Artful Dream

Chapter 2

Richard Maple walked back into his bedroom with a towel around his waist, leaving a trail of wet footprints across the laminate flooring. His phone buzzed on the bedside cabinet alerting him to a text message.

He dried his hands and pick-up it up.
It was a message from Maggie. His glasses were still in the living room where he had left them the previous night. Holding the screen close to his nose he read her text.

‘Running late thought I had the shits but was just chocolate buttons. Explain later. I should be at the shop about 9.30. luv Maggie 😊'

Richard smiled too and threw the phone onto his bed. As he towed himself down, those last two words bounced around inside his head. Luv Maggie. He did love Maggie; he just didn’t know how to tell her. Richard’s experience with women by his own admittance was zero putting that down largely to begin an introvert: feeling uncomfortable in a crowd, not good with small talk.

It was great having her around. This five-foot five inch, seven in heels, fireball. He would often find himself just staring at her from his side of the shop. He liked the way she would sit with one leg tucked under herself as she typed on her computer. The way she dealt with an awkward client on the phone, sounding professional while at the same time making Richard laugh with her rude hand gestures. He liked the scent of her perfume and the way it lingered for ages after she passed past. The eyes she made at him, wide and inviting when they joked with each other. Her wild personality that secured many a transaction. She was untamed, smart, swore like a trooper and these were just some of her attributes why he found her so damn attractive.

He still remembered that Monday when she first arrived on the Kings Road Chelsea, to open her independent book shop. Her van was full of stock with just her plus friends Janet and Steve to help unpack and with that amount of books, it would have taken the three of them forever.

Always a person to help a local trader, Richard closed the gallery and walked  three shops down to offer her some help. When he reached the van Maggie was coming out backwards carrying a box of books. Turning around, he remembered seeing how surprised she looked at seeing him standing there instead of Steve.

Richard introduced himself and before Maggie could reply he took the box from her. After a few more trips back and forth, Richard invited everyone back to the gallery for a welcome coffee break. It was during that time Richard phoned some of his artist friends to come and help.

Maggie tried to persuade him not to make a fuss, but Richard was insistent besides he promised each artist that turned up free space in his gallery. So, with an army of painters and sculptors helping, the van was soon emptied.

With the books safely inside the shop, there was not much more to do until the joiners came the following to start putting up shelves. Richard was about to dismiss the army of artisans and was about to return back to his gallery, when Maggie stopped him and invited them all to join her: Janet and Steve that evening at the Italian restaurant as a way of saying thank you.

That was the start of a two-year friendship with the delightful Maggie Harris. The woman he was beginning to lose his heart too.