"Doug, could you just..." Abi sighed as the object of her question purposefully ignored her and made his way out of the restaurant. Where was he going? The restaurant was absolutely heaving and it was all hands on deck but ever since Alex Walker had sent through the beautiful painting of the unnamed black woman with the title of "Beautiful" which had borne more than a passing resemblance to Abi, Doug hadn't had a civil word to say to anyone least of all Abi.
Abi sighed again but was heartened as she looked around the restaurant. All tables full, the bar heaving, the jazz band playing with their new singer belting out various songs by Ella and Billie. Abi loved it so very much. The only drawback to this whole success which she had created was that it belonged to Doug, and for as long as Doug owned the restaurant was for as long as she was under his thumb. She had been saving to try and buy him out, but had proved to be a victim of her own success - the more profitable the restaurant had become, the more it had rocketed in value and therefore the more she had to save. She wasn't even remotely close to being able to make a respectable offer and she wasn't about to take any handouts from him whatsoever.
As had been over the past couple of weeks, any time Abi had taken the time to think about anything, her gaze always found itself resting on the painting which they had had mounted on the foyer wall, highlighted by soft lights and surrounded by an ornate frame and the tiny gold plaque which she had had made to accompany it detailing the name of the painting and it's author.
Prior to the painting's arrival, it had been a couple of months since Abi had first set eyes on Alex and then never again, but it was as though she just couldn't get rid of him. After their initial meeting, his paintings had been selected for a huge exhibition at which he was headlining and he was now being touted in all manners of media as the art world's new darling boy. Alex was everywhere. Interviews, posters, his paintings being reproduced all over the place at an astonishing rate, and yet he had never returned to Elysium.
Doug and Abi had wondered aloud about this together; in fact, more so because Alex mentioned the restaurant favourably in almost every profile that the media did of him but since meeting with Doug, he hadn't been back. Abi had questioned Doug relentlessly; had something happened, did he finish his food, who was serving him? Doug had batted away these questions with irritation and told her to piss off, if she was that worried, why didn't she go and talk to Luke who had served him, which she had promptly done and Luke had told her that it had been fine and that he remembered Mr Walker because he had been an excellent tipper.
Abi was a little bewildered (and disappointed) then as to why he hadn't been back. She had put her feelings aside knowing that he had a girlfriend or a wife and remembering the beautiful blonde who had thrown her arms around him, but told herself that it would have been nice to see him again if only to thank him. Having a famous patron at the restaurant had started an upsurge in reservations which could only be a bonus for the restaurant.
And then it had happened; Doug and she had been sitting together going through shift rotas, accounts books, invoices when they had been interrupted by, "Excuse me, there's a delivery." Doug had waved off the waiter and told him to deal with it and neither Doug nor Abi could understand why Luke was unable to look either of them in the eye.
"What's the problem Luke?" she asked
Luke shrugged, "I think you should come and take a look."
Intrigued, Abi and Doug left the table and followed the sheepish Luke out to the foyer where stood a ten foot Alexander Walker original of a naked black woman with skin the colour of milk chocolate draped in a white sheet standing with her back to the viewer and only allowing them a vision of her profile. A profile which was very similar if not an exact replica of Abi's face. The silence had spoken volumes, and then all hell had broken loose, "Have you been seeing him behind my back?"
Too stunned to respond and still staring at the painting, Abi shook her head. Unable to tear his own eyes from the painting, Doug continued, "Well, how the fuck do you explain this?"
Snapped out of her reverie, Abi turned to him, "What do you mean how do I explain it? I can't explain it. I've only met the man once and you were there when that happened, and even so, what the fuck is it to you?"
"Oh, like that is it? Find yourself a new rich white boy so you forget about everything I have done for you and your fucking family is that it?"
Abi could feel the staff backing away slowly as Doug's temper unfurled and she turned to him, "I haven't found myself anyone, and I can't believe that you would throw that in my face. You know how I feel about everything that you have done for us and how much I have appreciated every bit of it - but I have also always been as honest as possible and have said that I can't see anything happening between us. Surely by now you should be happy to accept this?"
"Happy to accept it?" Doug spat, "Happy to accept your undying gratitude but unwillingness to even contemplate a life with me or anything even resembling a romance when you have never given it a try? Watching you hide yourself away from everyone and everything but unfurling like a beautiful flower when this complete stranger walks into your life for less that forty seconds?" Doug stomped away from her, and then turned to face her, "Abi, I wouldn't do what I have done for you for anyone else, I did this, not because I wanted your gratitude but because I wanted to show you that I was and am willing to do anything for you. That remains but it seems to me that I really have no chance where you're concerned and in which case we are going to need to rework our situation."
Abi looked back at him uncomprehending. He continued, "Maybe it's time that you and your family found somewhere else to live, maybe it's about time that I found my life again and then you could go on and pursue whatever it is that you feel you have to pursue?"
Abi smiled up at him gratefully, amazed that he understood quite so clearly and had taken it all so calmly. The smile was promptly wiped off her face when he said, "It wouldn't be a good idea for us to continue working together so I understand if you want to hand your notice in - a month's notice should be fine." With that, Doug turned on his heel and stomped out of the restaurant sending the poor busboy flying with his tray of glasses and causing hundreds of dollars worth of damage.
And now this was how they existed together. Doug had never mentioned anything else about Abi resigning and to add insult to injury, her mother and brother had steadfastly refused to move out of Doug's house. Abi had rented herself a small apartment not far from the restaurant and she and Doug continued to work together in synchronised disharmony.
She couldn't understand just how Alex had managed to walk into her life, speak to her for all of forty seconds or so and manage to disrupt the perfect living situation that she had achieved. It was hard for her to admit to herself that she wanted him desperately, but she put that down to a lack of sex, confidence and far too much reading of Silhouette novels. Her mother constantly shook her head in exasperation. What in the name of God was she waiting for? A wealthy, respectable, friendly, black man wanted to marry her, and she wanted to waste her time with a penniless, divorced, white artist? But for Abi it was a little more than that.
She had known Doug for years and although she loved him the same way she loved her brother and she was more than well aware about the way he felt about her, forty seconds with Alex had made her see that these feelings could not be conjured up and to settle for anything else would be doing herself a disservice, and although she hadn't seen Alex since, she was constantly aware of his existence, in particular, every time her eyes flicked up to the painting hanging in the restaurant lobby.
And that was another thing. Abi wasn't sure what her response to the painting should have been. She knew Doug's feelings on the matter, everyone in the restaurant knew Doug's feelings on the matter, but for herself, she was a tad confused. Alex had a beautiful wife (with limitless pockets and zero body fat which should surely have meant that he couldn't be that bothered about Abi. And, she supposed, it would have been odd if Alex had painted a picture of Doug naked so it only stood to reason that the painting would have been of her, she didn't dare to hope that it was because he held an interest for her and refused to let her mind wander to why he painted her half naked.
