by Terra Wolf
“But that doesn’t explain all the dust up there. Are you going up there at all?”
“From time to time, yes. But I will admit that I don’t go up the stairs as much as I used to.” She averted her eyes from my gaze, like a child getting caught doing something wrong.
“Gran where are you sleeping? And be honest, I don’t want to have to tell Mom on you.”
“So then don’t!” She looked back at me with fierceness in her eyes. “I sleep on the couch sometimes, it’s better for my back and I fall asleep watching my television shows. Is that really so wrong?”
“No, Gran, it’s fine, I just can’t have you lying to me. I don’t know what it’s like to live with you just as much as you don’t know what it’s like to live with me. If there are things that you’re doing, I need to know about them, so I can worry,” she narrowed her eyes once more, so I quickly added, “or so I know I don’t have to. Does that make sense to you? We need some type of deal here to get Mom off of both our backs.”
“All right I’ll make a deal with you Paige. My terms, you don’t tell your mother what I’m doing, where I’m sleeping, or what I’m eating. Sound fair?”
“Sounds fair to me. Now my terms, I get to do what I want while I’m here, no babysitting. And no mention of Nick or anything that has to do with the past nine months. I need a new start Gran. Please don’t let Mom and Dad’s views of how I’ve been effect how you treat me. Also, you’ve got to take your meds.”
She extended her hand to me with a small smile playing on her lips, “Deal.”
I took her hand and shook it, “Deal.” We were partners in crime.
4
Standing in the foyer, Gran showed me where she kept the keys for the upstairs bedrooms. They were in a small side table located next to the grandfather clock. She said if I ever needed anything to ask her before I took them. I guess old ladies still had secrets too. She also said there was plenty of furniture in the other rooms upstairs in case I wanted to use any of it.
We went upstairs to the fourth bedroom, the only door I hadn’t tried and she opened it with ease. “See Paige? I told you it was open.”
I shrugged and walked in to see a perfectly clean room. There wasn't much in it, just an old stuffed chair and a small twin bed, but it was enough for me. There was a mirror hanging on the closet door. I knew I could keep my things in there, however, I wished I had a desk to put all my painting things on. Gran was once again reading my mind as she turned to me and said, “There's the desk in the bedroom next door. It was just too heavy for me to pick up, but you can put it in here if you’d like. I'm going to go downstairs and make some dinner. You make yourself at home alright?”
I smiled at her, this was the first time I felt like I had my own place in months. After taking some time off from school, I had to give up my apartment, and living with my parents hadn’t been exactly ideal. Always on top of me, telling me what to do, but I knew Gran wouldn't be like that. She would give me my own space, something I desperately needed.
As she turned to leave I stopped her. “Gran? I think this is really going to work out, you know. I'm really excited about living here now, even if it is only for the summer.”
She turned back to me and smiled with a twinkle in her eye, “For now.” She shuffled her way back down the hallway towards the stairs.
I had only started to unpack when I realized that I'd also need the desk for my laptop. I plugged it in and grabbed the keys that Gran had left on the bed and went to the bedroom next door. After the door creaked open it was clear to see that this was the bedroom that had inherited all the extra furniture. There was a desk stacked on two other desks, chairs leaning up against each other and three beds in this room alone. I knew my grandmother had a lot of stuff, but this was kind of ridiculous. She could sell a lot of this at a small furniture store. Instead, they were sitting here gathering dust and not doing anyone any good. I grabbed the desk closest to the door. It was pretty light so it wasn't bad carrying it to my new bedroom. I also found a couple chairs and grabbed those as well, one for my desk and, hopefully, one for guests. I didn't think people my age would want to hang out downstairs in the floral decorated rooms, especially since they smelled like an old lady.
After putting everything in place, I took a step back and looked at my new room. It was pretty boring, but I had a little money that my dad had given me and I hoped I could go downtown and find something cool tomorrow, after my first day at my new job.
Gran and I ate dinner in the living room, watching one of her soaps. It was boring, but I was tired, so I didn't really mind. She fell asleep shortly after, so I cleaned up. I checked my cell phone a few times but no one had left texts or calls. It didn't surprise me, considering I hadn't really spoken to many of my old friends since Nick's disappearance. I thought the knowledge had spread that I was gone and I was hoping that maybe someone would at least notice. But since no one seemed to care, I went up to bed early feeling lonely.
5
The next day I got up early in order to be prepared for my first day at work. I dressed professionally but still in my boho chic style. I didn't want to appear as if I was trying too hard in front of Joy. I could tell that it would make her uncomfortable. I got to the shop around quarter to ten and waited outside while Joy spoke to a tall guy in stellar looking clothes.
It was a beautiful day and the windows were open so I couldn't help but hear the conversation.
Joy sounded upset. “No, you cannot just meet her! You know the rules Ultan. Only if you follow them can you stay.”
Ultan? The adorable Irishman from yesterday? Small town I guess.
Ultan responded with, “Fine. But ya know as well as I that something needs to be done soon. She's finally here, we need to act.” His voice was smooth and he had that strong Irish accent which made my knees wobble a little bit. But if he was someone that Joy was upset with, it was pretty clear to me that he and I wouldn't be friends. I wasn't going to upset my new boss over some boy, especially on my first day, even if he did make my heart jump.
