Chapter 3
He couldn’t sit still. It was 11.35 now, and every passing minute seemed to be going agonisingly slow. William had felt cheated yesterday. It was only a couple of minutes, but they still counted! An elderly couple sat on the bench at a quarter to, and if William’s stare had been lasers, they would have been done to a crisp! By 12.05, he couldn’t keep a limb still, and when 12.10 actually came and went and she wasn’t there, Xander thought that William was going to have a heart attack.
When there was still no sign of her by 12.15, William just KNEW she wasn’t coming. AND it was Friday, that meant an extra day on top of the two agonising weekend days when he didn’t see her anyway………and then another terrifying thought hit him, what it…OMG – What if she wasn’t there on Monday?
Sheer will power alone should have made the girl be there, William’s will-power, should have made it she was glued to that bench seat!.
The phone ringing interrupted his thoughts
Xander answered it and was immediately deafened by his wife’s shrieking and whooping with delight. He held the receiver out at arms length and could still hear her.
“Ow! Hahaha… so you like them baby, hmm?”
“Oh pookey! They’re SO beautiful…fancy you remembering something like that, how romantic!”
“Well – huh huh, you know…I um…I thought I’d surprise you!”
“And here’s me thinking you didn’t want me in town talking to William, all that nonsense about a computer part!”
“Well…I er I had to tell you something, I’m sorry I lied about the computer part, am I forgiven?”
“Oh yes, I’ll tell you how much you’re forgiven, Willow’s going to have Hailey tonight, and I’ll cook you your favourite dinner…and then, well I’ll leave the rest to your imagination!”
Xander had a big silly grin on his face, but it soon fell when he looked at his boss. Poor Will, he looked devastated.
He ended the call from his wife and went over to the window and stood next to his boss.
“Never mind, she’ll be there Monday, you’ll see” he went to pat William’s shoulder, but without acknowledging what Xander had just said to him, William moved to the centre of the floor
“I’ve been thinking, a change around I think…I’m letting things get stale and samey – I was thinking of putting the reception desk over there…and moving the leather chairs here, and then we could put a pillar in the window with a piece of art work on it”
Xander nodded in agreement.
“Yeah…he continued nodding and said, yes, I like that idea, it would open the window up more and it would show people that it’s not just about paintings here”
“Exactly!”
“So…want to start now – Friday afternoon isn’t usually very busy, I could get the chairs moved and a pillar up here in a jiffy”
“No, no it’s okay Xander…you get off home………sounds as if you’re on a promise!” William was smiling now, although it didn’t quite reach his eyes.
“Don’t be silly!”
“Go on – go home to that lovely wife of yours…it’s not often you get the chance to have some time alone together is it?”
“If you’re sure………look, Will, I’m sorry that she-“
“Might even buy some paint…refresh the walls, I’ll see” William said turning away from his assistant, he didn’t want any sympathy…he couldn’t handle it at that precise moment.
Xander nodded and understood
“Right then…won’t know the old place by Monday huh! I’ll just get my coat- bye then, have a great weekend”
“You too”
ooOOoo
When Xander got to work on Monday morning the first thing that he saw were several large empty paint tins stacked outside the back door entrance.
He went in and called out, William came out of the office – and what a sight he was. He’d got paint-splashed dungarees on, with streaks of paint on his face and in his hair.
“Goodness….looks like you’ve been busy!”
“Uh huh…come and have a look see what you think” William said, wiping his hands on a cloth leading the way to the main gallery floor.
“Wow!” Xander’s eyes popped!
“Mind the de-humidifiers…they’re helping to dry the paint – well helped, it is dry now – so do you like the colour?”
Carefully stepping around the drying machines Xander looked in wonder at the sheer amount of work that William had done
Everywhere looked so light and clean - the top half of the Hessian clad walls had been painted a pale coffee/mushroomy sort of colour the manufacturers called ‘Hint of Taupe’, and the bottom half of the walls had been painted ivory.
“It looks fabulous!” Xander said grinning doing a slow complete 360 degree turn.
