by A B Turner
“How is everything?” he whispered, “Any problems?”
“Everything is fine,” I replied, suddenly acutely aware of that nagging feeling which had reappeared in my stomach,
“That’s good, just keep smiling, darling, I’ll be in the office if you need me.”
He spun on his heel and left me, before I had any chance to reply, I felt unnerved, as he had never not been the most active person at every exhibition, yet, on this night, he was taking no real role at all, After resolving to talk to him later, I moved back to the main display, the crowd had thinned slightly and I could see Cal’s pictures quite clearly, not one had a red sold sticker, I felt such disappointment, like a weight on my shoulders. Perhaps Cyrus had been right all along, I had taken the risk for nothing, but it hadn’t really been about making money, it was to boost Cal’s confidence and just being a part of this whole night might be enough for him. As my thoughts tirelessly swapped places in my mind, Caroline came over to me,
“We’ve almost sold everything,” she began, “but there will be some for tomorrow night, Cyrus said the owner wants us to put all the unsold work back up for the third evening.”
As she moved away, I could hardly breathe as the full implications of her statement hit me, if Cal’s pictures didn’t sell, they’d be amongst those being shown tomorrow, and there was no way, Cyrus wouldn’t notice them. My mind raced for some kind of plan, thoughts flew in and out like wild birds, ranging from hitting the fire alarm to clear the place, to just trying to remove the pictures without being seen. Both ideas came and were dismissed, they were ridiculous, as the wave of panic coursed through my body like a tide, a sudden flash of clarity appeared, I picked up three red stickers and just slapped them on his pictures. It was the only way, if they were sold, they’d be boxed up and gone, long before tomorrow night. The rest of the evening, I felt as if I was walking along a knife edge, hoping Caroline wouldn’t notice these sudden sales while praying Cyrus wouldn’t come out of the office. By the time the last guests had left and Jack locked the doors, I felt completely exhausted, but I knew I had to move those pictures before I was discovered. I ran to the back room, pulled out the packing boxes and dragged them into the gallery. Jack and Caroline did nothing to hide their surprise,
“You want this done tonight?” Jack asked, “Couldn’t it wait ‘til the morning?”
“It’s fine, I’ll do it,” I said quickly, “It’ll make things easier for tomorrow, there’s more to sort out, getting the first night’s pictures out again….” my voice unintentionally trailing away into nothing. Jack offered to stay but I insisted he took Caroline home, citing how they must be tired and how busy we would be again in the morning. After a few more offers of help, they finally left and I almost ripped Cal’s pictures from the walls and started quickly wrapping them in packing paper, as I knew Cyrus could come out of the office at any moment. Once all three were safely in cartons, I relaxed and began work on the other pictures, it was about an hour later, when Cyrus came out, he looked tired.
“You’ve been busy, darling,” he said wearily, nodding his head towards the line of cartons, “Have the others gone home?”
“Yes, but I thought I’d get this done now, while it’s quiet,” I replied, adding, “You can go too, I can finish these.”
Cyrus shook his head,
“No I’ll stay and keep you company.”
As I wrapped and boxed each picture, he talked about his day, which seemed to have been one long endless meeting with the gallery owners.
“I kept trying to get away, but they just talked and talked,” he explained, “I can’t even remember most of what was said, in the end, it all just blurred.”
“I’m sorry you had to go alone,” I said sadly, wishing I’d been able to share the day with him – even as only a supporting player.
“Thank you darling, but you were needed here, especially as it seems sales went well.”
I followed his gaze along the neat row of cartons,
“Yes they did,” I agreed, Cyrus stood up and walked slowly along the line,
“What did people buy?” he asked, absent-mindedly touching the tops of each box as he passed, I could feel my heart starting to beat faster as he got closer and closer to that first carton, where I had hurriedly wrapped Cal’s pictures.
“A real mix of styles,” I answered, trying to sound calm, even though, I could feel that nagging doubt now swamping every cell in my body.
“I see,” he answered, as he stopped next to the first box, I could barely breathe as he reached into the carton and pulled out a picture,
“Even this one?” he asked, his dark eyes flashing, glaring straight at me, without flinching he unwrapped the picture,
“Even Cal’s?” he said quietly, but the tone filled with a deepfelt, low anger, “How did this get here?”
At that moment, I wanted the ground to swallow me whole, but for some reason, despite the fear and horror of being caught, all of these feelings were overcome by an unexpected boldness,
“I put it in the exhibition and, as you can see, Cyrus, I was right too, it sold, as did the other two.”
I sounded defiant and Cyrus was clearly taken aback,
“So you went explicitly against my instructions?” he said, his tone now measured.
“Yes, I wanted to give Cal a chance, his were only three amongst all the others, they’ve been sold, so there’s no harm done,” I replied firmly, “I used my judgement, just as you’ve always told me to do.”
Cyrus put the picture back into the carton, then looked back at me,
“Yes you did, you were wrong, but then perhaps as I was too…which is rare, I shall look forward to tomorrow, so I can see who bought them, Caroline must have compiled the list.”
