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‘IWANT TO THANK EVERYONEfor coming this evening, especially our artists who have so kindly offered to share their creative works with us. As some of you will know, many of the artists featured are local and some of them are at the very beginning of their careers and will be heading to art school this autumn.
‘All I can say to you, as you set out on your respective journeys is this: be fearless. Be brave. Pursue that which sets your soul on fire. Listen to your gut, that tiny voice that is so easily drowned out by the noises and the pressures and the obligations of the modern world, and choose those paths that scare you, just a little. The ones that speak to you—that incite curiosity and wonder in you. You know that thing that you are drawn to, the one that you might think no one will approve of, or that thing you desperately want but maybe embarrasses you, even though you can’t stop thinking about it, can’t stop dreaming about it? That.Chase that. Go towards those things that give you butterflies and make your toes curl in anticipation. The things that we equally fear and are drawn towards—because that is where the gold dust of creativity lies.
‘A huge thank you to all of our artists and to those who have donated and shared works. A special thank you to our young artists for their honesty and their bravery in displaying their pieces here today. And remember, one way you can show your appreciation is to purchase their artwork.’ A round of polite laughter courses through the room.
‘Thank you to those of you from the community, and to the art critics—please be kind! Finally, to the one person who helped me to see that my own dreams were possible and that they were worth fighting for. To my favourite English professor, who didn’t teach me much about English, but who showed me the value in picking yourself up after you think everything is lost and never giving up—thank you, Jack.’
I pause for a minute and raise my glass. ‘To new beginnings!’
When I finish, Candace immediately makes a beeline for me. ‘Leyna that was brilliant! Where did you learn to speak like that?!’
‘It wasn’t too cheesy?’ I ask.
‘Leyna.’ Candace sighs. ‘It was like attending a motivational TedTalk!’
I laugh. ‘You are a spectacularly good friend, you know that?’
Candace pretends to be embarrassed.
‘I mean it.’ I say seriously. I give Candace a hug, adding, ‘There is no way I could have done all this without your support.’
‘You’re welcome, anytime,’ she whispers in my ear.
She looks at me and sips her wine. ‘I should also be honest with you that helping out with all this did have its perks.’ Her gaze drifts over to Dalton and Dom. ‘Mainly, being surrounded by a bunch ofdamnsexy professors.’
I burst out laughing.
‘I mean, come on, where were these guys when you and I were in school?!’
Candace wasn’t wrong. ‘Apparently, they were all at Castle Eden University!’
Chapter 48
Jack
As the evening drawsto a close, I’m delighted that Leyna’s opening night at the new art gallery has been a massive success. There had been a warm and friendly buzz in the air. People had laughed, drunk the free wine, and bought quite a few of the paintings. Leyna had spent a lot of the night putting red dots on the artwork tags and every time she did, she smiled. I’m so proud of her. I’d been nervous in the run up to tonight, I was worried that it would be too quiet, that no one would buy anything. In an effort to boost the numbers, I’d invited a few friends of mine,friends of ours, I correct myself. Dalton, Dom, Iain and his girlfriend Bryony had all turned up. In the end, I’d been worried for nothing—the gallery had been packed all night long.
