was spinning but for all the right reasons. It was a joyously successful evening.

  *****

  Lindsey had done as David suggested and had viewed the gallery. She had admired several paintings and a sculpture in the middle of the room had grabbed her attention for several minutes as she tried to decide what it was supposed to be. But for the last little while she had been focused on a charcoal sketch on the wall in front of her. She was mesmerized by it, enraptured actually.

  Depicted in front of her was a homeless man, huddled in the doorway of a brick building, old and haggard, stringy hair under a holey baseball cap. His clothes were torn and his toes were peeking out of ripped tennis shoes and he gripped a half-full garbage bag under his arm. But it was the expression on his face, in his eyes, that had sucked her in. The artist had captured the look of despair that would haunt her dreams she was sure.

  Lindsey had seen hundreds, thousands of homeless people in the city, and she had done as most do and ignored them, after a while not really seeing them at all. But this drawing screamed “SEE ME” and she did.

  She didn’t know how long she’d been staring at it when Audrey approached her. She smiled and nodded at the sketch.

  “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?”

  Lindsey nodded. “I’d like to have this. Is it for sale?”

  “It hasn’t sold yet so it’s all yours if you’d like it.”

  “I would.”

  “He’s quite fabulous, isn’t he?”

  Lindsey turned to Audrey. “Who?”

  “David.”

  “Um, yes?”

  “He’s the artist,” replied Audrey, sensing her confusion.

  “David? He drew this?” Lindsey was stunned.

  “Yep. All the charcoals are David’s, although there are only four of them here tonight. I’m quite disappointed he didn’t add more. He is a brilliant artist.”

  Now she really had to have it! “Yes I want to buy it.”

  Audrey smiled. “Of course. Let me get David and…”

  “No! We don’t need to involve him do we?”

  Audrey studied Lindsey for a moment. Lindsey lowered her head and fiddled with the button on her chef’s jacket.

  “I suppose I can handle everything. Would you prefer to remain an anonymous buyer?”

  Lindsey nodded and closed her eyes. “Yes. That would be good.”

  Audrey pulled a ‘SOLD’ sticker from the pad in her hand and placed it on the wall next to the framed sketch. “Done,” she smiled. “Come by on Monday after lunch and we can take care of it.” She eyed Lindsey suspiciously but didn’t say anything more as she was summoned by another guest.

  Lindsey remained in front of her new sketch, lost in the face of the charcoal man. There was a lot more to David than a god-like body and a beautiful head of hair. He was articulate and had a wonderful sense of humor and was an extremely talented artist. Anyone who could capture this kind of emotion on paper had to be intrinsically sensitive and attuned to the world around him. David Lathem went much deeper than she had initially supposed and that realization only reinforced her desire to know him better.

  7.

  Lou Borsten was all but giddy when she arrived to see David at the gallery on Monday morning. She had given him twenty-five pieces for the gallery opening and seventeen had sold on Friday and Saturday night. She had brought six more pieces with her at his request.

  David smiled as she ran into his office. “I’m happy to see you so cheery this morning.”

  “Seventeen!!” she exclaimed. “I sold seventeen!”

  He chuckled. “Yep. And I expect you’ll sell the rest too. What did you bring me?”

  Lou placed the box on his desk and David pulled out each framed piece one at a time.

  “These are wonderful,” he smiled. “I’m so glad I found you.”

  “I’m glad you found me too,” she laughed. “Although I have to admit, I was wary of you at first. I thought you were one of those creepy old guys.”

  “Old?” David grinned. “I am not old!”

  “It’s all relative. To me you’re old,” she grinned.r />
  “Thanks!” David laughed. “This old man’ll have a check for you on Friday for the pieces you’ve sold so far.”

  “Well, I’ll come by and pick it up in the morning if that’s okay. I want to use it to buy a new wheelchair for dad. We have the loaner which we’re supposed to give back, so this money is coming at a great time.”

  “You’re a good daughter,” David nodded as he patted her on the shoulder. “I know your dad is proud of you.”

  Lou smiled and said goodbye and headed off with an obvious spring in her step. David gathered up the new pieces Lou had left on his desk and headed down the hall to arrange them in the display. As he reached the reception area, he saw Audrey and Lindsey in deep conversation. He stood for a moment, wondering what they were discussing. Lindsey held one of the gallery pieces wrapped in brown paper in her arm. She must have bought one, David thought. He smiled and walked towards the women. They immediately stopped talking as he approached.

  “Which one did you buy?” he asked.

  Lindsey lowered her eyes to the item in her arms and bit her bottom lip.

  “Um…one of Lou’s,” Audrey answered.

  “She’s wonderful, isn’t she?” David smiled. “I have more here I’m going to hang. It’s good to see you, Lindsey.” And he wandered off into the gallery.

  “Thank you,” Lindsey sighed.

  “He’s clueless. Typical. He always has been. He has no idea when it comes to women.”

  Lindsey smiled and thanked Audrey and left the gallery. She had to formulate a plan and then put it into action. There was work to be done.

  *****

  Stepping back, Lindsey admired the framed sketch now hanging on her bedroom wall. It was the first piece of art she had purchased and it had sat leaning against the wall for over a week because she didn’t know where to put it. Her apartment was comfortable but most of the walls were bare, with the exception of a few photographs of her and Trudy. She really wasn’t home enough to worry about decorating. But now it was up and it would be the first thing she saw every morning.