Chapter 1
16.11 years
'… and remember to comment on the artist's use of color and light' Neal said as he glanced at the clock, noticing it was already five minutes to ten
'So, same time next week' he said, wrapping things up and beginning to gather his things
Neal had been teaching Art History at NYU for the past year, hoping to inspire his young charges through the works of the masters. This particular class was on French Impressionism, Neal's favorite period and although the course was of a theoretical nature, most of his students were art history majors and budding artists, struggling to make a living.
Of course, teaching was just a small part of what occupied Neal's time these days. He'd recently left his job as an art authenticator at Finch and Johns, something he'd been doing since before Liam was even born. After years of scrimping and saving, Neal and Sara had recently opened an art gallery in Manhattan, a project which had been in the works for a couple of years (although they'd been saving up for much longer than that).
The past six months had been devoted almost exclusively to renovating the space and getting the gallery ready for its opening. The mission of the Raphaël Gallery was to challenge the status quo and expose the public to the many innovative styles out there while making art accessible to all. On the top floor, Neal had set up some of his own works and several pieces from Hope's collection which continued to grow and thrive. On the first floor, he displayed the works of some of his most promising students and he loved the fact that he could contribute in some small way to giving them the exposure they so richly deserved. The space was rounded out by a classroom at the back where he gave art appreciation courses with Hope, something he loved collaborating on with his daughter.
'Mr. Caffrey?' a soft voice was heard
Years ago, Neal would have cringed at being called 'mister' anything, but it was certainly fitting in this setting, considering most of these students were young enough to be his kids. It wasn't lost on Neal that a couple of the young girls gazed at him all though class with stars in their eyes and he was very conscious of the importance of keeping that appropriate distance between teacher and student.
'Yes, Melanie' he responded as he turned to speak to the pretty blond girl who usually sat in the front row with a dreamy look in her eyes
'Can Chloe and I do the project together?' she asked, her voice soft and playful as she pointed to her friend nearby
'You will have an opportunity to work on a group project later in the semester but for now, I want you to work individually so you can have a chance to fully explore the works of the artist you've chosen to study. Have you decided who you'd like to research?' he asked, in full teacher mode
She shrugged; Melanie Holt was a psychology major, rounding out her studies with a couple of classes in art history just to fill in the gaps. The art students were usually much more motivated to work and Neal had to be very patient with students like Melanie who didn't have that same level of commitment to the world of art.
'In your case, I would suggest you go with one of the greats – maybe Paul Gauguin or Claude Monet. Why don't you do a bit of research this week and we can talk about it after class next time' he suggested
'Alright' she said softly giving him a sweet smile 'Some of us are going to the student common for a beer. Would you like to come?'
'Thanks, Melanie. But my wife will be waiting up for me' Neal said, accent on the 'wife'
'Alright then, goodnight' she said, her voice languid
'Goodnight' he answered rolling his eyes and gathering up his notes
WCWCWC
'She wants to have alcohol at the party' Sara said into the phone as she lay in bed
'Well, she is turning 17, Sara' answered Emily, miles away in Chicago
Emily Ellis-Foster had been back in her sister's life for just a few months now but it was as if they'd never been apart. Emily had recently spent the first Christmas in over 35 years with her sister and her family and ever since then, they'd been on the phone practically every night catching up on all that time spent apart.
'Yeah, but we have a responsibility to the parents of the other kids' said Sara as she turned over and lazily ruffled Raffie's fur
The dog let out a sigh. Technically, he wasn't allowed on the bed but when Neal wasn't around, he somehow knew he could sneak up for a quick cuddle – who could have predicted that Sara Ellis would ever have a soft spot for a 65 pound ball of fur.
'Look, from what I can see, Hope has never given you a single worry where that's concerned. Why don't you just lay down certain rules and keep an eye on things on the night of the party' Emily said from the other side of the country
'That's just it. She wants us to leave the house during the party' answered Sara
'Well, you don't have to give her everything she wants; that's up to you guys' responded Emily, herself having helped raise her step-daughter through those awkward teenage years
'I suppose' Sara said as she turned on the bed wishing Neal was home already
She let out a long sigh; when it came to teenagers, life was not always black and white. Hope had always been a very responsible and level-headed kid, never giving them a day of worry. She'd asked if she could host a birthday party at home and in the interest of full disclosure, she'd said that people would probably be bringing alcohol.
