They strolled along the pristine, palm-lined streets of Aphrodite’s city.
Motorized vehicles were limited in the part of the city where they went, the north side where the roads were made of limestone and public art abounded.
The thriving art scene was one of the reasons Ian had moved here. He had hopes of landing one of the many ongoing public art commissions from Aphrodite and her ambassadors.
So far, the only thing he’d gotten from the goddess was possibly the magnificent creature by his side. He squeezed her hand, and she favored him with a look that would have stopped traffic, had there been any.
Galatea ooh’ed and ahh’ed at everything from handbags to sunglasses to t-shirts in the windows of the upscale shops they passed along the way.
Finally, Ian asked, “Would you like to go in this one?”
She nodded enthusiastically, and he proudly held open the door for her.
He never wanted to deny her anything, and he prayed he’d never have to.
“Well, hello there.” An attractive saleswoman with a blonde bob greeted them. “What can I help you with today?”
“I need some new clothes,” Galatea answered.
The saleswoman eyed her apparel and tried to hold back a smirk. “I see. Come with me.”
Fortunately, the woman wasn’t unkind even if she found Galatea’s current wardrobe unusual.
Ian did not relish trying to explain Galatea’s story to people. He hoped they could get her some normal clothes so that people would have no reason to question her.
Where she came from—that was no one’s business but their own.
He didn’t want people sticking their noses where they didn’t belong.
His experience shopping with women told him this would take awhile, so he took up residence on a semi-comfortable chaise lounge set off to the side for those accompanying the shopper.
After a while, Galatea came back to the front of the store. The blonde saleswoman followed behind carrying a pile of clothes so high she could barely see over the top.
“Ian, I’m going to try a few things on if that’s okay with you.” Galatea looked like she might pop from excitement.
“Go ahead. Take your time.” He loved seeing his girl so excited.
As soon as she and the saleswoman disappeared, he slumped back on the seat and thought hard about a nap.
He was just about to doze off when he heard the saleswoman shriek to a colleague in the back, “She’s here. Get up front. I’m going to need all the help I can get.”
An old-fashioned bell sound chimed as someone entered the front door of the boutique.
The minute Ian saw three remarkably good-looking men in well-tailored suits, he sat up straight and began to regret his casual choice of attire.
From behind the hulking fashion models, stepped a gorgeous dark-haired woman with flashing lavender eyes and an exquisite figure.
At first, the newcomers didn’t notice Ian, so he silently observed them from his corner seat.
“Ms. Aphrodite! Such a pleasure to see you again.” The saleswoman fawned.
Aphrodite’s nose crinkled up as if she smelled something foul.
“Goddess Aphrodite, if you please,” she corrected.
“Sorry, goddess. Is there anything special I can help you with today?”
Then under her breath, the blonde whispered to the other girl who’d just surfaced, “You help the other girl. I got this.”
The other girl disappeared, apparently relieved not to be attending to the demanding goddess.
Ian had seen her before, but never this close up.
There was no question that she was beautiful. Older and more sophisticated than his friend Psyche, who many said rivaled Aphrodite for the title of most beautiful woman in the world.
He shuddered remembering the pain and misery Aphrodite had put Psyche through.
The goddess had a vengeful streak.
Jealous of Psyche’s beauty, she’d ordered her son, Cupid, to make Psyche fall in love with a monster and marry him.
In the end, it was Psyche and Cupid who had the last laugh, but not before enduring a harrowing experience at the hands of his mother.
It occurred to Ian that it wouldn’t be a good idea for the goddess to associate him with Psyche, and he made a mental note to keep that connection on the down low.
“I got a call that you had that new Valleighlo gown I ordered in. I’m not sure the color will work, so I thought I’d stop in and see for myself. Holograms show color so poorly sometimes, wouldn’t you agree?”
The saleswoman gave an exaggerated nod. “Absolutely. Let me just run to the back and get that for you.”
Then she flitted away, leaving Aphrodite and her men alone in the space with Ian.
Aphrodite’s men stood against three of the walls, positioning themselves where they had a view of all the entrances and exits. It was hard to tell where they were looking with those dark sunglasses on. Ian wondered if they ever took naps standing up while they were supposed to be on alert.
He would.
He probably also would be fired from a job like that in a matter of hours. Structure and discipline were not his strong suits.
Aphrodite strolled through the store, her discerning eye criticizing the garments as she passed them by. Occasionally, she lifted a sleeve or examined a hem, but it didn’t take her long to become bored with the wares for sale and notice Ian.
“Well, my my. What a coincidence. If it isn’t my biggest fan!” she exclaimed upon seeing him. She held out a hand for Ian to kiss.
He touched his lips to her skin, which was as soft as a cloud and smelled like a vacation in the former Greek isles.
“Roger,” she said to the nearest bodyguard. “This is Ian. He’s a sculptor. He was the only one who came to my temple on my feast day.”
She smoothed her hair. “At least, he was the most loyal. Stayed the longest.”