As the reality of there being no buyer hit, I felt my stomach turn over, a wave of pure nausea swept over me, but I knew I had to stay calm, at least in front of Cyrus,
“Yes, it will be interesting,” I replied, somehow managing to control the surge of nerves rippling through my body. He nodded his agreement,
“Well, you are almost finished, so perhaps we can both get home now, it’s late.”
Frustratingly, he waited for me as I collected my coat and bag from the office, once outside, he locked the doors and looked steadily at me, for some reason, there was no trace of anger in his eyes now,
“You shouldn’t have done it, you know that, don’t you?”
I was about to reply when he gently rested his finger across my lips, which only really left me with the option to nod my head.
“As they were sold, I will overlook it, this time, but never ever do it again.”
He removed his hand,
“Do you promise me?”
“I promise you,” I said simply, “I am sorry.”
Cyrus sighed and pulled me into his arms,
“I get it, you know? But this gallery isn’t something we can play with, too much depends on making the right choices, you do understand?”
I nodded again, he gently kissed my forehead and said goodnight, as I watched him walk away, I felt completely awful – not just for lying to him but for the whole mess, and it wasn’t over. I knew I’d have to get the exhibition paperwork, draw up some kind of fake name for the payment slip and actually buy the pictures myself – that was my only option. When I was sure Cyrus was gone, I went back into the gallery, carefully not switching on any lights until I was safely in the office and could turn on the desk lamp. Thankfully, Caroline’s file was in her desk drawer, as I rifled through the paperwork, I quietly whispered my thanks for her almost anal filing system. At the back of the file was the list of sold paintings with only a few names in the purchasers’ column, she obviously hadn’t had time to collate all the information. When I found the three numbers which corresponded with Cal’s work, I carefully wrote the name Mrs K. Michaels, in honour of Louise’s mother, as I knew using any name Cyrus might recognise would be a mistake. I quickly paid for the pictures using my
bank card, the gallery had a secure payment method which meant nobody had access to anyone’s details unless there was a default. As soon as the confirmation came through, the payment had been received, I put this number next to Mrs K. Michaels, closed the file and put everything back in its original place. After one last check around the office, I turned off the desk lamp and hurried out of the gallery. Once out in the night air, every last emotion I’d been feeling for the whole day seemed to hit me at once, and I ran to the side of the road and threw up in the street. Beads of cold sweat trickled down my face, as I struggled to even maintain my balance, I held on to a streetlight, until the world stopped spinning and I felt I could put one foot in front of the other again. When I reached home, I collapsed on my bed without even bothering to take off my clothes. It was over now, I could wake up tomorrow and never have to think about this whole mess again. It had cost me way too much, not only emotionally, but the amount of money I’d had to spend – my exhausted mind couldn’t even begin to calculate if I could even afford to eat again until I was paid. But perhaps that was a kind of karmic justice, for the lies I’d told, so there was no way I could be resentful for how things had turned out. Anyway, I just wasn’t able to think any more, so I pulled the bedcover over me and fell into a deep sleep, deciding whatever happened next, couldn’t be as bad as today.
When I arrived at the gallery the next morning, I was surprised to find the doors locked, I peered through the glass and saw only Cyrus coming out of the office, I waved and he opened the door, without saying anything. I looked around, but unusually, there was no sign of either Caroline or Jack,
“What’s happened?” I asked, Cyrus didn’t answer, instead he walked back to the office and obviously expected me to follow. He sat down at the desk and pointed to the other empty chair, as soon as I was seated, he pushed a sheet of paper across the desk – I recognised it immediately, it was the purchasers’ list.
“So, have you anything to say?” he asked, “And before you answer, you should know, I am well aware you paid for Cal’s pictures.”
I felt as if I had been punched in the stomach, how could he know? I’d been so careful, or, at least, I thought I had. But I’d been wrong and I needed to save this situation somehow because there was no misunderstanding just how angry Cyrus was,
“I’m sorry..” I began, but he held his hand up to silence me,
“I have thought about this all night and, I can’t work with someone I don’t trust, it’s really that simple.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, alright, I had lied, but I’d paid for the pictures, when I said that to him, he looked at me with nothing but total disappointment in his eyes,
“It’s not about the money, you lied to me, you came back to the office last night and falsified the records, do you have any idea how serious that is?”
“But how..?” I stammered, Cyrus slammed his hand down on the desk,
“How do I know? Is that what you’re going to ask? Jesus! I knew those damm pictures weren’t good enough, I knew nobody would buy them, I’ve known this crowd for years, so when miraculously someone bought all three? Did you honestly think I wouldn’t realise? Do you really think I am just that stupid?”
I shook my head, I could feel a lump in my throat and my eyes starting to sting,
“I’m so sorry,” I said quietly, “I don’t know what else to say.”
Cyrus pointed at the paper,
“Fill in your own name, right now.”
He tossed a pen at me and I duly followed his instructions, once the form was completed, he checked it carefully before putting it back in the file.
