AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Five pounds. Five pounds for this magnificent, rare bit of artwork. I am at once excited and angry. This is worth so much more than five pounds, even if it’s not ‘famous.’ But then I remind myself that if it wasn’t this cheap, I probably wouldn’t be able to walk out of here with it.
Gingerly, I ply it out of the stack of paintings and hold it tenderly as I pay for it at the till. I do so as though I’m in a rush, like if I don’t get out of here fast, someone’s going to figure out I’ve just got away with art theft.
The shop attendant places an oversized plastic bag over the painting and I cradle it lovingly. I wander back up the hill and towards the university where my car is parked. Thankfully for now, the rain has stopped and the whole way up the road I say a silent prayer that it stays that way. I place the painting carefully in the back seat of my car and head home, out of the bustling university town and to my flat in one of the outlying villages.
––––––––
‘HI LEYNA.’ TALIA, THEteenage daughter of my neighbour is arriving home at the same time as me. ‘What’s that you’ve got there? Another one for the collection?’ she asks, nodding towards the large bag I’m carrying.
Unlike me, a lowly purveyor of art, Talia is the real deal. She’s shown me some of her drawings and paintings before. She’s a talented artist and I try to tell her so every time I see her. Try to give her the encouragement I never had to follow my own dreams. But on this occasion, I’m beyond excited to show my recent acquisition to literally anyone who will speak to me. I know that Talia will appreciate it, perhaps almost as much as I do. ‘My latest find. It was hidden in the back of a charity shop, would you believe it?’
‘Wow, it’s beautiful. Do you think it’s by someone famous?’
‘I have no idea. But that’s not why I bought it. It’s the content that intrigued me. It’s quite unusual to see working class women as subjects in paintings from this period, if it is Victorian.’ I prop up the painting against the wall that separates our flats and take a step back to look at it. ‘Tell me, what do you feel when you look at her face?’
‘I feel a bit sad for her. She looks like she has a hard life. But also...’ Talia thinks for a moment, and I can tell she’s searching for the right words. ‘She looks tough and strong.’
I smile. ‘And do you see how the artist toys with the light and greys here? It takes skill to do that. Even if it is anobody, it’s still a lovely bit of art.’
‘Are you going to put it with the others? So you can display them someday?’
‘Yup. Maybe someday someone will actually want to see all these paintings I’ve collected over the years. And you, Talia, will have to promise me that you’ll let me exhibit some of your paintings, too. How is your painting going by the way?’
She smiles bashfully. ‘I’m not a professional. I just do it for fun.’
‘That’s how everyone starts out. Besides, talent doesn’t care if you’re a professional or an amateur. And you have a talent that is too unique to be hidden away. When you’re given such a gift you need to share it with the world.’
‘Not according to my parents.’
I smile kindly but it hurts to hear that. My family never supported my dreams either. But then, I ignored them, I followed my dreams, and look where that had led me? Thirty-two years old, a low-paid admin job, hardly any savings, and a spare room full of unnamed pieces of art.
‘I’m sure they just want what’s best for you. A back-up plan is never a bad thing.’
‘Thanks Leyna. I’d better get going. See you later.’
We go into our own respective flats and I put the working-class lady in the spare room. I admire her once more and I make her a promise that someday I will share her story with the world.
Sometimes I wonder if I would have been happier to have been the artist myself, to have had that talent inside of me. But I’d never felt the itch to paint—only to share the beauty of it with the world. To collect it, like the conductor of a symphony or the director of a play, and to orchestrate, cultivate, and curate. That’s the gift I’d been given, and I’d be damned if I wasn’t going to do something with it.
But first, I have bills to pay and that means I can’t throw in the towel on my day job just yet.
Or my night job.