It shouldn’t have surprised him that she knew he’d been there, but it did.
“It was an honor, goddess,” Ian schmoozed. He knew enough about Aphrodite to know he wanted to remain on her good side.
She looked pleased, so he continued. “And thank you from the bottom of my heart. It was you who turned my statue into a real person, wasn’t it? I mean, how could it have been anyone else?”
“Of course it was I! And did it make you happy, having your little statue come to life?”
“Yes! I’ve never been happier in my life. In fact, she’s here with me. I needed to buy her some clothes so we came here to dress her.”
Aphrodite laughed. “Like a doll. Did you hear that, Roger? Ian the sculptor has his own real-life doll he can dress up and take out to play with. That sounds like fun.”
Roger smiled.
But the moment Galatea appeared from the back of the store, the smile vanished from Aphrodite’s face.
7
Galatea stepped into the room wearing a yellow dress the color of daffodils in Spring. It set off her dark hair and blue eyes beautifully.
“Wow,” Ian said.
“Do you like it?” she asked, looking directly at him.
He nodded. “It’s perfect.”
Aphrodite’s lips formed a thin line. “So is this your little doll?”
“Yes, this is Galatea. Galatea, this is Aphrodite, the goddess of love. She’s the one who turned you from a block of marble into the real girl you are today.”
Galatea’s face paled.
She rushed over to Aphrodite and, clutching her skirts, fell to the ground in front of her. “Dear goddess, I owe you my life.”
Aphrodite snorted. “What a sweet girl. That may be true, but get up. You’re embarrassing yourself, dear.”
Galatea stood up awkwardly. "Oh. I'm sorry. There are lots of things I don’t know."
Aphrodite straightened her shoulders and looked down her nose at Galatea. "It's all right, dear, I'm sure you have a lot to learn. Having been born yesterday and all."
One of Aphrodite's bodyguards snickered.
Ian made a fist. His patience with the goddess was wearing thin. He knew he had to put up with whatever treatment she dished out, but he didn't have to like it. And making fun of the woman he loved was not something he wanted to take lying down.
“Do you think she needs diapers?” Aphrodite asked the closest bodyguard, and they all began to laugh.
That was all Ian could take, and in a move he would live to regret, he hit the goddess where he knew it would hurt the most. "Yes, goddess. Galatea was only just born, but isn't she the most beautiful creature you've ever seen?"
It was as though the words by themselves had struck a match and ignited a flame of pain on her face that was immediately visible.
Aphrodite’s nostrils flared. "Why yes, she certainly is beautiful. As beautiful as your talent could make a sculpture."
It was a jab, and he wasn’t buying the indifference she wanted him to believe she felt.
He knew that there was no one more beautiful in the world than his Galatea. And that included the goddess of love.
The second sales assistant approached Galatea and asked her if she had found what she was looking for.
Grateful for the distraction, Ian took Galatea aside and asked her which of the things she had tried on she liked.
"I found a few things," she said. "This dress, some skirts, a cute top, let me show you."
This was exactly the escape he needed. With a grin to Aphrodite, he disappeared into the dressing room area with Galatea, and they picked out three different outfits for her to take home.
Eager to be away from any further confrontations with the goddess and back at home with his beloved, Ian gave his pay chip to the saleswoman. While he waited, Galatea finished getting dressed in a new emerald silk romper that made her look like a fashion model.
They were just coming up to the front when the sales girl stage whispered, "I'm sorry, sir, but your payment has been declined."
Ian felt kicked in the gut.
Dammit.
He knew he hadn't been paying attention to his finances, and that morning he had every intention to check and make sure he had enough in his account before they went shopping. But, distracted by Galatea and her charms, he’d forgotten all about it.
If the floor could have swallowed him up right then and there, he would have been a grateful man. The underworld seemed preferable to the spot where he now stood, embarrassed out of his mind in front of the woman who meant the world to him.
He rubbed a hand over his face.
What the hell was wrong with him?
He’d been so stupid, cavorting around with Galatea all hours of the day, when he needed to be working, providing for her.
What a fool he'd been to ignore the daily business goings-on.
Now what could he possibly do? Galatea had to have some clothes.
"Ian? Did I overhear that you're having a bit of trouble?"
The sugary sweet voice cut him like a knife.
The last thing he wanted to do was be indebted to Aphrodite any more than he already was.
But what could he do?
He answered her through gritted teeth. "Yes, it appears my bank account is a bit low."
Aphrodite put an arm around Galatea’s shoulder. "Well, with a beauty like this around, how could you possibly be expected to do anything so sensible as work?"
She laughed knowingly. "I'm sure she keeps you busy in many other ways."
Galatea stood there smiling naïvely. There was no way for her to know Aphrodite’s remarks were anything other than sincere.
“True," was all Ian could manage.
"Well, we can't just let this precious girl go without clothes, can we?" Aphrodite turned to the saleswoman. "Put these on my account."
"We couldn't do that," Ian said, though he knew he had no other choice.