“Now, I should inform the owners of what’s happened, but I won’t, the books are balanced and that’s all they need to know, instead, you will quit, I will say you’ve had a family issue and you had to leave immediately.”
I was dumbstruck, I was losing my job?
“Please Cyrus..” I pleaded, “Give me another chance.”
He stood up slowly, his sadness etched all over his face,
“You should know, this breaks my heart, I believed we were real friends, but, I was quite obviously wrong, because no friend, would risk me, and Caroline and Jack, all losing our jobs because your spoilt brat of a brother couldn’t take being told he wasn’t good enough, I sincerely and truly hope, he was worth it.”
Even though there was no question I was in the wrong, I couldn’t allow him to talk that way about Cal, I jumped up and yelled back at him,
“All you had to do was allow one picture in, just one, but oh no, your precious reputation was more important!”
Cyrus’s eyes narrowed,
“Not mine, this gallery’s reputation! Do you have any idea what would happen if it got out, we fake sales? That’s the reputation that matters”
“Oh really?” I snapped back, “Are you sure about that? Because it seems to me, you enjoy looking down on people, acting like some kind of God, having their dreams in your hands and deciding who wins and loses..you know it Cyrus, so don’t try and say it was all for the good of this place, because that’s the biggest lie of all!”
“You really need to leave now,” he said coldly, “there’s nothing left for you here.”
I slapped the back of the chair so hard, it crashed on to the floor, before storming out of the office, almost knocking over Caroline, who had been outside. I reached the main doors, just as Jack arrived, he smiled and was about to speak, but my irrational anger and total despair did not allow for small talk. So I barged past him and strode off down the street, I was practically at my place, when I realised tears were streaming down my face. In the space of 48 hours, it felt like I had lost everything, my job, most of my money but, far worse, I’d lost a dear friend in Cyrus. At that moment, for the first time in my life, I hated Cal – if it hadn’t been for him, none of this would have happened. But that hatred faded as quickly as it had appeared, when the cold reality made itself known – this whole mess was down to me and now, I had to try and work out what to do next. I went back to my place, washed my face, re-applied my make- up and headed to the bank, I had to know what was left in my account before I could make any kind of plan. The news was even worse than I’d expected, I had barely anything left ,in a few days, all the bills were due to be paid, I walked back home in a daze. I sat on the couch, still wearing my coat, for several hours, not having even the slightest idea what to do, I knew the money I’d paid for Cal’s pictures would already be in his account, if I asked for it back, it would mean telling him everything and I knew I couldn’t do that to him. As I looked around the apartment, a possible answer came to me, perhaps I could sell something, so before I talked myself out of the idea, I called a few places and arranged for their valuers to come over as soon as possible.Obviously it would mean the place being pretty bare for a while, but once I got another job, I’d soon get everything back, so it wouldn’t be too bad. As I waited for the first guy to come over, I called Cal,
“I can’t believe they sold! I’ve never had so much money in my bank!” he said excitedly, “Should I call Cyrus and thank him?”
“No Cal, for Cyrus, it’s just business, you know? And anyway, I’ve already thanked him,” I replied quickly.
“Oh okay,” he answered, “Will there be another exhibition soon?”
I hesitated, I just didn’t want any more lies, they’d caused way too much damage already, so I answered truthfully,
“I don’t know, Cal, but maybe you should keep going now, so you’ll have more work ready.”
He agreed that was the best idea, suddenly there was a knock at the door,
“I have to go now, the plumber’s here, a pipe was leaking..” I said, well aware that was yet another a lie, but perhaps not such a bad one, Cal thanked me for helping him and made me promise to keep in touch. The valuer took less than five minutes to make me an offer on all the furniture, he was a weasly little man, and I knew he was ripping me off, but at least, I’d be able to cover the bills with wha
t he was giving me, so I reluctantly agreed. In less than half an hour, the apartment was stripped of everything except my bed, fortunately the kitchen had been fitted before I’d moved in. I ran back down to the bank and paid the cash into my account, a quick calculation showed me, once the bills and rent were paid, I should have just enough to pay for food, as long as it was something on toast. I wandered back home and just lay down on my bed, I knew I had to find a new job and fast, but enough was enough for today, I felt beaten. I looked at the phone, willing it to ring, willing it to be Cyrus saying he had changed his mind and wanted me back, but it stayed silent. He had been right, there was nothing left now. I spent the next day sending my resume out to anyone I could think of who might employ me, but on some level, I knew it was hopeless, although I wasn’t really sure why I felt so negative. After a day of trudging round the streets, I got back to my apartment only to find Caroline waiting by my door, she half-smiled and asked if we could talk. Before I really thought about it, I invited her in and she could barely disguise her shock at what she saw,
“What happened?” she asked, looking around the bare floor and empty walls, I shrugged my shoulders,
“My stupidity and lack of a job.”
She sighed and put her hand on my arm, her eyes filled with genuine sympathy,
“I’m so sorry, we both are, me and Jack.”