“Really – I wasn’t sure at first” William said, pleased at Xander’s reaction
“Honestly – my god it looks huge now!! Where have you put the reception desk?” Xander asked walking further into the gallery
“Right by the door, I thought people looking in would be able to see that there are leaflets and such for them to take, and I’ve put the leather chairs in a semi circle in the window, with a pillar in between them. I can’t make up my mind whether to put that chunk of stone with the hieroglyphics on it, or a painting”
“I love it! – Yeah…it’s great!”
“So which do you think I should put on the pillar?”
“Well…start with the stone, we could change it from week to week”
William raised his brows and nodded smiling
“Yeah! Now mind if I shoot off home, I need a bath some clean clothes and I’ll being in lunch, okay!”
“Fine – you go, tell me have you been here ALL weekend?”
“Yup…only went out to buy the paint and stuff – how was your weekend, (William’s grin broadened) or shouldn’t I ask?!!”
“There are some things…a man doesn’t discuss!” Xander said he too was grinning, and then he added,
“Mind you, Anya wanted to know what suddenly made me buy her flowers” As soon as he said it, Xander wanted to bite his tongue, of course he couldn’t tell William the real reason!
“But um, but she deserved them for putting up with me so…anyway you scoot I’ll be fine”
William nodded and left
“Phew…that was close Xander be careful what you say!” he muttered to himself and went to the office.
ooOOoo
“The Art World Magazine”
Cover Stories
‘Controversial Artist has exhibit binned by accident’ – see page 3
Lerner Prize judges announced – page 8
Blind Artist Suzanne Church gives her first interview since winning the Schwartz Prize – page 17
Randulph Floyd’s War Photo’s not art – discussion with Blake Petersen and the photographer – page 23
X-rays show that some ‘Old Masters’ were not completely painted by the artists – page 36
Xander had sorted the mail, and put the Art World magazine in the office for William to read.
William was showered and scrubbed, and now manly fragrant, and had bought lunch and was back at the gallery by 11.25am.
“Busy?” William asked coming in through the front door
“Actually no, BUT, there’s somebody coming to see you this afternoon about the seascape painting”
“Which one?”
“The BIG one, Smuggler’s” Xander said grinning.
William smiled and said,
“Well…it would be nice if we could shift it…I was going to reduce the price” William said
“Don’t you dare! I told the guy that there was somebody else interested in it too – don’t drop the price now, he’ll know I was lying!”
“I’ll just into the office and eat this, I’m starving, I’ll relieve you at noon” William said making his way to the office
“Your magazine’s come, I put it on the desk for you” Xander called and William raised his arm and gave a thumb’s up.
Biting into his sandwich William had to put his lunch down as he started to laugh.
“What a PRAT!” he’d been reading the leading article on how the (and this is how the media described him) ‘Enfant Terrible’ of the Art world, Angel Stebson had had an exhibit accidentally thrown away at the Saxo Gallery in London. The ‘exhibit’ had been a battered green tin waste paper basket, a bag full of rubbish and a broom that had seen better days.
“Serves the prat right! It isn’t art!” William muttered to himself with glee.
The telephone gave an internal buzz and Will picked up
“Yup?”
“Em, sorry Will, that guy, the one about the seascape, I told him to come this afternoon, but he’s here now and told me he’s got a work-related meeting this afternoon, can you erm…”
William looked at the clock, (it was 11.50 – should be able to pull a deal in twenty minutes!) he put his magazine down and stood up brushing crumbs off himself.
“Be right there” he said and put the phone down.
Walking into the gallery William saw the man standing at the reception desk.
“I’m sorry about this, it’s just I’m flying home the weekend and er well I um…” the man started apologetically
“It’s quite alright, I’m William Giles” William held out his hand.
“Golly, the artist himself eh, I AM honoured!” he shook the proffered hand and said,
“ Wyndham-Price – Wesley Wyndham Price that is” William smiled
“I understand from my assistant here that you are interested in the seascape”
“The view from Smuggler’s Cove to Hartland Point in Cornwall, yes, very much so”
“I see”
“You haven’t sold it already have you – oh please say you haven’t – your assistant told me that there was somebody else interested in it, and-“
“Calm yourself, we haven’t sold it, just put a green sticker on it, it means not to sell for the time being”
“Good…you see I’m flying back to England on Saturday and It’s my dear mother’s birthday - um, do you take American Express?” he fished out a black card
“We certainly do – Xander, if you would please” William handed Xander the card who took out the charge card machine and put in receipt ticket, swiped the machine over the card and got the man to sign.