Aphrodite ran an exquisitely manicured fingernail down Galatea's cheek and rested it upon her chin. "But of course you can."
Humiliated, Ian stared at the floor. “Thank you for your generosity, goddess.”
“Don’t mention it,” she said. “Oh and, Galatea?”
"Yes?" Galatea turned her face toward the goddess.
"If there's ever anything I can do for you, just let me know. I feel almost as responsible for your creation as Ian here. So I have something of a vested interest in your welfare."
"Thank you ever so much, goddess,” Galatea gushed. “You’re truly very kind, and I will be forever grateful to you for everything you've done."
It made Ian sick at his stomach to see his sweet, innocent girl fawning over the manipulative goddess. He prayed that once they got out of this shop they would never see her again.
But as they left the store and said their goodbyes, something told him they had not seen the last of her.
8
“That goddess lady, she was nice,” Galatea said on the way home.
"I guess so," Ian said.
"What do you mean? If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be here, and I certainly wouldn't have these clothes."
How could Ian be so negative? The goddess Aphrodite was someone they should be super grateful for.
"It's just, well, I don't think you understand not everyone has our best interests at heart."
Galatea frowned. "Whose interest would they have then?"
She was starting to understand there were lots of things in this world that she did not understand.
"Her own. Many people are only out for themselves. Often the gods and goddesses are the worst of all."
That didn't make sense. Aphrodite had seemed so pleasant. She’d done several nice things for them.
Without her, Galatea would still be a block of marble.
When they got home, Ian seemed angry at her, and Galatea didn't know why.
But since everything was so new to her, she asked for some viewing glasses and retired to the bedroom where she watched video after video, show after show, trying to assimilate to the new world she’d been dropped into.
It was important for her to fit in, to understand more about people, like Ian said.
The rest of the day he holed up in his studio working.
When Galatea began to get hungry, she started watching videos on how to cook things.
She learned how to toast bagels in the toaster, and her next step was to graduate to grilled cheese.
Determined, she went into their small kitchenette and was looking for a pan or skillet to cook it in when Ian finally resurfaced.
He took her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. "I'm sorry, baby. It's just that you don't look like someone who just got here. You look like someone who has been on this planet for twenty-something years, so occasionally I need to remind myself that all this isn't easy for you. It's not all easy for me either.”
“I know,” she said, hugging him back.
“But there's no excuse for me being a jackass. I love you, and we're going to get through this together."
Being in his arms made her feel protected. There was nowhere else in the whole world she'd rather be. In fact, she felt incredibly lucky because one of the things she learned from watching all the hours of media was that while love was the most important thing, it was also one of the most elusive things to find. She was lucky to have him.
But the following week. Galatea finally got tired of being holed up in the house watching other people live their lives.
It was time for her to spread her wings. The studio was fine for Ian. He had work to do there, but she didn’t.
She wanted to get out of the house and find a life for herself.
Whenever she mentioned it to Ian, he put her off.
Finally, it got to the point where Galatea was about to scream if she had to look at the same four walls for one more day. So she approached him again to suggest another outing.
"Ian, I'd really like for us to go out. Maybe we could go out for dinner or just for a walk in the park or something."
&nbs
p; He made a face, and she could see the stress and worry lines deepening on his four head. "I'd really like to do that, babe, but I have a lot of work that is way overdue. Several of my patrons are counting on me to catch up with my work, and we really need the money.”
Her shoulders slumped. “Alright.”
“I spent so much time working on you when you were only a sculpture and then getting to know you that I got super behind. Ever since you came into my life, I haven't been doing the work I needed to do in order to get the cash flowing in like it needs to."
Disappointed, she turned away, but he stopped her.
"Wait. We could go for a short walk I guess. Give me a few more minutes to finish what I'm working on."
After a couple false starts, they finally stepped outside together. Since she knew money was an issue, she suggested they go to the park which didn’t cost anything.
It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining, the flowering bushes were in full bloom, and the birds tweeted their sweet songs. A slight breeze lifted her skirt, and Galatea giggled as she held it down.
The walk seemed to do Ian good. Some of the tension left his shoulders, and a smile came more readily to his face.
After a bit, they passed a fountain with several sculptures in the middle of it.
"Look at that!" Galatea exclaimed.
"Do you like it?" Ian smirked.
"I love it. I love the way the man in the middle looks so powerful yet so handsome at the same time."
"It's Poseidon. I created this piece two years ago. It was one of my first works for the city."
Her eyes grew wide. "You made this?"
He laughed. "If I could make something as lovely as you, how can you be surprised I could make something like this?"
"Well, it's just so elaborate with the dragons. So complex. With the horses, there’s so much movement. It looks almost alive."
He took her hand. "Thank you. I'm glad you like it. It took me almost two years to complete it."
"Can we stay and enjoy it for a little while longer?" She wanted to take in every inch of it, wanted to ask how he incorporated the water features into it.
Her Creator (Myths Retold) Page 3
