Thank You for Ten: Short Fiction About a Little Theater

by Ty Unglebower

  *

  She was afraid she'd be late, until her roommate reminded her that she was headed to a theater. They were full of actors and other artists for whom schedules were suggestions and not requirements. Still, Alicia walked in through the lobby doors at exactly her appointment time.

  There happened to be an older, well-dressed gentleman in the lobby when she entered. He was standing behind the counter, filling out paperwork.

  "Excuse me," she said. The man looked up and nodded with a smile.

  "Yes, can I help you?"

  "I'm looking for Dr. Gruber. I'm Alicia from the college…"

  "Ah yes, of course. You've found Dr. Gruber." The white-haired gentleman made his way around the counter and took her hand. "We spoke on the phone briefly. Nice to meet you. Look no further than behind you for your job. Potential job, I should say.”

  Alicia turned and saw a near life-sized oil painting of the Greek God Dionysus. It was a decent, though not stunning painting. Competent, with interesting touches here and there, but would look quite out of place anywhere but this lobby.

  There were streaks in various places, and a stain or two on the god's robe. The eyes of the figure had tiny cracks and a few other places were flaking.

  "Not the best place to store an oil painting, we know," Gruber said. "And if it were conventionally valuable, we'd try to do something else with it. But its value is purely sentimental from what we've been told."

  She could see why.

  "Has it always hung right here?" she asked.

  "This isn't the original lobby," Gruber said. "First one was damaged by fire years ago. Painting wasn't burned, but we think some of the stains are from the smoke."

  "I agree."

  "So we just need a bit of repair and touch up. Make the cracked parts look better, sharpen some of the lines, or whatever it is artists do that I will never understand." Gruber chuckled. "What do you think?"

  They couldn't afford to pay her exactly what the job was worth, she knew that. The only question in her mind now was whether her skills would show the painting the respect it deserved. If so, she'd have some more experience and hopefully a recommendation for the future.

  "I'm guessing 10 to 15 or so hours total," she said. "Whose schedule do I need to coordinate with?"

  Gruber shook his head. "Just your own. We'll give you a code to the back door, and you can come in when it works for you."

  "Is that a good idea, Doctor? I mean, you hardly know me."

  "I imagine I'll get to know you. Besides you don't seem dangerous."

  He winked at her in a way she actually didn't find disturbing.

  "I can start this coming Sunday morning then, if you like."

  "Sundays are good. Except for two of them, you'll have the place to yourself.”

  "Excellent."