...And a Happy New Year

March 26, 2014

Chaney woke up with combating nerves and excitement. Her boss let her have the day off as she told him of her gallery that night. He told her that he would let her have the day off so long as she let him come and support her that night as he didn’t know she painted. She agreed and he let her take the day off to prepare for the night. She had a bit of a late night as she spent most of the evening before celebrating with the 8123 guys on the release of the new Eagles in Drag release. It was a smaller get-together with all of the guys from 8123 that currently weren’t on tour. Halvo was there, but he and Chaney didn’t interact. He kept his distance, and stayed on the opposite side of the house from her the entire night while she stayed glued to John’s side while talking with him, Jared, and Tim.

Knowing she had a gallery showing the next night, she opted not to drink more than a bottle of beer. The last thing she needed or wanted was to be fighting a hangover while setting up her show. John offered to help her set up, but she wanted it to be a surprise. She didn’t tell the other guys because right now, she was happy just sharing this with John. They were both acting as creative spring boards for each other, and it was liberating. She was going to John for inspiration and he was to her as well. They hadn’t done anything collaborative yet, but she was getting more inspiration from being around so many creative than her entire painting career in college.

She spent most of the day gathering her paintings, framing them, and getting her mounting materials together. She debated on whether or not to go ahead and wear her outfit for the night there or not. She opted to dress down, and just bring her clothes with her. She wasn’t sure how long setup would take. She only had five pieces.

She took each of her pieces one by one to her car and loaded them in the back, careful to make sure that they wouldn’t budge or fall during the car trip to the gallery. She was happy that the gallery wasn’t too far from her apartment, limiting the potential for something to happen on the way.

She pulled up to the gallery and took a deep breath. This was only setup. She had nothing to be nervous about yet. She got out and locked her car, leaving her pieces in the back to retrieve once she checked in with the curator that she had arrived.

She was blown away when she stepped in. The gallery wasn’t that big, but it was so open. It was a large room, with big windows on the front exterior of the building. The walls painted a light grey and the ceiling, with pipes exposed, painted black. There were small rows of gallery lights suspended from the ceiling, highlighting the various pieces that were already set up. She stood in awe looking around, not sure where to go, or what to do. Just standing there, taking this moment in.

Chaney couldn’t explain it, but she knew this moment, right now, would become a significant point in her life. She wanted to remember everything about this moment. The soft glow of the lights against the walls. The reflection of the sun coming in through the heavily tinted windows behind her. The smell of fresh paint that had recently dried on the walls, primed and ready for tonight’s show. The low murmur of people talking, scattered and bouncing off the walls around her. The soft humming of the radio playing throughout the gallery sound system. The excitement that began to bubble inside of her, making her hands and knees shake. The cold air from the AC that blew around the room, raising goosebumps on her skin as she stood there in her tank top, shorts, and flip flops. The conflicting heat radiating on her back as it came in through the large windows behind. There was something so magical, yet so ordinary about this scene that she was absorbing.

A lady dressed in a pair of black dress slacks and a light blue blouse approached Chaney where she was standing right inside the door.

“Miss? Are you here to submit a piece of work for tonight’s exhibition?”

Chaney shook her head out of her trance and turned to the lady standing before her. “Yes, my name is Chaney Masters. I have five pieces that I’m submitting to the show tonight. They’re out in my car. I wasn’t sure where to bring them in.”

The lady smiled. “Nice to meet you Ms. Masters. We have a guy that will help you load and hang your pieces. Just wait here.” She then turns and heads towards the back corner of the room towards a male that was leaning against one of the walls, messing on his phone.

He followed the lady over to where Chaney was at. “Ms. Masters, this is Greg. He will help you unload your car and hang your pieces. Greg, this is Chaney Masters.”

The two shook hands before making their way out to her car. Chaney was too overcome with nerves to say much of anything. She half-motioned for Greg to follow her to her car before unlocking it and getting the pieces out.

Greg could tell she was nervous, and tried to help her loosen up a bit. “First show huh?” he half chuckled.

She nervously looked at him and nodded.

He laughed, “It’s alright dear. All artists get nervous at their first gallery showing. Lord knows I’ve seen and lived it enough times to know.”

She looked at him intrigued. “Really? You’re an artist, too?”

“Is that so hard to believe?” he teased. “I’ve been in the game for so long. I began making art at the ripe age of 14, the age that I found my true calling. I went to college for it, and tried to make a living making pieces and selling them. Unfortunately most people don’t really care for my style, so I went back to school so I could get my licensure to teach. Taught at a local community college for a while. About ten years ago I decided to open up this gallery. I know what it feels like to try and fail when getting your work out there. The confidence comes in time my dear.”