Ultan added one more comment before storming out of the shop, “They're coming for her and ya know she belongs with me. I can protect her.” The way he said it made me uncomfortable. A lot of times people refer to paintings as a male or female object but I've never heard someone argue about art the way they just had. I assumed it was a very delicate piece, perhaps part of an estate. Portraits went for a lot of money these days especially ones by famous artists.
When he stormed out of the store he walked right in front of me. “Paige, hey. Thought I might see ya again.” He had lost his annoyance from his discussion with Joy and seemed glad to see me.
“Hi. Ultan, I, ummm, I gotta go into work now.” He caught my arm as I tried to walk past.
“Yer working here? For that crazy lady?”
“Joy? Yes, I mean no, she’s not crazy.”
“Seems a bit mental to me.”
“What’s your point? I really have to be going.”
“Nothin’, ya look nice.”
I blushed, “Oh, thanks.” No one really paid me compliments anymore. I hadn’t taken care of myself like I used to. “Anyway, I’ve got to get to work.”
“Yeah sure, let me get the door for ya.”
He held it open while I walked through, stepping up onto the light blonde hardwood floor. When I turned around to say thank you, he was gone.
“Good morning Joy,” I said, attempting to sound cheerful. It may have been the first time I was actually cheerful since Nick had left, and it felt funny coming up my throat.
Joy turned to me with a broad smile on her face. You would have never known that she was just arguing with Ultan. I decided not to ruin her good mood by bringing it up.
“Hi Paige. So glad you could make it! Our buyer should be here shortly. You can put your things in the back.”
Behind the counter was a small door labeled ‘Office’. The room was light and pretty, painted in blues and yellows. Clearly an
artist's office, as no one else would be able to pull off the color combination, well except someone who could really appreciate it.
“I like the colors you chose for your office,” I said as I emerged from the small room. Joy was already chatting away with an older man in a nice suit. I could only assume that he was our new buyer.
“Paige! Perfect timing. I would like to introduce you to one of our new clients, Mr. Lyner. Mr. Lyner, Paige, my new sales associate will be happy to assist you today.”
I stepped up and put on my best smile. I had heard that confidence sells an item more than the item can sell itself. I thought it would be best to start with a walk through the entire gallery to pinpoint where he stopped and find where his focus was. Different people like different kinds of art, though he looked more like an Impressionist man to me, it didn't mean that he wouldn't go for a great piece of modern sculpture.
“Shall we begin over here?” I took my time walking him through the whole gallery, explaining each piece as best as I could. This was slightly difficult with only seeing it once before, but he seemed to appreciate my effort. Finally he stopped in front of a beautiful painting of a purple flower growing on a vine. Impressionist, exactly what I had figured. He stared at the picture for a long time, crossing his arms and putting them behind his back. I could tell he was studying it. That's when I realized he was deciding whether or not it was a good investment. Investment buyers are the hardest to please because they're not looking at the actual artwork, but rather looking at the market trends. They would then decide whether or not a piece could sell for more in five to ten years. Lucky for me, I had taken an entire class on investment buying and I knew I could convince him to take this one home and two others by the same artist.
I wasn't quite as successful as I had hoped but after a strong conversation discussing selling trends, Mr. Lyner bought two pieces from one artist, both Impressionists. Joy was all smiles as she rung up the sale and was nodding at me, obviously impressed. We set up the shipment plan to send them to his house in New York. He shook my hand before leaving and made a comment about returning. I felt proud of myself watching him walk out the door, knowing that he had just spent a few thousand dollars because of me and the fact that the artist was going to get to eat tonight.
Joy waited until he was around the corner before turning to me. “Jeez girl! You know how to make a sale. You know what? Those two spots that just opened up? You can have them both. You keep selling like this and we’ll start talking about monthly bonuses.”
My smile stretched from ear to ear and I thought for the first time in a long time I actually felt something other than disappointment.
“So, I usually close for lunch. You want to go grab a bite to eat? My treat.” For a moment I felt like Joy was looking for a friend as much as I was and I was hoping that we could fill the void for each other.
“Umm, yeah, lunch sounds good.”
“Perfect! I'll go grab our purses. Can you lock the window in the bathroom? It’s just a latch.”
“Sure, no problem.” I walked to the side of the gallery. When I had arrived I had noticed a restroom sign off to the right. When I said no problem apparently that was a big lie. Because twenty minutes and a soggy shoe later, I emerged from the bathroom, finally successful in my endeavor. However, I was pretty sure that the window beat me into submission.
Joy laughed as I rung out my ballet slipper on the sidewalk, “How did you do that?”
“I don't know. I'm usually pretty lucky with things like that, but I guess not this time.” My flat squished under my right foot as we made our way down to the center of town.
“So, you don't really know what there is to do around here, do you?” she asked me.
“No, not really,” I admitted.
“All right then, I'll give you the tour. Down here is your average post office and the courthouse. On your left is one of the only real clothing shops in town and on your right is the best coffee shop. On nights when we work late I'll expect you to run down there and pick some stuff up for us. I hope that's alright?”
