I've Come to the Conclusion

Chapter 3

Entry 3

Thursday:  October 5, 2015

10:07 p.m.

Today was an interesting work day.  I spent half of it with a new hire shadowing me. She mentioned that she's a senior at Kendalford University, majoring in Information Technology with a focus on software development. She seemed attentive,  but something about her demeanor got under my skin.  I think condescending would be an appropriate word to describe her attitude.  Boredom would be another.  Her gaze felt critical and full of skepticism with every procedure I walked her through. She would constantly follow up my explanations with suggestions.

"Actually, there is a much faster way to modify the CSS properties and really tighten up those back-end codes," Her eyes glistened like little black buttons. They held the warmth of a rabid rat and didn't match her sickeningly sweet grin. "I could show you quickly if you don't mind?" she offered, preparing to put the binders in her arms on my desk.

"If only we had more time," I squeezed a fake smile out and looked at my watch. Four hours of dealing with this woman's bullshit had been about as much as I could take. My jaws were tight but I tried to sound unphased. "You'll be meeting with Doug Jendrewski shortly.  He's the head of our cybersecurity team.  He'll give you a grand tour of his department and maybe, just maybe you'll even have a chance to enlighten him on how you would prefer us to do things around here."

The grin on her face vanished, and she pressed her rose-colored lips together, forming a thin line.  Her fair complexion flushed a hot pink against the cool silkiness of her black waist-length hair.  Ignoring her shocked expression, I casually redirected the conversation to address full-stack processes. 

She suddenly became standoffish and mute, hovering at the edge of my cubicle and avoiding eye contact with me.

I was fucking relieved when my supervisor finally interrupted our session, maybe five minutes later, and handed her off to Doug. That chick was a real piece of work.

Lunchtime rolled around and I decided to walk to a cozy coffee shop nearby.  I get this ravenous craving for iced coffee when it's that time of the month. On my way there, I purposely took a street that passes by the Willow Sombra Art Gallery.  I needed to relax my mind. The historic charm of that building never bores me. Its Spanish colonial architecture seems to be the perfect tease for the overload of sensory candy that greets you once you step indoors. 

Beneath an ancient roof of earth-toned terracotta tiles, the gallery flaunts a mustard yellow stucco exterior of rough texture. Two-story windows, some featuring elegant arches and some simple rectangles, wrap around three sides of the building.  Their arrangement seems thoughtful and intended to let in optimal lighting. Their black wooden accents create a striking contrast against the bright hue of the exterior walls.  

I often daydream about lounging on one of the curvy wrought iron balconies perched on the second floor.  Each one is gracefully positioned in front of a set of paneled glass doorways.  The view from up there overlooks a small district reminiscent of a place like Old San Juan during the 1500s. Even the enormous wooden doors of the front entrance are overlayed in remarkable wrought iron detailing. It can be accessed by two very broad steps that lead to a grand porch. The porch's foundation is carefully constructed with huge glazed stones.  Intricate loops and coils form a pair of scrolled iron railings that trace the periphery of the porch's roundish shape.  

The entire gallery sits atop a mound of earth that rises several meters above street level.  This forms a natural base consisting of many gardens, a small stone pathway encircling the building, and ground lighting so that late-evening visitors can explore the area safely.  This pathway also marks the midway point of an award-winning rock garden accentuated with layers of thin stone.  The garden gently climbs upwards like steps, leading from the sidewalk to the building. The two-story construction occupies an entire city block, boasting the fact that each side faces a different street.

This month, there is a different name on the huge banner draped above the front entrance.  It hangs between two big rustic black metal lanterns and reads, "The Thellasic" by "M. Dour". I don't believe that this artist is local. The name is unfamiliar.  But I'm sort of an art gallery nerd so curiosity wouldn't allow me to let it go. 

When I reached the coffee shop, I placed my order and settled into a corner booth.  I pulled out my cell phone and quickly searched for information regarding M. Dour's work. You would think that an artist worthy enough to have their work exhibited at the prestigious Willow Sombra Art Gallery would at least have one photo of themselves online. The one capturing their best angle, accompanied by a short, sweet bio. Nothing. Not one shred of personal history can be found, which is very unusual. Only an impressive array of their extensive art collections and lengthy discussions about them resulted from my research.

One thing is crystal clear.  This M. Dour is no ordinary artist by a long shot. This is apparently someone whose creations are highly sought after globally. Several dozen of the world's most prestigious art galleries have given high praise and strong attention to this mysterious figure. The list includes places such as Dubai, Hong Kong, Mexico City, Paris, and New York, to name a few. Their critique of this artist brims with tones of pure admiration.

According to the banner, the first M. Dour exhibition will open to the public in just two days and will remain open until the end of next week. Since I don't have any plans for Saturday, the art gallery seems like the perfect place to start my weekend. If only to quench my curiosity and connect a face to that name.