Left at the Alter

“Basically.” We both laughed and sipped and talked and watched. 

“What’s next for you Cassidy.”

I bit my lip as I thought. 

“You gone give me those pictures you took?”

“Are you going to give me the sculpture you are putting in the ground right now.”

“Damn, you gone do me like that?”

“Leverage is my thing. It’s how I get what I want.”

I couldn’t tell if he was joking but I let it go for now. 

“I need something of mine in a museum and I need someone to ask me to put it there. That is how I know I have made it. I have … items … in my studio. This isn’t the first big thing that I have done” I looked over at him. “But it is the biggest. In the end I want to have sculpture parks everywhere. Not just mine but just parks full of dopa ass sculptures.” 

“Oh, you have other 12 ft sculptures hanging out in rooms.”

“No, Ass but I have other meaningful pieces that people should see.”

“Ok so let them see. How many pieces you got? ‘Bout 12? Open up a virtual museum.”

“What? Get the fuck out of here. How would I do that.” 

“I don’t know.” He shrugged, “But I would start by showcasing one a week until you have been at it a minute and then add on some more.”

I was really sitting here taking this all in. It did not stop there he was just idea after idea. The conversation continued after we packed up and headed back to my car. The piece was in the ground and they were still affixing the pieces to the ground when we left. 

The conversation continued in the car and the excitement continued to build. 

“Come in I want you to see them and tell me what you think.” I snatched open the door as he parked curbside, outside the studio.

I ran ahead of him. I was working on all cylinders at this point. I punched in the code and noticed Jeremy wasn’t behind me. Hand still on the keypad I whipped my head around quick enough to allow my hair to slap me in the face. 

“I’m coming.”

I lead him to the back room but was hesitant to open it. It was my absolute favorite room in the building, and I kept it locked. Marla barely came in here and did not have her own key and Torre and I had been in here once. 

“What the hell? Is this a safe room?” he joked. I had described it to him already as it did not match the rest of the studio and I wanted him to be prepared for the difference. 

I opened the room and exposed its darkness. I turned to look at Jeremy and he didn’t look out of this world excited, but he seemed to be enjoying himself. I flipped the switch and held my finger up to signal to Jeremy to wait a minute. First all we had was a mysterious space and then the lights began to come on exposing a huge room. There was a built-in divider in the dead center of the room extending from the back wall to the center of the room. The right half had all white walls. There were all white, round cornered rectangular tables built directly into the wall. They looked like glass the way that they shined. The other side was the exact opposite with the exception that there were also lights on the baseboards and in the middle of the lower portion of the wall. Just enough to give sight to the work of art in front of it. Hell, this room was a work of art and I watched as he took it all in. His face looked like my heart felt and I knew I had made the right decision by sharing it with him. 

He reached the back of the all black room where there was a door and asked what was in there. I informed him it was just supplies and he attempted to open it. I smirked. 

“How many supply closets you got?” Jeremy asked, his teeth seeming to glow in the dark room.

“hmmm.” I hummed as I walked over to the closet and used my key to unlock the small office.

“Oh, this is where you keep the good stuff.” He smiled at me. I smiled back and walked over to the desk against the wall. 

I looked over at him and realized he wasn’t talking about my art when he said good stuff. 

“You be in here high as hell huh?” he was holding a glass jar with about an eighth of sour diesel in it. This was a strain of marijuana that I knew would get me in the right mood if I was in one of my creative zones. 

“Nosy ass.” I said snatching it from him and shoving it into a small box containing a pink glass bowl that I smoked out of and array of lighters.

“So, you’re not sharing, cool.” He nodded his head like he was offended. I believed it until he broke out in smile and began to tell me more about how he loved this room.

I put the keys on the desk, and we walked back out so that I could explain what he was looking at. 

“Pick it up.” I said grinning in front of what appeared to be a stone head. 

“Yo!” He yelled. “Is this supposed to be Barack?” 

I smiled, pleased.

“Go ahead, I urged.” 

He went to grab it and felt its flimsy exterior and jumped back, letting it go.

“What the hell?”

I laughed. 

“It’s made from very thin slices of paper. I got the idea from a girl who took my class some time ago and showed me someone overseas who consistently does this. It’s like his whole showcase” I rambled on and on. It was easy to do because he seemed genuinely interested. I could talk about art all day. 

Jeremy ventured back over to the closet and came out holding my glass bowl and the jar containing the weed.