SAY SOMETHING
Chapter 1
***3 YEARS LATER***
Annie's POV
"Oh Mrs. Duncan? Mrs. Duncan!" I called to the woman walking toward the door. She turned around and looked at me confused. "You forgot your receipt here." I said and extended my arm with the little paper folded between my fingers.
"Oh! Thank you!" She waddled back to the counter that I stood behind. "Bye Annie. It's always a pleasure to see what you've been working on." She gave me a wink with her wrinkled eye and then headed toward the door.
"Annie?" My assistant Carlton called from the back room. "Can you help me?" I looked around the gallery and once I confirmed that there were no other customers I scooted out from behind the counter and walked to the back room. The back room was more like an enlarged closet. There was a large sink in the left wall of the room with gray protruding cupboards hanging above it. The back wall, right wall, and front wall were all lined with a connecting shelf that wrapped around the room about three feet below the ceiling. I had added various amounts of counter space to keep all of my paints for my assistant to use and if I was teaching a younger student.
I walked into the room and Carlton’s back was to me but I could see her head was cocked to the right as she examined her painting in front of her. "What is it?" I asked.
"I'm just not sure if my brush stroke is doing what you said. I think I'm doing it wrong." She said glumly without taking her eyes off of her painting.
I walked over to her and examined the sunset that she was trying paint. "Just don't put so much pressure on the brush and don't use as much water." I said and patted her back when she let out a sigh of frustration. "Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it." I smiled and she looked at me with a weak smile. I jogged back out of the room when I heard the bell on the door ring: an indication that someone had walked in.
"Hello there sir," I said cheerfully, "I don't think I've seen you before. Is this your first time?"
"Yes it is," He said around a salt and pepper mustache, "my wife wants something new to give the walls in our apartment a little color."
"Ah well my name is Annie. I'm the owner and welcome to The Gallery of A. My watercolor paintings are along this wall," I relayed with a sweep of my hand, "The oil paintings are on the opposite wall and I've been experimenting with abstract painting which will be located on the back wall." I smiled and he nodded as his eyes darted around the gallery. He walked toward the watercolor paintings with a determined stare. I scooted back behind the front desk and wiped my paint stained hands on my apron. I rolled my eyes and chuckled to myself as I looked down at my hands and determined that my hands will forever be tinted with different colored paints.
The phone next to the computer started to ring and I answered it after one ring, "Gallery of A, this is Annie speaking how may I help you?"
"Hello my love. How's my baby girl doing?" I smiled as I heard my mom's enthusiastic voice through the receiver.
"Hi mom." I chuckled.
"How's the business today?" She asked like she did every time she called.
"Same as always." I laughed.
"And you can still support yourself okay? You don't need my help?"
"Yes, my economic stability to take care of myself since our conversation yesterday has not changed and no, I don't need help. I'm finally doing what I love to do and making people happy with art."
"Okay okay. You know I just love you to death." She said with as much enthusiasm and definition as possible but I could hear the disappointment and heartache in her voice.
"I love too mom, but I have to go. There's a man looking to buy something right now." I said in a hushed fast voice as the salt and pepper mustache man approached the counter with one of my paintings. I hung the phone up and folded my hands on the counter seconds before he was standing in front of me.
"So, I think I'll buy this one. I think it's lovely you really did a nice job with this." He said looking down at the watercolor painting of a single rose.
"Well thank you. I really appreciate it." I smiled at his praise.
"I'm not sure if my wife will like it though so can I exchange it for a different one if I need to?" He asked.
"Well some of them are priced differently but you'll just have to pay the difference." I smiled as I put my business side forward.
"Fair enough. I'll get this for now then." He said.
I rang him up but my attention was caught when I heard something crash to the floor in the back room. I handed the man his credit card back.
"Thank you." I smiled and watched as he exited the gallery. As soon as he disappeared around the corner, I bolted to the back room.
"What the hell Carlton!" I said sternly to the 17-year-old girl. My eyes grew wide as I took in the mess on the floor. The floor of the back room looked like Skittles exploded and Carlton was sitting in the middle of it.