'You know, whether you give the green light or not, some kid will definitely smuggle in some booze – they can be very creative you know. Isn't it best that Hope's bringing it up now?' asked Emily, full of 'big sister' wisdom
'I guess...' Sara said, her voice trailing
She heard the front door open in the distance and shooed Raffie off the bed – Neal hated having dog hair on his clothes.
'Look, Neal's home. Can we talk tomorrow?' she asked her sister
'Sure. Love you' Emily answered
'Love you' echoed Sara with a smile
Neal had been offering to look for her sister for years and Sara had steadfastly refused for fear that she might find out Emily had died sometime over the 35 year span they'd been apart. But Neal had gone against her wishes, enlisting Peter's help and although it had taken several months and some creative detective work, they'd finally located Emily safe and sound and living in Europe. Sara and Emily had been reunited just in time for the holidays and although Sara had been very angry with Neal at first, now that she had her sister back in her life, she couldn't be happier and she wondered why she'd fought her husband on this for all those years.
'Hey' Neal said as he ambled in, letting himself fall on the edge of the bed
He picked at some stray fur on the bedspread and gave Sara a look of exasperation.
'Really Sara?' he whined by way of reprimand
She shrugged innocently.
Neal Caffrey was still a strong, vigorous man but lately, at the age of 52, he had noticed that his energy was beginning to wane. Maybe, it was the 16 hour days he was putting in between teaching and running the gallery. The Raphaël had only been open for a few weeks and although he had hired one of his art students to help with the running of the gallery, he was still there most of the time making sure things were exactly as he wanted them. He and Hope were also giving art appreciation classes at the gallery and Hope was teaching an introductory course in oil painting for kids six to twelve years old. They had set up a small teaching area in the back of the store for classes and Neal was still getting the logistics of all that worked out.
'You look absolutely exhausted' said Sara as she kneeled behind him on the bed, beginning to knead his tense shoulders
'Ahhh! That feels amazing' answered Neal as he let himself melt into her touch
'You're not going to make it to next week if you keep burning the candle at both ends' she said, a touch of worry in her voice
'I'm fine. I just need to get through the next little while' he said, leaning down to take off his shoes
'Well, I told you – if you need me to take some time off work to help at the gallery...' Sara began
'No, no. It's fine. I think Cameron's getting the hang of things and when he's fully trained, I'll be able to leave the place in his hands more often' Neal said as he rose again to remove the rest of his clothes
Cameron Armstrong was one of Neal's best students and an amazing artist. Neal had taken him under his wing and he'd offered him some work at the gallery to help him finance his studies. At the age of 20, he was very far from home and family and he was trying to go to school and make a bit of money on the side to supplement the meagre contribution his parents were able to make to subsidize his living arrangements. Neal had instantly taken a liking to the young man and had showcased some of his work at the gallery at its opening in January. He hoped he could make a difference in this young artist's life and he fancied himself a mentor for the young man who was so far away from home.
Neal returned from brushing his teeth and pulled on a pair of sleep pants as Sara admired his form. He still looked amazing; she reluctantly pushed the thought away. Neal was in no shape to engage in extracurricular activities after such a long day of work. He fell into the bed, opening up his arms to her for their usual de-brief of the day. Lately, he'd been out of the loop as far as the kids were concerned and he didn't like that feeling at all.
'So, how was Liam's game?' he asked
Liam Caffrey, age 12, was the star of the Ridgemont Junior High's basketball team and Neal had regretfully missed his last two games – something he absolutely hated to do. Neal took a lot of interest and pride in his children's accomplishments whether it was Hope's art or Liam's sports activities.
'They won. Liam got twelve points' she said, proudly
Sara was desperately hopeless when it came to sports despite having an athlete living under her roof. Although she made an effort, she could never get the rules or terminology right and she counted on Neal to explain things (over and over again!)
'Okay...' Neal said, slowly, taking a deep breath 'Now do you mean six baskets or twelve baskets?' he asked
'Twelve baskets!' she exclaimed, as if it were a no-brainer
'Honey...' Neal began with false patience '...how many times have we talked about this?'
Sara looked over at him with a frown – he could be so patronizing at times.
'Each basket is worth two points. That means he had a 24 point game' he explained
'Whatever' she answered, visibly annoyed 'Come to the game next time if you want details'
Neal smiled in the dark and drew her in closer in an attempt at making amends. He turned and placed a slow, lingering kiss on her neck and Sara pulled away in mock annoyance, finally giving in as he gently tickled her.
'And here I thought you were tired...' she said, giggling
'Not that tired' he exclaimed
TBC