Girl, well, what can I say? You just did an amazing job. I’m not even sure that I would have been more interesting. There is a possibility, but I’m truly not certain,” Paige said on the other end of the line.
“Well, not everyone appreciated it.”
“Oh, the Emma thing.That was a little risky, but it was true. And you have always been a declarer of truth.”
“Yes, well, I about declared my truth all the way to the unemployment line.”
“You almost got fired?”
“Not exactly, but really I don’t want to talk about me today. What have you been doing all day?”
“Well, I’ve eaten breakfast, eaten lunch, and jabbered with every plaid Bermuda shorts, kneesock-wearing gentleman that has a hotel reservation in this city tonight. But I sold three pieces of art, and that,my friend, is enough to take the rest of the week off.”
“Ooh, I think that’s a great idea.You should treat yourself.”
“We should both treat ourselves. How about we go grab some dessert after Bible study tonight? You want me to just pick you up?”
“That sounds great. Come about six-thirty.”
“OK. I’ll just honk.”
“I’m sure you will.”
“Bye.”
“Bye.”
I entered the side door on the first floor and came up the back stairs that lead into the kitchen. There was no reason to return to work because the day was already over. Mother was busy preparing dinner and talking on the phone at the same time.
Dad and Duke apparently weren’t home yet, and Thomas,well, who knows where he was. As I went upstairs to wash my hands and freshen up, I heard Vicky say,“I know. She’s just fabulous. I think I might take out another one of those ads to surprise her. You know, in all these years she’s never guessed that it was me,” she said, laughing. The poor woman had no clue. I wasn’t going to give her one either, but I would have a long talk with my dad about making sure she never placed another ad again.
The Wednesday-night message was timely. With excerpts from Jim Collins’s book From Good to Great, the sermon revealed,“The only ones who accomplish great things that last are those who live a life not swayed by trends, but who hold fast to what they know to be true.”
In the car, Paige put her key into the ignition but didn’t turn it.“Savannah?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you think what I do has any real eternal value?” she asked in a rare moment of introspection.
“I think you have done exactly what you were destined to do. You’ve been given an amazing gift, and you’ve put it to good use. And each time someone steps into your gallery and purchases one of your amazing gifts, you give them joy and pleasure every time they pass by it hanging in their foyer or hallway. There is eternity in that.”
“You think so?”
“I should know. I have an original hanging in my office.”
“Did you get permission for that?” I asked, laughing at the two entertaining creatures sprawled across the sofa. Their heads perked up simultaneously at the sound of my voice.
“We don’t have to get permission for anything, do we, Duke?” Duke simply laid his head back down on his side of the sofa, knowing he didn’t need permission from anything or anyone other than the man by his side.“I think you forget who’s in charge here,” Dad said, patting Duke on his hind end.
I walked over and took a seat in the chair next to the sofa.“I’m not sure if it’s you or the hairy creature lying next to you.”
“It’s both of us.When I’m too tired to be in charge, Duke steps into his rightful place.”
“What about Thomas?”
“Duke has more authority because of his actual time spent on the premises. Pretty good sermon, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah, it was great. It seems like that place has grown so much since I’ve been gone.”
“Yeah, it has. They really have the pulse of this city. They’re reaching people who haven’t had a place to belong. They’ve given them a type of family. Those of us who have good ones forget some people have never known what that’s like.” He continued petting Duke without looking at me.
I scooted to the front of my chair, getting as close to Dad’s head as possible. “Speaking of our family, I overheard a conversation with Vicky, I mean Mother, and one of her friends. Seems she’s planning to put another ad in the paper.”
Jake snickered.
“Dad, please. She doesn’t even think I know it’s her, and I wish I could put a stop to this. But you and I both know you’re the only one that can pull the plug on her madness. People who aren’t too excited that I have this job will be even more unhappy when they realize it’s still mine on Friday. And the last thing I need is Mother making a declaration that she thinks my employment at the paper needs to be celebrated in print.”
Dad cocked his head.“Trust me, you will see no more ads in the paper.”
“Thanks.” I stood up, leaned over and kissed him on the head, and turned to leave the kitchen.“You do know you are not only helping me, but you are sparing innocent generations to come. My children will thank you.” He raised his hand that was petting Duke, then put it right back where it had been.
It was around nine-thirty when I made it to bed, and I was exhausted. For some weird reason I was thankful for all that had transpired this day. Thankful that even though it had been difficult, it had still been good. I finally fell asleep.
Somewhere in the wee hours of the morning I dreamed that when I showed up at work, everyone was standing in front of the door holding up the front page, which boasted a full-page ad of congratulations and a half-page picture of me and Vicky when I was eight and she had us dressed alike for Easter. We wore matching floral dresses with dangerously large bows planted on the side of our waists, I in black patent-leather shoes and she in her black patent-leather pumps. I woke up about three in the morning in a cold sweat. I ran downstairs and scoured our picture albums for any photo that could be totally humiliating if it were to appear in a newspaper. I put them all in a folder, took the folder to my bedroom, and hid it in the bookcase behind a stack of books.
I enjoyed dreamless sleep the rest of the night.