"Oh Annie! Annie, I'm so sorry! I was carrying the paint tray to put it away and I slipped on something and—I didn't—Annie I—“ I could see the tears rimming her eyes and I hated myself instantly.
"No, no. It's okay honey." I attempted to sooth her. She gave me a weak smile. I don't think she believes me. "What's an art gallery without some paint on the floor? You're not passionate enough if there aren't some messes." I chuckled and her face immediately softened.
"Thanks Annie."
"Alright. Get going missy. I know you have to get ready for your date with Mr. Can I Have a Cherry Soda and Your Number guy." I winked at her as her cheeks flushed a light shade of rose.
"Eee!" She squealed. "I'm so excited!"
"Well go then silly! I'll close up." I smiled at her and she hopped off the ground where she sat in paint. She whipped her apron off and threw it on the hook before she half ran and half skipped out of the shop.
I took a deep breath as I walked over to the sink and grabbed a sponge and bucket. I attempted to get as much paint off of the concrete floor as I could but after thirty minutes of scrubbing there was still a tint of various colors. I shrugged and threw the sponge into the sink and washed my hands.
"Damn." I cursed as I remembered I needed to pick up milk, bread, and avocados before I went upstairs to my apartment. Yeah, so I live in a three-story space with my gallery on the bottom floor, my private studio is on the second floor and my apartment is on the third floor. Yes, my mom did help me pay for all of that but I've paid her back.
I untied my apron and hung it on the hook next to Carlton's. I grabbed my purse from behind the front desk and stumbled outside as a slightly warm breeze blew my golden curls around my shoulder and face. I locked the door behind me and began to walk toward the small grocery store a few blocks away.
Annie's POV
"Oh Mrs. Duncan? Mrs. Duncan!" I called to the woman walking toward the door. She turned around and looked at me confused. "You forgot your receipt here." I said and extended my arm with the little paper folded between my fingers.
"Oh! Thank you!" She waddled back to the counter that I stood behind. "Bye Annie. It's always a pleasure to see what you've been working on." She gave me a wink with her wrinkled eye and then headed toward the door.
"Annie?" My assistant Carlton called from the back room. "Can you help me?" I looked around the gallery and once I confirmed that there were no other customers I scooted out from behind the counter and walked to the back room. The back room was more like an enlarged closet. There was a large sink in the left wall of the room with gray protruding cupboards hanging above it. The back wall, right wall, and front wall were all lined with a connecting shelf that wrapped around the room about three feet below the ceiling. I had added various amounts of counter space to keep all of my paints for my assistant to use and if I was teaching a younger student.
I walked into the room and Carlton’s back was to me but I could see her head was cocked to the right as she examined her painting in front of her. "What is it?" I asked.
"I'm just not sure if my brush stroke is doing what you said. I think I'm doing it wrong." She said glumly without taking her eyes off of her painting.
I walked over to her and examined the sunset that she was trying paint. "Just don't put so much pressure on the brush and don't use as much water." I said and patted her back when she let out a sigh of frustration. "Don't worry. You'll get the hang of it." I smiled and she looked at me with a weak smile. I jogged back out of the room when I heard the bell on the door ring: an indication that someone had walked in.
"Hello there sir," I said cheerfully, "I don't think I've seen you before. Is this your first time?"
"Yes it is," He said around a salt and pepper mustache, "my wife wants something new to give the walls in our apartment a little color."
"Ah well my name is Annie. I'm the owner and welcome to The Gallery of A. My watercolor paintings are along this wall," I relayed with a sweep of my hand, "The oil paintings are on the opposite wall and I've been experimenting with abstract painting which will be located on the back wall." I smiled and he nodded as his eyes darted around the gallery. He walked toward the watercolor paintings with a determined stare. I scooted back behind the front desk and wiped my paint stained hands on my apron. I rolled my eyes and chuckled to myself as I looked down at my hands and determined that my hands will forever be tinted with different colored paints.
