Page 3 of Built to Last
“Yes, this is important. Go.” I shoo her out the door with an encouraging smile. Damn, I hope she can find someone, but even if she does I can’t imagine they’ll be able to start tomorrow.
Chewing on my lip I gather up my own belongings and head over to the counter to pay. Aria has worked so hard to put all of this together, I don’t want to see her fall at the last hurdle all because someone else couldn’t honour an agreement. Who wouldn’t want to be part of a project that will help so many children?
“Rose?” Aria’s uncharacteristically timid voice accompanies her light knock on my bedroom door.
“Did you find someone?” I ask, sitting up straighter from where I’ve been curled up watching TV. I offered to help Aria search for a new set designer but, even though I arrived home only ten minutes behind her, she already had a list of people she wanted to work her way through and told me not to worry. I can’t help but feel a little guilty. A large part of why Aria didn’t ask for my help in the first place was because she knows I’ve been struggling to paint since my break-up with Malcolm. That and she wanted someone with previous experience in set design.
“No.” She sighs, taking a seat on the edge of my bed. “Everyone I’d been considering before is booked up months in advance. Look, I know this is a lot to ask, especially because you’ve been taking a break from painting but… would you do it?”
Me?My eyes practically bulge out of their sockets when I realise she’s serious.
“Aria, I’m not a set designer. I don’t know the first thing about what goes into all of that stuff.”
“I know, but it’s not like you have to actuallybuildthe set. That’s what I hired the other guy for. You’d be designing and painting only.” I gnaw on my lip, thoughts racing.
“This guy would take care ofallthe other stuff?” I ask. Aria’s pleading expression brightens now that I’m considering it.Am I seriously considering this?
“Absolutely,” she rushes to assure me, curls bouncing as she nods vigorously. “Please, Rose. I know it’s a lot to ask but I really don’t want to have to push everything back and delay the first few bookings, the schools won’t like that and you know how fast word gets out about that kind of thing.” She wrings her hands nervously.
“I don’t want you to have to do that either, but I’m not sure this is the answer. You know I’ve been struggling with my art since the break-up. What if I agree to do this and I suck at it? I know how important this project is to you, I don’t want to risk messing it up.”
“Better to take a risk and end up with something than push the project back and have nothing at all.” She reaches over to squeeze my hand briefly. “Besides, maybe this could be a way to get back in touch with your creativity without the pressure and expectations that come with your usual work.”
“I guess trying something completely different could help me break out of my slump…”
“Exactly!”
“But what if my designs are no good? I really have been struggling to come up with anything new the past few months, you know that.”
“Honestly, I don’t think you need to worry about that for a second, butifyour design happens to be less than amazing there’s nothing stopping me getting something else built later. Ijust need something for when rehearsals start and the first few bookings.”
That’s a good point. Not that I want Aria wasting money on a second set, I’ll try my absolute best for her, but it’s comforting to know she won’t be stuck with it forever if my best isn’t good enough. She’s right that an unimaginative set is better than having to reschedule bookings when she’s only just making connections with the local primary schools. At least I’ll have her brief to work from so, unlike with my own work, I won’t have to conjure up an idea from a completely blank slate. I guess I’m doing this.
“OK.”
“Really?” Aria gasps, grasping onto both of my hands like they’re her only lifeline.
“Yeah.” I nod with a nervous smile. “As long as you don’t break my hands first.”
“Sorry,” she replies, immediately loosening the death grip she has on my fingers. “Thank you so much Rose, seriously. I’ll get all your party gigs covered so you can focus solely on this and obviously I’ll pay you the same fee I was going to give that useless flake. We were supposed to meet the builder at Snug tomorrow to go over expectations for the project, will that be OK?”
“Breathe,” I tell her around a laugh. “That all sounds great. Now go and relax for the rest of the afternoon. It’s a Sunday, no more work for you.”
“Fine.” She rolls her eyes good-naturedly but gets up to leave all the same. “I mean it though, Rose.Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me yet, I might be awful.”
“I’ve seen your paintings. Your work on a bad day is still better than what a lot of people can achieve at their best. I’ll happily take my chances.”
With that she leaves my room, closing the door gently behind her. Left with only my own thoughts for company, my stomach starts to churn with anticipation and the hope I’m not making a huge mistake.
Chapter Two
Phillip
Soft,early-morning light filters in through a gap in my curtains, rousing me from sleep a few minutes before my alarm is set to go off. Stretching out in bed, I take inventory of my aching muscles. I just finished installing a new kitchen for a couple in their late-forties and usually doing jobs alone isn’t a problem, but they chose the heaviest countertops known to man. My muscles have been paying the price for this since fitting them at the start of the week. No amount of epsom salt baths was curing this shit, but the two men are so happy with their dream kitchen that I can’t bring myself to be annoyed about it.
Luckily I have a gentler start to the coming week than usual, giving me an extra day to recover. My meeting on Monday is to discuss a set design project for a small local company that does birthday parties and is now branching out into educational kids shows. I’ve not had the opportunity to build a set before and excitement at the possibility of doing something new fizzes through me.