He smiled encouragingly at her and began to grab some of the pieces from her car. They were able to get her pieces out in only two trips as Greg was able to carry more than one piece and insisted she let him carry them in.

She followed him to where her pieces would be displayed and she looked in awe at the blank wall. In a few minutes, there would be a new occupancy on this wall. She will be giving a new life and purpose to this small, blank section of wall before her.

All of her pieces were leaning up against the wall, and Greg was shuffling through them to see what she had made, while she stood there continuing to gape at the blank wall in front of her.

He paused, and lifted up one of her pieces. Mouth agape, he whistled low at the painting he was holding. “I must say, in all my years in the field, I haven’t seen a young artist with as much potential as you my dear. Who is this fellow? Seems to be quite a special person.”

She turned to look at him and the piece he was holding. She smiled when she saw he was holding her painting of John, and nodded. “Yeah, he is pretty special.”

“Boyfriend?”

She laughed darkly. “Hardly. Unlikely friends is more like it.”

He smirked, “You’ll have to tell me about him sometime. I’d like to meet this fellow.”

“Come tonight and you will,” she smiled.

***

“Chaney, quit pacing! It’s gonna be okay!”

John stopped by her apartment to pick her up and drive her to the gallery. She didn’t have to be there that much earlier than the actual show, so they decided to ride together. He came into her apartment to find her dressed for the night, and anxiously pacing through her living room.

She glared at him, as she continued to pace and wring her hands.

“Ya know, you’re lucky you don’t have carpet or else you’d have worn holes into it by now.”

By this point, she stopped and gave him one of the most malicious glares she could muster. She was nervous and he was making jokes about it. It was the last thing she needed right now. She needed support.

He sighed before crossing the living room to where she was standing. He faced her and grabbed both of her shoulders. “Obviously joking around isn’t helping out any—”

“Ya think?” she cut him off.

“Regardless,” he cut her off, giving her a stern look, “I understand what it feels like. Believe it or not, I’m a nervous wreck before shows. Even now. Why do you think I keep beer on stage?”

“Because you’re an alcoholic?” she challenged sarcastically.

He laughed, “Well, that may be true, but I have it to help keep the edge off. Nothing major, but enough to calm my nerves. It’s okay to be nervous.”

“What if people don’t like my work, John? What if they scoff and mock my inexperience? What if—”

“Stop. The ‘what-if’s’ will kill ya if you’re not careful. Besides, since when is making art for someone else? I thought you did this for yourself…”

“Well yeah, but—”

“Ok. Then why does it matter what everyone else thinks? This is a big step. You’re making work for the first time in years! You are willing to get back into painting and actually trying to do something with your life. That’s nothing to scoff at. Obviously someone out there, besides me, finds your work good enough to show off, so why worry about it? You’ll be fine. I promise. I’ll be right there with you the whole time.”

“Really?” she hesitantly asked. She didn’t want to give up hope that their new bond wouldn’t be so easily broken.

He took one of his hands off her shoulders and held out his pinky finger, wearing the most stoic expression he could muster.

“Is this for real?” she laughed.

“Does it look like I’m joking?” he replied, also trying to hide his smirk.

“I’m not sure. Could’ve fooled me…”

He laughed and pulled her in for a big hug.

She clung tightly to him, needing his support tonight more than she realized.

He leaned down and whispered in her hair, “You’re gonna do great tonight. Remember, I’ll be right beside you the whole time.”

She nodded her head against him and he briefly kissed the top of her head before pulling back and motioning towards the door.

The entire drive to the gallery felt like an eternity to Chaney. She knew it was only a five minute drive to the gallery, but it felt like the longest five minutes she’d ever endured. The anticipation was killing her. Part of her was ready to get the show over with, but the other part of her was excited and wanted to relish in this moment forever. To her, it was an odd mixture of emotions.

They arrived to the gallery and as she reached for the handle to the door, John lightly grabbed her upper arm to get her attention. “Are you ready for tonight?”

“It’s either now or never right?”

He laughed and they exited the truck.

The two walked in, and John instantly went over to the table with the refreshments, nodding towards Chaney to go stand with the other artists. She frowned slightly at him, and he mouthed that he’d be over there shortly.

She went over to where the other artists were standing, receiving instructions for the night. Essentially they only needed to stand by their pieces and be available to talk about their pieces as people asked. She didn’t find that too difficult, however she hated talking to groups of people she didn’t know. She hated even more so that she would be sharing more of herself with strangers than those she was closest to. She was revealing more of herself in her paintings than Halvo. That thought scared her. Being vulnerable and risk-taking had never been traits that Chaney possessed. She felt sick to her stomach at the thought.