The phone next to the computer started to ring and I answered it after one ring, "Gallery of A, this is Annie speaking how may I help you?"
"Hello my love. How's my baby girl doing?" I smiled as I heard my mom's enthusiastic voice through the receiver.
"Hi mom." I chuckled.
"How's the business today?" She asked like she did every time she called.
"Same as always." I laughed.
"And you can still support yourself okay? You don't need my help?"
"Yes, my economic stability to take care of myself since our conversation yesterday has not changed and no, I don't need help. I'm finally doing what I love to do and making people happy with art."
"Okay okay. You know I just love you to death." She said with as much enthusiasm and definition as possible but I could hear the disappointment and heartache in her voice.
"I love too mom, but I have to go. There's a man looking to buy something right now." I said in a hushed fast voice as the salt and pepper mustache man approached the counter with one of my paintings. I hung the phone up and folded my hands on the counter seconds before he was standing in front of me.
"So, I think I'll buy this one. I think it's lovely you really did a nice job with this." He said looking down at the watercolor painting of a single rose.
"Well thank you. I really appreciate it." I smiled at his praise.
"I'm not sure if my wife will like it though so can I exchange it for a different one if I need to?" He asked.
"Well some of them are priced differently but you'll just have to pay the difference." I smiled as I put my business side forward.
"Fair enough. I'll get this for now then." He said.
I rang him up but my attention was caught when I heard something crash to the floor in the back room. I handed the man his credit card back.
"Thank you." I smiled and watched as he exited the gallery. As soon as he disappeared around the corner, I bolted to the back room.
"What the hell Carlton!" I said sternly to the 17-year-old girl. My eyes grew wide as I took in the mess on the floor. The floor of the back room looked like Skittles exploded and Carlton was sitting in the middle of it.
"Oh Annie! Annie, I'm so sorry! I was carrying the paint tray to put it away and I slipped on something and—I didn't—Annie I—“ I could see the tears rimming her eyes and I hated myself instantly.
"No, no. It's okay honey." I attempted to sooth her. She gave me a weak smile. I don't think she believes me. "What's an art gallery without some paint on the floor? You're not passionate enough if there aren't some messes." I chuckled and her face immediately softened.
"Thanks Annie."
"Alright. Get going missy. I know you have to get ready for your date with Mr. Can I Have a Cherry Soda and Your Number guy." I winked at her as her cheeks flushed a light shade of rose.
"Eee!" She squealed. "I'm so excited!"
"Well go then silly! I'll close up." I smiled at her and she hopped off the ground where she sat in paint. She whipped her apron off and threw it on the hook before she half ran and half skipped out of the shop.
I took a deep breath as I walked over to the sink and grabbed a sponge and bucket. I attempted to get as much paint off of the concrete floor as I could but after thirty minutes of scrubbing there was still a tint of various colors. I shrugged and threw the sponge into the sink and washed my hands.
"Damn." I cursed as I remembered I needed to pick up milk, bread, and avocados before I went upstairs to my apartment. Yeah, so I live in a three-story space with my gallery on the bottom floor, my private studio is on the second floor and my apartment is on the third floor. Yes, my mom did help me pay for all of that but I've paid her back.
I untied my apron and hung it on the hook next to Carlton's. I grabbed my purse from behind the front desk and stumbled outside as a slightly warm breeze blew my golden curls around my shoulder and face. I locked the door behind me and began to walk toward the small grocery store a few blocks away.
Notes
HEY GUYS!!! oh my gosh THE DAY IS FINALLY HERE!!! :D
I have to thank you guys so much for how patient you've been waiting for this story to finally be published. I told you a few weeks and it turned into two months so thank you guys so so so so so much. I'll be publishing the first 5 chapters :)
I finally got a damn fan account on twitter so you should follow me. It'd mean so much to me <3 @HazzaLove37
Don't forget you can always message me on Kik :)
Username: Violinluver15
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Inspirational Quote: "Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try." <3
LOVE YOU GUYSSSS BFISBIUSBFSIBF
~JoseyWhite
This is amazing omg
11/6/16