Chapter 10 : The Most Beautiful Sight
"So, what's your problem?"
"Huh?" Karl put down his glass. How on earth did he know I have a problem?
"You must have a problem. I can see it in your face!" Mark said with a short bark of a laugh. "I'm a problem-sensor. I can tell when people have troubles, and I'm there to provide free counselling."
Karl shook his head. "Nah, it's nothing much. You don't have to listen to it. I'm sure things will be fine sooner or later."
Mark took a long drink. "That's exactly what a troubled person says! Come on, you listened to my stupid little problem; now let me listen to yours. Since we're here, we need a better excuse to continue sitting here, don't we? So… what is it?"
"Michael. Well, he's not the problem, per se. It's just that he calls a lot and half the time I spend with Sarah seems to be spent waiting for her to be done talking to Michael. It's not that I hate him; it's just that… you know… it can get a little frustrating sometimes. But how on earth are you supposed to tell Sarah that she should relax about her brother? She'll think I'm trying to get her to neglect Michael."
Mark nodded. "I get that. Lots of people have tried to tell her, trust me. She just can't accept that her brother is already being very well taken care of. She feels as if she should do more for him. I've even tried to tell her; it doesn't really work."
"She always tells Michael that she's not busy. I wonder what would happen if she told him she was busy."
Mark shrugged. "I don't think she's ever tried. But hey, while I'm hanging in my own problem, you just hang on yourself, and then perhaps one day she'll loosen up about all that stuff, okay?"
"Yeah, sure."
Mark returned home feeling a little better than before. At least he had his rant. At least he still had one friend who could come out for drinks with him. All wasn't lost yet. At least he could try to hang out with Dani when James was away. At least he could be a friend. It was better than not even speaking to her.
But why on earth did he always have to settle for second-best?
"Hang on, hang on, hang on," he muttered to himself. That was probably the only solution.
But it didn't prevent things from being sickeningly depressing.
"Good morning!" Sarah chirped, dropping into Karl's office.
"Morning," he replied, giving her a kiss.
"Where were you last night? I called you, but there wasn't an answer." Sarah gave him a sly smile. "I thought I would drop by your place after I saw Michael."
"I was having drinks with Mark, and I forgot to bring my mobile phone. Sorry," Karl replied. Having Sarah drop by was a very appealing thought, but at the same time he did not regret being out with Mark. The guy had needed a talk, and even he managed to get his problem off his chest a little. "So, how's Michael?"
"Oh, pretty much the same as every time I visit him. Paranoid, frightened..." She shook her head. "I just don't know what to do when I see him that way."
Karl took her hand. "There's nothing you can do for him, Sarah. He's in good hands where he is. They'll take good care of him there. You don't have to worry all that much for him; he'll be fine."
"But he's just not... happy. I wish he could be happy. But how can a person be happy when living where he is? Those people there are doing their jobs, Karl. They don't have time to just sit down and talk to him, be there for him at all times and just love him like he needs. They have other patients to attend to, and so much to do that he has to be forgotten from time to time. And it's for those times that I feel bad." She sighed. "Sometimes I just have this urge to bring him home with me."
Karl could not help feeling a sort of horror at that statement. If Sarah brought her brother home to stay with her, her life would be over, not to mention their relationship. There would be no chance for romance, no chance for anything. It was quite a selfish thought, he knew, and felt a little bad for it, but it was true. "That's a bad idea, Sarah. Who would look after him when you're working? You can't leave him alone at home, can you? He's better off where he is, where there are people to take care of him."
She squeezed his hand. "Yeah, I know that." She walked to the door, one hand on the knob. "Well, thanks for caring," she said, giving him a sweet smile. "I better get to work now."
"No problem. I'll be seeing you," he replied, gesturing to the glass wall of his office, giving him the perfect view of her desk.
She laughed. "Yeah, I know. I'll be seeing you too." And, with a wink, she was out of the office.
Karl looked down at the papers on his desk, his mind a blank. Getting to work was the last thing on his mind at the moment. In fact, the only thing he wanted to do was whisk Sarah off for a holiday on some deserted island for, say, the rest of his life. Where there would be no reception for mobiles, preferably.
