One Last Dance | R. Grayson

[14] True Friendship

The art gallery was a mess.

Erica looked around at the paintings that had been brought there but had yet to be put up, a weary sigh escaping her as she assessed it as a tedious task that could take them all day.

After the success of their previous exhibition, Monica Hughes, the curator of Botticelli Galleria, had been very excited to host more exhibitions. As a result, she called in all the up-and-coming artists to display their work, and as always, she put Erica in charge of the event.

"Martin, please move these paintings to hall 2," she spoke up, checking the contents of the boxes before assigning them to the crew helping her set up the place. "And be careful, these are valuable."

She had gathered her hair up in a ponytail, a fitting hairstyle for the tiring work she had to handle that day. She had to arrange all the works according to their art styles and check off the painting titles in a checklist. It would take her all day to set those paintings up at the rate things were going.

However, she wouldn't have to do everything by herself. Her friend, Kate, was on her way to the gallery as she had promised Erica to help her out. She knew she would manage alone otherwise and then get too exhausted after the event as it had happened at the previous exhibition.

Erica had reached the gallery much earlier than her friend, and instead of waiting, she had gotten down to work. It was a habit of hers to be extremely punctual and goal-oriented; she would tackle every challenge in front of her head first, with or without any help.

So, she guided the crew in arranging the paintings and helped them out as well.

As she was carefully unwrapping a particularly large painting, the door to the gallery swung open, and Kate walked in with a bright smile on her face. "Hey, Erica! Sorry, I'm late. Traffic was a nightmare."

Erica looked up, relief washing over her at the sight of her friend. "Kate, you're a lifesaver. I was starting to think I'd be here all night."

Kate laughed and set her bag down. "Well, let's not waste any more time then. What do you need me to do?"

Erica handed her a clipboard with a checklist. "We're moving these paintings to Hall 2. I've labeled the boxes, so it should be straightforward."

Kate took the clipboard, "Got it. Let's get to work."

Time flew by as minutes blended into hours. By the time the arrangements were made, the clock had struck half past six, and they could finally take a break.

Erica was exhausted, and Kate noticed, so she got her a chair immediately. Concern flickered in her eyes to see her friend as she offered her a water bottle.

"When you know you shouldn't overexert yourself, why do you keep doing everything on your own?"

"I'm fine, Kate. Just a bit tired," she replied, stretching out her limbs.

"Maybe you should tell Monica to send extra help next time, or better still, tell her you won't be available every time she needs someone to arrange her exhibitions," Kate remarked.

"Come on, who will she ask then?" She uncapped the bottle, lifting it to her lips. The cold water felt rather refreshing after the exhausting work.

"Not your concern," Kate shrugged, "It's not right that to make sure her event goes perfectly, you cancel everything in your schedule and put her on first priority."

Erica knew her friend was only saying so out of concern for her. "I've known Monica for ages. It's hard to say no to her."

"Sometimes... Sometimes, you're too sweet for your own good."