Beyond the end

Chapter 9. Valerie.

Los Angeles

A flashback of something he knew by heart: He and Kelly in front of a bonfire on the beach, both wet and wrapped in a beach towel. He told her about his fear of the sea at night; actually the fear of not finding your footprints once it comes out of the water. While she reassured him that it would never happen.

Brandon ready to dive back into the unknown of the ocean and invited her to follow him.

"Are you sure you don't want to come?"

"You'll get away with it alone."

"Yes, I asked you," Brandon said in a low voice as he drove to the Hilton; the sun had just risen. Seeing her in that state had put him in a very bad mood and now he had to understand why. Certainly the news that Brenda and Dylan were together in London had played a fundamental role. What could his reaction mean? Was she jealous? Was she still in love with Dylan and hadn't taken her cohabitation with her friend/rival of adolescence well? Was she disappointed? Did you expect Dylan to finally take on his responsibilities as a father rather than going to look for his old flame even in Europe? Brandon could gladly accept the second hypothesis: Kelly and Dylan still had a son in common, but Dylan had never played his role as father, leaving all the weight of the task on her shoulders. It was absolutely understandable that Kelly was angry, that once again she had fled her responsibilities. But the idea, even remote, that Kelly could still harbor a strong feeling for his friend awakened ancient grudges in him, negative feelings that gave him a decidedly black mood. He thought a shower would be helpful in waking him up, clarifying his ideas, and making him up a little with the world and with himself.

New York City

For several hours the great Apple had been running in its daily frenzy; thousands of people crossed Manatthan, marching in unison towards unspecified goals, each immersed in their own thoughts. She advanced confidently on her unscrupulous heel, proud of those pumped shoes she had bought the day before in a delightful boutique on 5th Avenue. The black sheath dress highlighted her generous breasts, peeping inside the duster of skin she loved to wear late autumn days. He thought he made pandane with the fire colors that covered Central Park between October and November. He sipped his black coffee as he headed to the art gallery he had been driving for two years now. Moving to New York was a decidedly apt choice. After living in Los Angeles, her return to Buffalo had been very close to her; the non-idyllic relationship with her mother had done the rest. Weapons and luggage, she had moved to the other metropolis of the States, on the opposite coast, hunting for fortunes, she loved to tell. And luck had come a couple of weeks after his arrival. A fortuitous meeting in a Jazz club with a middle-aged man, distinguished and full of resources. His business was very eclectic, ranging from culture to retail. A couple's relationship actually lasted very little, but loyal, sincere, not based on Valerie's hidden purposes, as some bad tongues had repeatedly insinuated. But she was used to the accusations made by friends and enemies, she had made our callus. And she didn't care. The fact is that the man had real affection for him and had proposed that she run his art gallery. The old director had left the vacancy to follow other chimeras and there wasn't much time to reflect. She had objected that she had extensive experience in running clubs, but that she did not understand anything about art, of any kind. It wasn't a problem, he had supported Louis without blinking an eye. An artistic consultant would have joined her. At least for six months, then they would see roles and reports again. The semester had been absolutely positive. Visits had increased by 20%, the exhibitions followed one another at a rapid pace, thanks to Val's great ability to manage relationships and relationships. Louis was satisfied with his intuition. Valerie had managed to convince him and convince herself of his excellent organizational skills. There had been nothing left between the two after the initial liason; just a healthy friendship.

Valerie arrived at the gallery and dodging the people already in line at the right time, walked in and headed to her own office. An orchid plant welcomed her on her desk, with a note on display.

"To the most beautiful collaborator a businessman can ever dream of."

He smiled, took off the duster and sank into his armchair, grabbing the phone.

"To what pleasure do I owe," Louis said on the other side

"I just wanted to thank you for the flowers," he smiled.

"Tell me what you want"

"In what sense?" Replied the man pretending to be surprised, "Come on Lou, it's not up to you to give flower and bounce compliments without asking for anything in return"

"You're really bad thinking!"

"What do you want?" He insisted Valerie

"I bought a new gallery... it's a disaster, it's been in my wallet for 3 months and it keeps losing despite changing all the staff; but I think the problem is direction."

Valerie snorted but was flattered that her prices had grown so much that she transformed her from a penniless provincial girl who recently arrived in NYC to a problem solver for a wealthy entrepreneur. "You're a worm," the woman laughed.

"I knew you were going to help me," replied the man, "Sorry, and my gallery? Who will take care of it?" Replied Val;

Louis smiled "YOUR gallery" ironic "it's fine like this and sets a record of tickets after another; your deputy will be able to resist a semester without you"

"Is this just one semester?" He asked showing openness;

He smiled "for the moment yes, then you see".

"Where would this gallery be?" Louis took his breath and hissed "Los Angeles."