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“Such as?”
Yes, I really wanted to know what issues brought this type of reaction out of Laura.
“Well, for one, housing. There is no affordable housing in this town. Leaving many single parents with no choice of childcare, which is also scantily available. Subsidized childcare would be a place to start, as well as better living conditions for children in the system. Do you know that most group homes in this city are overrun? There is barely enough room for them to sleep, never mind study. So, they find themselves on the streets.”
Laura’s voice kept steady as she speared her words at the mayor. My cheeks ached from smiling and watching the mayor taken to task by a woman he had dismissed after a quick introduction. He glanced in my direction for help, but I wasn’t about to save him.
“Are you in politics, my dear?” asked Mrs. Applebee. “A lobbyist, perhaps?” She glanced pointedly at me, as though I’d planned this ambush. But it was as much a surprise to me as it was to the mayor. A pleasant surprise. Not so for the mayor.
“No, ma’am. I’m not. I’m a bartender. But I—”
“A bartender?” the mayor scoffed. “Well, miss, then I’d suggest you stick to mixing drinks and leave the policymaking to those of us in office.”
What a fucking prick. He couldn’t handle her questions and so dismissed her for being a bartender. “It seems to me she knows more about the situation in our city than you do, Mr. Mayor. Perhaps she listens a lot better than you do while she’s at work.”
I turned to grab Laura’s hand and noticed her eyes cast downward, deep in thought. Placing my hand on her waist, I steered her away from the couple. “Are you all right? I’m sorry if our ass of a mayor offended you.”
“I wasn’t offended,” she said, her hands on her hips, but her eyes were still unfocused.
“Then what’s wrong?”
“The mayor just got me thinking.”
“About?”
“My future.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. It’s complicated, but he made some good points.”
“Care to share what those are?”
“Not really. Not now.” She smiled. “Now, I’d like to see what that man means to do with those flaming swords.” She pulled me toward the back of the room.
We watched a bit of swordplay for a few minutes, but the entire time I couldn’t help replaying Laura’s speech to the mayor. She not only seemed informed, but passionate about the topic. I knew very little about this woman, but every time she shed a bit of light on her thoughts, I wanted to learn more.
“Ladies and gentlemen, if you can all take your seats, the auction will begin shortly.”
I led Laura to our seats in the front row and passed her the sign.
“I have no idea what to do with this,” she said, staring at the round object with the number ten on it.
“Simply raise it when you want to make a bid.”
“But—”
“I’ll take care of the bill. You pick the portrait for my office.”
She bit her lip and raised her eyes to the ceiling. “What color is your office again?”
“Black and white.”
“Okay, that’s easy to coordinate. I think you’ll need a pop of color then.” She smiled at me, replaying my earlier words from the note I’d sent to her.
I leaned back in my chair and watched as she eagerly awaited the first painting.
The emcee unveiled the first portrait and it was a modern piece of black and white splatter.