“Fine with me, I love a good hot chocolate while working.”
Joy stopped and looked at me. “Me too! Everybody thinks I'm weird, but I really like a hot drink while I'm painting.”
I laughed, “It makes you feel like that perfect winter day. And I can really get into the painting, just stay there for hours.”
“Exactly!” She beamed, delighted we had something in common. She chattered on about different places in Salem and, although I was paying attention, I wasn’t absorbing any of it. Directions had never been my thing. It was nice listening to her though. I'd forgotten how much fun it was to talk and hang out with someone my own age.
Julia and I had been friends for a long time before I got involved with Nick. I’ll admit that I had kind of ditched her when I met him. I didn’t mean to be one of those girls but for a long time he was my total world. Julia and I had grown up together, meeting in the third grade made you best friends by obligation. It was nice to have someone to hang out with but she was much more into sports and competition than I had ever been. After Nick disappeared, she came to visit me once, but it was still during my dark time. I wasn't taking care of myself and I had stopped going to classes. I think the whole situation freaked her out. Also, I slightly remember being terribly mean to her when she showed up. For a long time anger overtook my life, but now I was ready for a fresh start and new friends. Joy’s bubbly qualities and cheerfulness helped me to focus on the positives in my life.
We had lunch at the only Thai place in town, but Joy assured me it was legitimate and she was right. The food was fantastic and the prices were really good too. Even though I didn't have to pay, I had always been the frugal type. I would much rather eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich at home then go out to a fancy restaurant. It was one of the things that Nick liked about me. I was always a bit of a cheap date. But I liked to do romantic things, too. I just realized early on that those romantic moments didn't have to cost a lot of money.
After we talked about our families and school and why I had moved to Salem, Joy asked the question I had been dreading, “So, are you seeing anyone?”
I almost choked on my Chicken Pad Thai. I took a long sip of soda before coming up with a response, “Not right now and you?” I thought if I removed the focus of the conversation from myself, it would make me more comfortable.
She giggled a little. “Well, there is this guy, Dave. He owns an ice cream shop in town. I know it doesn't sound like much but he's really nice. He's been asking me out for a while, and I might take him up on it.”
I could see from the look on her face that she was totally into him. She wasn’t just considering his proposition. She had already made up her mind. Immediately I wanted to meet him and see if he was good enough for her, but then I realized that we were new friends and my opinion didn't really matter. “At least you’ll get all the free ice cream you want,” I offered.
She laughed and summoned the waiter, asking for the check. “It's time for me to get back, the job of an entrepreneur is never done. You, however, are free to explore the town!”
“Really? I mean I was only there for a few hours.”
“Paige, you walked Mr. Lyner around for almost five hours. This is the latest lunch I've ever had. I close for the day at five, we only stay open in the evenings on Fridays and Saturdays. So how about tomorrow, around the same time? And don't forget to bring your artwork. I can't wait to see the pieces you’re going to put up on the wall.”
She left a wad of cash on the table and walked away. As she left, I felt like the whole restaurant was mesmerized by her beauty and charm, watching her flounce away.
6
The next couple of weeks went by quickly. My days were filled with a new routine, one that was full of unexpected twists and turns at my new job. I learned a lot from Joy in the first week. She showed me how to deal with impatient customers and how to deal with angry artists. Sometimes,
when the paint stopped flowing from their brushes, they started to lose their minds a little bit, I had seen it before. But I'd never seen someone deal with them as professionally as Joy did. She really did know what she was doing in this business. She drove a nice car and had nice things, but I never heard her talk about her family and she hadn't mentioned Dave since that first day at the Thai place. It was clear she was very involved in her career. She commented on my fish painting and helped me to attempt to sell it, but so far there hadn’t been any offers. I was okay with that though, at least it was up on someone's wall. It made me finally feel like a legitimate artist, something I had been trying to accomplish for the past two years. It seemed as though Salem was the perfect escape I had been looking for.
Joy and my friendship was advancing nicely too. Twice she had left me alone in the gallery while she went to the bank or post office. It was never for long but while I was alone I took a few moments to enjoy the pieces on display. It was refreshing to like my job so much and to be given the opportunity to focus on my own art, though I hadn’t really had time to start painting yet again. Sometimes when she was gone and it was quiet I would stare at a painting until I felt a chill go down my spine. It felt like I was being watched. I would shake it off and get back to work, realizing the silence probably put the thoughts in my head.
At night I would go home and have dinner with Gran and we'd either watch TV or play a card game out on the Veranda. It was nice to have someone to spend time with and Gran never pushed too hard. She would offer me a book and a glass of iced tea and leave me early enough that I still had time to mess around on the Internet or text the parents. I didn’t talk to them all that much, not wanting to overwhelm them and also wanting my space. Joy had invited me out a few times to do different things and our friendship was growing, so I wasn't surprised when she started walking me home from work. She claimed it was good physical activity for her since she sat most of the day, but I knew it was for both of us. It gave us time to talk about girl stuff away from work and it was fun. I appreciated the company as well. Ever since arriving in Salem I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had been watching me so walking home alone worried me a little.
