I stopped by his gallery at
an early-afternoon hour this weekend and it was closed. I’d anticipated as much
and brought along some reading material and my portable canvas lounging chair
so I could walk down the block to Central Park and wait for him. When I walked back
to the gallery a few hours later, it was Open Sesame.
“You’re working bankers’
hours,” I told him.
“No I’m not,” he shot back, while
limping toward me.
“Oh yes you are. I come by
in the middle of the afternoon and the gate’s down.”
“I haven’t been well,” he
said. “I had hip surgery and was hospitalized. I’m just now getting back into
things.”
That was my cue to cut it.
He asked if I was a musician,
thinking the lounging chair that was rolled up and strapped behind my shoulder
was a musical instrument.
A visit with him isn’t much
different from watching an installment of The
Cosby Show. It’s a shame when it’s over
and there’s usually a feel-good message or moral to take away from the
experience.
I haggled to get the total price
of the job to come down and he didn’t object. He told a story about his
physically abusive mother who used to beat him with her heels. One beating was in reaction to his having stolen some money. She told him that “money is good, but
people are better” and he’s always remembered that. It’s interesting that she taught
him a “you should value people” lesson at or around the time she was roughing a
person up, but if this is the childhood memory that persuades him to stick to a
negotiable-prices policy, who am I to over-analyze?
On my way out he introduced
me to someone, telling her that I’m very strong and if she ever needs a
bodyguard, I’m the one she’ll want. How does he instinctively know me so well? I’ve
been preoccupied with the bodyguard motif for 2 years! Now that he’s in this
frail condition, the next logical move would be my stepping up to become his (bankers’
hours only) bodyguard, at a negotiable fee.
If you ever wanted a second job, you could be his "bankers' hours only" bodyguard :) I love meeting quirky and insightful people. You'll often find that those two traits come together!
ReplyDeleteSo often magical people like him also have frail health. It's hard to meet and fall under someone's spell, knowing that you can't protect them from the things they have to face. Honestly, if I feel this way about near strangers, it's a good thing I never had kids, huh?
ReplyDeleteI love the name of your blog! I just stopped by from SITS to say hello; hope you find time to do the same.
ReplyDeleteI've never been a good negotiator of prices. I just pay what they're asking. I need to take a lesson from you!
Great story. Great quote. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteStopping by from SITS.
You meet such interesting people. Your framer sounds terrific--maybe one day I'll ask him to frame my pictures.
ReplyDeleteYou are so good at reminding me of what I know. Thanks for every word.
ReplyDelete