Page 119 of Black
CHAPTER 21
The Art Show
Gabriel
I had been out hiking with a friend most of the day and was eager to see Cia. I wish I knew what she was thinking. I had declared my love to her, but she hadn’t said it back. Still, this was Cia, and a mental flashback to my first meeting with the angry Goth girl she had once been reminded me how far she had come.
I parked my car, and as I got out and locked the door I looked down at my outfit, making sure I looked fine in my dark jeans and nicely pressed cotton shirt. It was the right kind of casual smart. I rolled up my sleeves before crossing the street to the gallery where she had told me to meet her. Just from looking through the glass façade I could tell a lot of people had already arrived, and when I entered with a smile on my face, I was met by a man who handed me a brochure.
“Hello, and welcome, handsome,” he said.
“Hello.” I did a double take at the peacock in front of me, not sure if his outfit was meant to be a part of the exhibition or if it was how he normally dressed. If it was a costume, I seriously had no idea what he was supposed to be in that mismatch of colors and textiles with animal print.Tarzan meets Highlander meets Native American… maybe?
The colorful man swung his hands out and spoke with a lisp. “I’m Darren. Tonight we have five extraordinary paintings from a local gal who is a new rising star on the art scene. Nothing is for sale, as all the paintings have already been sold, but if you like them you can come see me to get on a list for her next exhibition.”
“Did you say everything has been sold?”
“Yes,” he said with pride. “When there’s a true talent, buyers snap it right up.”
Fuck!I had wanted to buy the blue painting of her and me. Why hadn’t I just made a reservation for it?Because I never thought it would be sold within the first ten minutes of the show.
“G.” A voice broke through and made me look ahead at Melody, who was waving her hands at me. I made my way to my two sisters, my mom, and Steve, who all stood with wine glasses in the back of the room.
“Have you seen Cia?” I asked and they shook their heads.
“No, but Gareth is having his fortune read.” Melody snickered and nodded her head at the opposite corner, where Cia’s friend sat at a table with a sign saying “Psychic readings.”
I cringed a little, trying to remember the girl’s name. I had met her yesterday and she had seemed the sweetest girl, but this... this was a disappointment. Was this the kind of nutcase Cia associated with?
“Do you think she’s for real?” Melody asked me. “I mean you should have seen her car yesterday; she’s definitely a character.”
“Maybe she’s an actor with the clothes and that…” I waved my hand discreetly. “Everything she’s doing is all for entertainment.”
Steve gave me a grim look but didn’t comment on the freak show in the gallery. Artistic people are allowed some leeway, but Darren seemed to attract people as eccentric as himself. Like the guy in a kilt or the tiny old lady in too much make-up and a large fur coat. For god’s sake, it was June.
Now, to be fair, there were some normal-looking people too. Two men about my age stood and discussed one of Cia’s paintings, and then there was another man who was leaning in with narrowed eyes to study the painting of Cia as a child balancing the cotton candy.
“Hey, Black,” he called over his shoulder. “Is this supposed to be you?”
I almost choked on a sip of wine when Cia walked over to him and he placed his arm around her.
Cia was Black. I mean literally. She was dressed as the Goth girl I had picked up at the police station – even the fake piercings were back – and my eyes flew to her hair. I couldn’t see if she had colored her hair black again because she was wearing a black beanie that covered all of it.
Every nerve in my body tensed up and I wanted to scream. I had done everything in my power to get her out of the black depressive place in her life and she chose to go back.What the fuck?To me, her outfit was a representation of her past. A statement that I had failed and she was rejecting me.
My mom was saying something, but I had tunnel vision and could only see Black as I stomped over and grabbed her elbow in a hard movement. “Cia,” I said roughly and made her turn to face me.
Her friend, whom I assumed to be the mysterious Daniel, stepped forward in a protective manner.
“What the hell is this?” I asked in something between a hiss and a whisper.
Her black eyeliner and purple lipstick offended me. I wanted to take her to the bathroom and make her wash it off, but unfortunately I was no longer in charge of her and if Cia wanted to be Black, there wasn’t a damn thing I could do about it.
“Hey, G,” she said with uncertainty but didn’t make excuses for her appearance.
“Are you for real?” I asked and felt like punching something. The four words expressed so many questions, but she never answered.
“What do you mean is she for real? Black was real before you came along and tried to change her into something she’s not. Love her or leave her,” Daniel said with an attitude that I didn’t appreciate.Did he put her up to this?
