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“Why don’t you find her?” Moni asked as the machine sputtered. “It probably wouldn’t be thathard.”
It’s not like Nina hadn’t thought about it. More than once she’d caught herself on the way out the door, already thinking about the trip to Washington Square, already planning how she wouldwait.
“How do you know the photographer is a woman?” Ninaasked.
“I’d bet a thousand dollars she’s a woman.” Moni carried her coffee to the tiny office enclosed in frosted glass. “That’s not a male gaze.It’s…”
“Sisterly?” Ninaoffered.
“Exactly.” Moni looked more closely at Nina. “Nicelydone.”
“I’m learning from thebest.”
“You can’t learn that kind of insight,” Moni said. She leaned over the pictures spread out on the desk. “Whoever it is either likes the retro look, or doesn’t have access to a newer camera. Looks like these were taken with a LeicaM.”
“How can you tell?” Ninaasked.
“It’s got the Leica Glow.” Moni pointed to an out-of-focus area at the edge of one photo. “See this here? It’s a hallmark of Leica: these blurry areas at wide aperture. The colors are really saturated too. Leicasaturated.”
Nina looked more closely at the parts of the photo Moni had described. “Interesting.”
Moni straightened. “So? Are you going to try and findher?”
“I don’t know,” Nina said. “I don’t want to impose. Maybe she doesn’t want attention. Maybe that’s why she leaves the pictures around thepark.”
“Maybe, but it can’t hurt to ask. If nothing else, it’ll satisfy yourcuriosity.”
“That’s true.” Nina slipped the photos back into the manila envelope she’d been carrying around. “How’s Tobin’s newstuff?”
Moni barked out a laugh. “Nonexistent.”
“Seriously?” Moni had given Tobin Berkowitz his first show two years earlier. It had been her first huge success and he’d been promising her another show for over ayear.
“Seriously.” Moni took a drink of her coffee. “Just some questionable testshots.”
“Yikes. What did he say aboutit?”
“That you can’t rushgenius.”
“No he didn’t!” Ninasaid.
Moni nodded. “Hedid.”
“Well, at least we have Morris’s show coming up.” Morris LaGrange was a reliable and prolific artist who was known for taking eerily beautiful pictures oftrash.
Moni raised her coffee cup in silent toast. “Thank god fortrash.”
Nina stood and stretched. “You okay if I head out? I need to go to the market before it getscrazy.”
“Go,” Moni said. “I’mgood.”
“You’re coming to yoga tomorrow right?” Nina had finally convinced Moni to attend one of Amy’s potlucks and had been gratified to discover that she’d been right: Moni fit right in. Being a single mom to her eleven-year-old daughter, Angela, meant she didn’t have a ton of time to socialize, but she’d taken to joining the group whenever shecould.
“I wouldn’t miss a chance to sweat and stretch with a bunch of skinny-ass white girls,” Monisaid.
Nina laughed. “Good.”
Their discussion about the lack of diversity in yoga class was ongoing and necessary. Moni’s on-point commentary only made it moreinteresting.
Nina slipped on her coat and grabbed her bag. “See you tomorrownight.”
“We’re still going for food after, right?” Monisaid.
Nina headed for the door. “Do you even need toask?”
“Good, because I’m mostly in it for thefood.”
“You and me both,” Ninasaid.
