Picture Perfect
I Think You Could Do With A Vacation
“Jon, there’s a delivery guy here saying you ordered 50 blank canvases.” Cady called back into the gallery.
Sighing heavily in frustration, Jon pounded to the door, wondering why nothing seemed to be going right for him.
It started about a month before, when Jon decided to open up his own photography gallery. Seeing as photography was one of his lifelong passions, it made sense. But he soon found out that running a business was much harder than it looked. He was well-prepared and well-organised; even so, things began to get on top of him.
“I only ordered 5 blank canvases, who would need 50?!” he exclaimed, feeling as though he was getting further and further away from sanity with every second that passed.
He dealt with the delivery man before making his way back into the office.
“Hey Jon, here’s your mail,” Cady said, littering his desk with the envelopes, which Jon could only assume contained more worry for him.
He began opening them one after the other, as his suspicions were confirmed, bills, bills and more bills. This was becoming the norm for Jon, and this day was one of many; his days barely differing from one to the next.
His day went like this, get to the studio. Say hi to Cady. Check his e-mail. Cady brings his mail. She leaves and mans the phone. He gets left to deal with the horrors on the inside of the envelopes. But that day was slightly different; Cady hovered in the room as he opened the mail.
Jon hadn’t even noticed her presence as he was too engrossed in a bill from the electricity company which he believed to be terribly overpriced. He put the paper back down on the table with a slam, dropping the silver paperweight on top of it carelessly, making a mental note to
call them later.
As he picked up the last letter, he surveyed the outside, frowning at the mystery it brought him. Unbeknown to him, Cady stood behind him, watching over his shoulder as he tore open the letter.
The blank piece of paper had been written on in delicate script, which he immediately realised was Cady’s.
I think you could do with a vacation. It simply said.
The shuffling Jon heard behind him surprised him, he swivelled around in his expensive executives chair.
Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief and she smiled at him knowingly. “Jon, you’ve been so stressed lately, you need a break. You’re not the same anymore, you’re always cranky and irritable. I need my Jonny boy back!” she grinned, as did he.
Cady and Jon went way back, they’d known each other since they were barely a year old, their mother’s met and since then they’d been in each other’s lives. ‘Best friends ‘til the end’, that’s always what they’d say – and they meant it. They looked out for each other, and this was Cady’s way of looking out for Jon.
“But-” he began in protest before Cady cut him off.
“No ifs, no buts, you’re going on vacation. Tomorrow morning 7am, you need to be at O’Hare, you’re going to Belgium.” Jon’s brown eyes lit up. It was a place he’d always wanted to go, it
was unusual sure, but Jon loved places that weren’t exactly tourist hot spots.
“Wait, I’m going on my own?” he asked, wondering if his best friend was coming with him.
“Yep, besides, if I went, who would look after this dump?” she joked, nudging him on the shoulder as she leant on his mahogany desk.
“Ha ha,” he muttered playfully, sarcasm dripping from his words.
Sighing heavily in frustration, Jon pounded to the door, wondering why nothing seemed to be going right for him.
It started about a month before, when Jon decided to open up his own photography gallery. Seeing as photography was one of his lifelong passions, it made sense. But he soon found out that running a business was much harder than it looked. He was well-prepared and well-organised; even so, things began to get on top of him.
“I only ordered 5 blank canvases, who would need 50?!” he exclaimed, feeling as though he was getting further and further away from sanity with every second that passed.
He dealt with the delivery man before making his way back into the office.
“Hey Jon, here’s your mail,” Cady said, littering his desk with the envelopes, which Jon could only assume contained more worry for him.
He began opening them one after the other, as his suspicions were confirmed, bills, bills and more bills. This was becoming the norm for Jon, and this day was one of many; his days barely differing from one to the next.
His day went like this, get to the studio. Say hi to Cady. Check his e-mail. Cady brings his mail. She leaves and mans the phone. He gets left to deal with the horrors on the inside of the envelopes. But that day was slightly different; Cady hovered in the room as he opened the mail.
Jon hadn’t even noticed her presence as he was too engrossed in a bill from the electricity company which he believed to be terribly overpriced. He put the paper back down on the table with a slam, dropping the silver paperweight on top of it carelessly, making a mental note to
call them later.
As he picked up the last letter, he surveyed the outside, frowning at the mystery it brought him. Unbeknown to him, Cady stood behind him, watching over his shoulder as he tore open the letter.
The blank piece of paper had been written on in delicate script, which he immediately realised was Cady’s.
I think you could do with a vacation. It simply said.
The shuffling Jon heard behind him surprised him, he swivelled around in his expensive executives chair.
Her blue eyes sparkled with mischief and she smiled at him knowingly. “Jon, you’ve been so stressed lately, you need a break. You’re not the same anymore, you’re always cranky and irritable. I need my Jonny boy back!” she grinned, as did he.
Cady and Jon went way back, they’d known each other since they were barely a year old, their mother’s met and since then they’d been in each other’s lives. ‘Best friends ‘til the end’, that’s always what they’d say – and they meant it. They looked out for each other, and this was Cady’s way of looking out for Jon.
“But-” he began in protest before Cady cut him off.
“No ifs, no buts, you’re going on vacation. Tomorrow morning 7am, you need to be at O’Hare, you’re going to Belgium.” Jon’s brown eyes lit up. It was a place he’d always wanted to go, it
was unusual sure, but Jon loved places that weren’t exactly tourist hot spots.
“Wait, I’m going on my own?” he asked, wondering if his best friend was coming with him.
“Yep, besides, if I went, who would look after this dump?” she joked, nudging him on the shoulder as she leant on his mahogany desk.
“Ha ha,” he muttered playfully, sarcasm dripping from his words.
♠ ♠ ♠
Okay, so this has been broken down into a few short chapters because I don't have it all written yet and I feel bad for keeping Ine waiting seeing as her birthday was on Friday.