While he was busy ripping out the flimsy copies and the gallery receipt, William asked where the painting was to be delivered.
“Oh, I’d like to take it with me now, if possible, I’ve a taxi waiting”
Xander went to fetch the bubble-wrap, after returning the card and giving Mr Wyndham Price the receipts.
While Xander secured the picture for transit, the man told William how his mother originally came from Cornwall in England and how they’d spent many a holiday at the little cottage half way up the mountainside that William had painted in the picture. As soon as the last piece of tape was in place, Xander handed over the picture and the man shook hands with them both and was gone. William looked at the clock, not bad timing either – 12.02pm.
“Well, can’t be bad, just gone noon and already we have a $150,000 sale under our belts!” William said, rubbing his hands.
“Great…er are you going to go and finish your lunch now?”
“No, you carry on, if it gets busy, I’ll give you a shout!” Xander smiled and went to the office.
At twelve twenty, Xander could contain his curiosity no longer and went into the gallery. William wasn’t sitting in one of the leather seats, he was seated at the reception desk. He would still be able to see the bench from there, Xander had checked. Only thing was, the girl wasn’t there.
Xander’s heart went out to his boss; he could see the disappointment written all over his face.
“Sorry…I need a –a pen” Xander took one out of the pot and went back to the office. He sat there thinking, there must be something he could do – William was such a nice man, he deserved to be happy………
At twelve thirty, Xander came back into the gallery. William was moodily flipping a leaflet.
“Would you mind if I go out the back...I didn’t get a coffee earlier and I’m in need of caffeine – there’s a magazine article I want to finish too”
“Sure thing boss!”
By sheer chance, Xander happened to look up from the desk to the bench outside, it was 12.50 and who should be walking up to it was the blonde girl, but instead of carrying a lunchbox, she had several designer shopping bags. Xander jumped up and shouted-
“WILLIAM! WILLIAM!” William came dashing out of the office
“God what is it – is the place on fire?!”
“No-no sorry I um…I was thinking…does er…does it um, it look like the windows are d-dirty to you?”
“Wha-dirty…the, the windows?” William frowned, his heart was beating fast, the way Xander had shouted he thought he was being held up…and then he looked outside and his heart skipped a beat and his stomach back-flipped – she was there!!!
“OH! The windows…let me see!”
Xander muttered something about a cloth and went out the back.
The girl only stayed long enough to drink a can of soda, but to William it was enough – at least he’d seen her, he felt easier now. He wished he had the courage to go out there and chat to her, about her purchases, what they were for, to give him a private little fashion show…but his feet were like lead. He’d never been any good with girls. A geeky teenager, all unruly curls and glasses, he’d been painfully shy and he’d fumbled through puberty without so much as getting to second base. When he was 19, he’d lost his virginity to a nude life model called Drusilla, who’d quickly dropped him for the ‘Bad boy’ of art, Angel Stebson. William messed with the piece of stone on the pillar but kept an eye on the bench. When she stood, William looked up. He caught the girl’s eye as she went to throw her soda can away, and she smiled at him. A split second, her lips parted and her cheeks rounded; she then turned away and walked off up the alleyway between the bank and the auction house.
She’d smiled at him! A split second, but she’d looked up and their eyes met for a split second, and she’s smiled at him!
ooOOoo
When Xander came back just over five minutes later saying he couldn’t find a cloth without paint on it, he thought that William would be in despair as she’d stayed less than ten minutes, but seemed like for the rest of the afternoon William was grinning like a loon and acting like a kid on a sugar-high! It took a lot of will-power not to grab Xander and dance around the gallery shouting ‘she smiled at me she actually SMILED – at little old ME!’
“Must have been a trick of the light” Xander said
“What’s that then?”
“The way the window looked dirty!” Xander said
“Oh that, yeah must of” William agreed.
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