a Piece of Art

10.0 T H E C A L L

   "It took me some time to convince Pam to give me your number."

   He didn't even give me time to say hello. I knew without a doubt who it was even though it was an unknown number.

   "And it took me even longer to get her to tell me your name. She kept saying all I needed to know was your pseudonym."

   I laughed a bit, "You aren't as fooled as I thought then."

   "Oh you did fool me very well, miss Lizzie Turner." He sounded amused. "Apparently, I wasn't subtle enough for Pam. I had to tell her my motives."

   "And which would those be?"

   "I thought I had made that perfectly clear. You intrigue me."

   "That's not enough, mister Parker." I had spent all week moping around, trying to remind myself the fact that I didn't know him. I had always been hung up on a dream of him. I couldn't try and imagine anything else with this man, the real one.

   I had already decided that I wouldn't let my childhood silly little (or not so little crush), come in the middle of my judgement of him.

   "You didn't want to tell me your name. I figured you would be reluctant to give me your phone too. I suspected so I asked Pam what was the winner's name."

   "I'm glad your suspicions were right. Otherwise that would have been one hell of a strange greeting for some stranger."

   "You've got me there." He stopped for a second. "I don't think I've told you directly but I honestly thought you picture was amazing. You are very talented."

   "Thank you. That means a lot."

   "And any kind of interest I have regarding you won't ever affect the fact that I want more of your art in my gallery."

   His words warmed up my heart. The prospect of even one person watching a photo I took was surreal.

   "I would really like that."

   "Pam will take care of it. She won't let me get close to the application papers. Because I was one of the judges." He laughed. "I sometimes forget who's the boss in this situation."

   "You seem to like what you do." I pointed. Conversations with him seemed easier through the phone. I couldn't believe he would actually a) figure out I was 'Outsider' and b) get my phone and call me.

   "I do. Although it's the first time we do something like this. Pam specially thought our choices were getting too pretentious and we were assuming that the best only came from those that already had a name in this industry."

   "I truly agree with her. Not only because that helped my case."

   "After the results, I had to agree too."

   I was dying to ask, "Was mine the entry you liked the most?" I felt a little childish asking that, as if looking for his appreciation and pride, but I couldn't help it.

   He chuckled, "are you fishing for compliments?"

   If one could really blush so hard it would be notable, I was sure I would have, "No."

   "My answer is yes, though. It wasn't only the light that fascinated me, which was original. Everybody else used the sunset light."

   Knew it. I thought.

   "I was captivated by the message behind it, I could easily tell that wall portraits who you are. What you've been through. Even if one can't really tell what's happening in every photo." He continued.

   "The woman screaming, even though you can't really see her features, shows all the rough emotion."  He kept mumbling. "You deserved to win. And your passion was what lead you it."

   His words easily made me forget he wasn't the charming prince I had always dreamed he would be.

***

   "What are you doing for Christmas break?" Naomi asked me later that day when we sat together over a cup of coffee and a tea for me.

   The break was just two week away and I kept dreading it. It would be the first holidays I would spend away from my childhood house. Away from all the drama and the tiredness Thanksgiving and Christmas included. As a kid I never enjoyed those festivities that much, even though I tried, as every kid. I wanted to make these better, but I would have to spend them alone, seeing as all my friends were reasonably going away for the time off school.

   "I'll just stay here." I tried to play it cool. It came out more like the lie it was. "It's too cold anyway to be thinking of leaving the apartment." I shrugged. "What about you?"

   "You won't be visiting your family? I'm going back to my parents house for a few days. They preferred to spent New Years on a trip, celebrating their marriage or so they said. I don't even keep track of the status of their marriage anymore, they have divorced and got back together three times." She said it so nonchalantly that it made me smile. No family was perfect.

   I took a deep breath and decided to be honest, at least a bit. "Actually... I ran away from my house to be here. My parents don't know where I am right now." I could tell Naomi was a bit alarmed by that. "It wasn't like they were physically violent or anything. I guess the life they wanted me to have was just... too much. My mother would be so mad if she found out I'm in college now."

   "Oh, that must be so difficult for you." She thought for a second. She never pressured me to know about my family, she just let me share pieces of it at my own time. "You know, you could always come with me back home. Our celebrations aren't that good, but my dad's food is great."

   I truly appreciated her offering, but this was another reason why I had been trying to avoid the topic. I didn't want to impose in anyone's family. The thought of it reinforced the 'outsider' feeling as welcomed as they would try to make me feel.

  "No, no. You don't have to worry. I'll buy some of my favorite food and just treat myself."

   "You sure? You can always think about it and tell me later. My parents always say that the more the merrier."

   I smiled softly at her, I wasn't surprised that they said that, it was the kind of thing Naomi would say too.

   Moment later her phone rang from the other room. We had been studying till late in my kitchen table, just taking a break for our infusions. We looked at each other, a bit worried.

   "Who could be calling so late?"

   Naomi ran to the phone and answered it. Her face paling the second after hearing what the person on the other side said.

   "We'll be right there." She said, hunting up.

Alarmed, she looked at me. "Leah and Jackson got in a car accident."