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“From this,” she said, waving her hand at the entrance of the gallery and the people walking past us.
I didn’t answer her.
More gently, as if pleading, she said, “At least come in for a bit. I worked really hard on bringing you here.”
“So, I wasn’t really invited invited?” I asked. “You made them invite me?”
She chuckled, looking slightly guilty. “It’s not a party until you’re with me, you know. Please, Delcy? You look so hot tonight and to go home again would only be a waste.”
Lydia was right. As she said, she had worked hard on getting me invited here, and I didn’t want to let her down and ruin the night.
I took a deep breath and then nodded. “Okay,” I said softly, reluctantly.
Besides, what could possibly happen? It was only an event where affluent people sold artwork for charitable purposes, right?
“Awesome,” Lydia said, chuckling. “Okay, come on. Amanda and Nora are probably wondering where we are.”
We entered the crowd of attendees walking into the gallery, and shortly after, we were in the grand hall where magnificent artworks were being exhibited. I looked around in awe, taking in the sight.
A dense flock of people dressed in fancy evening attire and pricey gems were socializing, admiring the artwork, and sipping champagne. Some were bargaining for the art, and I faintly overheard some deals in the hundreds of thousands, which made me feel dizzy.
“Where have you two been?” Nora asked, appearing before me and Lydia. “We were looking all over for you two.”
Lydia said, “Delcy didn’t want to come in.”
Nora gave me a disapproving glance, causing my stomach to twist in response.
Amanda, who stood slightly behind Nora, asked, “Why didn’t you want to come in? Is this place too fancy for you and it makes you uncomfortable?”
I nodded. “Yeah, something like that.”
“I get it,” she said. “I'd feel uncomfortable too if I ended up at one of those poor-people gatherings.” She visibly cringed with repulsion.
A server passed us, skillfully carrying a tray bearing champagne flutes. Lydia grabbed two and handed me one.
I accepted it and said, “Thanks.”
“Come on, let’s enjoy ourselves and look around,” Nora said excitedly. “Some of the paintings look really nice.”
I trailed behind them as they chuckled, chatted, and admired the artworks, sculptures, or whatever was displayed.
I must admit, I had never felt so out of place, and I couldn't help but constantly steal glances at the entrance, longing to flee.
I had drained my second glass of champagne when I noticed Lydia, Amanda, and Nora had all but vanished from sight while I was engrossed in admiring the diverse array of stunning attire worn by the women present. The allure of exquisite garments had a way of making me oblivious to my surroundings.
Where had they gone off to? I wondered and started searching around but only saw the faces of strangers. If I couldn't locate them, I’d leave, which was my initial intention anyway, and that previous inkling I felt was still there.
I retrieved my phone and sent a message to Lydia. When I didn't receive a response after ten minutes, I grew impatient and was on the verge of leaving when my phone rang.
Seeing that it was from Lydia, I answered, “Lydia?”
“I don’t know what happened, but we suddenly lost you. Where are you? We’re on the third floor. There’s a private viewing room where we got invited. This place is awesome, Delcy. They even have food here. You have to come up here.”
“Actually, I was about to leave,” I said.
“What?” she exclaimed almost too sharply, which caused me to feel quite taken aback.
I heard Lydia exhaling a heavy breath as if to calm herself down, and then she said, “Please, Delcy, come up here. There’s food and drinks. I really want you to enjoy this evening with me, with us. It took me a lot of work to get you here, so please don’t be selfish.”