Shortly after, the artists were all dismissed to go stand by their pieces because the show would be starting in a few minutes. Her nerves were raw with anticipation as she waited. She scoured the gallery, attempting to find John in the small crowd of people available, but to no avail. She frowned slightly before she heard a familiar clearing of a throat coming from behind her. She smiled as she turned around to see John smirking over a glass of wine, while offering her a glass. She took it with much thankfulness.

He laughed a bit and winked at her.

She smiled and nudged him back a bit as she sipped her wine.

“Better?”

“Better.” She smiled.

She had almost downed the entire goblet of wine in her hand, and the show hadn’t started yet. She was desperate for her shaking to subside long enough so she could talk. The wine settled in her system quickly, and her nerves began to calm.

John nudged her slightly as she finished her glass. She looked over at him with furrowed brows, and he nodded his head towards the front doors. The doors were opening. This was it. Her debut. Now or never.

***

Her pieces were towards the back of the gallery, so it took a few minutes before people made their way to her pieces. Her nerves grew as sections of the crowd gradually made their way towards her. She felt herself beginning to shake again.

As if John read her mind, he placed his partially drunk goblet of wine in her line of vision. She graciously accepted and took a couple sips, just enough to calm the jitters.

“Better?”

“Better.”

The first few people stopped by to observe her pieces. She stood there nervously under their judgmental glances. With no idea what they were thinking, she didn’t say anything; only standing there smiling, ready to answer questions. The first few people passed with no words, and continued on to the next series of pieces. She sighed in partial relief as she didn’t have to open herself up. However she felt a bit let down at the same time, because it felt as if her work wasn’t worthy enough to be talked about. More and more people pass without a word. She starts to get discouraged as she looks around and sees the other artists around her enthusiastically entertaining a small crowd of people around their work.

She’s shaken from her disappointment when she feels a small tug towards the bottom of her black dress. She looks down and sees a small girl, about five years old, looking up at her pieces in awe. Her heart melts at the sight.

“Did you make these?”

Chaney squats down to the girl’s level so they could look at each other eye-to-eye. “I did. Do you like them?”

“Uh-huh. I really like the man in the middle. He’s pretty.”

Chaney laughed a bit, and looked up at John with a wink, taking note of his slightly pink cheeks.

“Yeah he’s kinda handsome huh?”

“Uh-huh. Is he your boyfriend?”

She laughed. That seemed to be the common question with that painting. “No, just my friend.”

“Oh, can I have him?”

John then squatted down to their level so he could talk to the girl.

“You want that picture of me?”

The girl turned and looked over to where John was now squatted next to Chaney. She went wide-eyed and looked back and forth between John and his painting on the wall. Pointing from John, to his painting, and back again, she was mentally connecting that it was the same person, and her cheeks began to grow a bit pink.

John smiled at her bashfulness.

The girl nodded her head, embarrassed that John had heard her.

Chaney then intervened. “Where are your parents? If you want this, I’ll give it to them after the show is over.”

The girl’s face grew sad, “My parents aren’t here. I’m with my auntie.”

Chaney’s heart broke. “I’ll give it to your auntie then. What’s your auntie’s name?”

“Emily.”

Chaney turned to the girl, “I’ll give it to your auntie Emily after the show okay?”

The girl nodded and started to walk off.

Chaney and John stood up, relishing in the small moment they just shared. She almost fell to the floor when she felt something wrap tightly around her legs. She looked down to find that same girl hugging her legs as tightly as she could. Chaney smoothed the girl’s hair down, and looked to John with a smile.

Once the girl let go, Chaney squatted back down to be eye-level with the girl. “What’s your name?”

“I’m Annie. Just like my momma. When I grow up, I wanna be an artist, just like you. What’s your name?”

Chaney felt her eyes water at that. “Aww thank you honey. I’m Chaney.”

The girl’s face lit up and her smile grew even wider. “Chaney! I can’t believe it’s you! I—”

“C’mon now Annie.”

Annie was interrupted by a lady that Chaney assumed to be her aunt. She looked up and froze. Annie’s auntie Emily was none other than the Emily that stopped by her house right after Stephanie went missing. This means that Annie must somehow be related to Stephanie. Is Emily one of Stephanie’s sisters?

Chaney locked eyes with Emily who discreetly shook her head to discourage any conversation. “Let’s go Annie. Stop bothering this nice lady and let’s go look at some of the other pieces.” She didn’t give Annie or Chaney a chance to reply, only guiding Ann towards the next exhibit as quickly as possible.

“What was that all about?” John asked.

“I’m not sure…but I somehow think this has something to do with Stephanie.”

John looked at her with a shocked expression. “You really think so?”

“I’ve got a hunch…”