Mark slumped at the counter of the gallery, doodling mindlessly on a piece of paper. The startings of a very fluffy puppy was appearing on the otherwise blank sheet.
Yet another quiet day at the gallery. Thoughts of a career change were seriously starting to get rooted in his mind. Perhaps he would buy a paper later during lunch and look through the classifieds. It would be a major step forward from just daydreaming, definitely. And even if it got nowhere, at least he had tried to do something about his pathetic life.
He glanced at his watch. Ten in the morning. Ooh, early early early. If only he could still be lazing about in bed, trying to decide what he wanted for brunch and what to watch on TV. If only. Oh, blah.
And then, out of nowhere, his mobile rang. Or rather, vibrated. He pulled the phone out of his pocket, trying to forget the totally weird sensation of something vibrating furiously against his leg. "Yes?"
"Good morning!"
"Dani?"
"Yup."
"Oh, hi. What's up?"
"Nothing much. I just thought that I'd give you a call to say hi and ask if you would like to repeat yesterday's lunch arrangement."
"That would be good. So you'll be dropping by later, you insanely free creature?"
"Yeah, that's the plan. And I'm not an insanely free creature. I work at night, while you're partying with your friends or relaxing at home in front of the TV."
"It's usually moping about all by myself."
"I don't believe you. Anyway, I'll be seeing you later, okay? Bye!"
Mark just stared at the phone in his hand. He doubted that he had ever met anyone so free-spirited. Dani just decided what she wanted to do, and went for it no matter what, even if it seemed like the craziest idea. He didn't know anyone else who was that willing to take risks.
The glass door of the gallery opened, and Mark looked up from his mobile to see Juliet walking in. Isn't this fantastic, he thought, pleased. "Hey!"
"Hey, you," she replied with a grin, leaning against the counter as he pulled an extra chair over for her. "I didn't have anything much to do this morning so I thought I'd drop by and hang around, keep you company. Then we could go for lunch together later or something."
"No Peter for lunch?"
"Nope, he's working through lunch today. Some important meeting thing coming up."
"That guy really does work far too much, doesn't he? And just leaving you to entertain yourself." For a moment Mark actually felt a little indignant for Juliet, totally forgetting that the couple had had a perfect romantic night the night before. Such a great girl like her couldn't be left alone like that! If he was in Peter's place, he would never leave her around like that. He would always be around for her, always around to make sure she didn't get bored, or didn't need anything. But of course, if he was in Peter's place, he would probably not be so trusting of his best friend with his wife. Suddenly guilt began to set in, pushing away whatever frustration he had just seconds before.
"Mark? Are you okay?"
Snap out of it. Mark looked up and gave Juliet a reassuring smile. "I'm just fine. My brain's having slight difficulty focusing today, that's all. Should be fine later." He dug around under the counter, shifting away his storybooks and pads of blank paper and pencils, and resurfaced with a little travel Scrabble kit. "Fancy a game?" He knew that Juliet loved Scrabble.
"Oh, of course!"
They were just keeping the set as Dani entered. "Oh, I didn't realise you already had a friend over to entertain you," she said.
Juliet jumped to her feet and walked towards Dani, smiling. "That's fine. I came without giving him any warning. I'm Juliet."
"Dani."
Mark just studied them as the two shook hands. Having such a job, he was used to seeing beautiful pieces of art, but at that moment he felt as if he had never seen anything more beautiful than the two of them standing together. Then they both turned and looked at him, and for a moment he was just stunned. The scene before him seemed just... perfect. There was nothing about it that he wanted to change. He just wanted it to stay that way forever.
He was broken out of his reverie by Dani saying, "Well? Are we going to venture forth for nourishment?"
He shook himself. "Oh. Yes, yes of course. My mind just stopped working right there." Grabbing his jacket, he stepped out from behind the counter, and the three of them left the gallery, the two women chatting while he locked the doors. They acted as if they had always known each other, instead of having just met. Perhaps the fact that they're both unavailable unites them, Mark thought dryly to himself. "Okay. Where to, ladies?"
