When Melissa reached home, she ran in through the door in great excitement. "Sabine! Sabine! I've just been to the Trio Gallery and they want me to put on another exhibition of my paintings."
Sabine jumped up and threw both arms around her friend's neck. "Oh, darling, that's absolutely great. I'm so pleased for you."
"And that's not all; they're giving me all three rooms. What an opportunity!"
The Trio Gallery was right in the centre of town. It was a circular building divided into four rooms. The entrance room was one segment and acted as the foyer with a receptionist and a large selection of artist's materials and prints on sale. Two pillars, five feet high, framed a taller door set behind them which led into the three gallery rooms.
Sabine seemed to catch Melissa's excitement and busied herself making coffees. "Sit down. I'll make us a drink and you can tell me all about it."
"I've only had one room before, with two other artists' work in the other rooms," Melissa said. "But they told me they want a change from the usual landscapes and still life paintings. They want this to be a figurative life exhibition."
Sabine frowned. "What's that exactly?" she asked.
"It's paintings with human figures as the main elements."
"That's great darling. You specialise in life drawing. I'm sure you'll be a great success."
"I've been thinking about it all the way home," Melissa said. "Three galleries mean three sections which will mean three themes."
Sabine handed her a coffee as she sat down on the other side of the table. "What will they be?"
Melissa stirred her coffee absentmindedly as her large shining eyes gazed in front of her. "I've decided to call it βThe Prisoner'."
Sabine looked non-plussed. "You mean you are going to paint people in prison?"
"No! Of course not. I want to be a bit more imaginative than that! The first section will be about prisoners in the ancient world - the Grecian wars and so on. They'll be wearing rough cloaks and wearing drama masks. I want the paintings to be erotic too, so some will be half naked in chains." She dramatically drew a hand across in front of her as she imagined the paintings hanging on the wall.
"Ooooh! That sounds exciting," said Sabine. "What will you do in the second gallery?"
"Mmmmmm. There, I'll increase the eroticism. The prisoner will wear just undies, rags or perhaps a bikini - some topless."
Sabine rested her elbows on the table with her chin in her hands as she gazed admiringly at her house mate pouring out her ideas.
"Then in the third gallery all the prisoners will be nude, tied and chained and so on; some in a dungeon scene."
Sabine gave an approving sigh of approval as she smiled at her great friend. "Oh, Melissa, this sounds so exciting."
Her smile slowly faded as Melissa suddenly fixed her with a deliberate stare. Sabine had seen that stare many times before. It generally meant that Melissa was about to ask her to do something she didn't want to do.
"There's just one thing Sabine."
"There. . . there is?"
"Yes, I'll need a model to help me. I want a real live model and also lots of photographs to work from."
"You. . . you will?"
Melissa stretched out her hand and placed it in top of Sabine's on the table. "I want you to be my model."
"M..m. . .me? What? In undies? Chained naked in a dungeon?"
Undeterred by the hesitant words, Melissa took both her hands and looked straight into her eyes. "You'll be great. I know it." She knew she could get Sabine to do almost anything she wanted.
"But the paintings will be on show. Me . . . in the nude. . . on sale. Someone I know might buy a painting of me . . ."
Melissa slowly released Sabine's hands and looked sadly down at the table, her long blonde hair partly covering her face. "So, you won't help me?" she said feigning great disappointment.
She knew this would make Sabine feel awful, and she knew she hated to let Melissa down. "Oh, alright then. I'll do it," she said.