ARROW - 74. Chapter 74

The apartments were ready to rent. I did a survey of one bedroom apartments for rent in the city. Prices ranged from 1750 to 3120 for a one bedroom apartment. Most of the higher prices were in buildings that contained only apartments. I couldn’t find a similar situation to what I had. A check of Yale’s cost showed for a full year, housing at 9750 and meals 7450. So a student who would attend Yale for a full year would pay a total of 17,200 dollars. I looked at a semester costs and they totaled 8,600, half of a full year.

That evening on the roof, “I have done some checking on rents for a one bedroom apartment. I was surprised at what they were charging. The lowest was 1750 and the highest was 3120 and that is per month. I’m sure they charge as an inclusive rental fee. I checked Yale costs. For a full year their dorm charge is 9750. I was thinking of charging 1,200 for per month including utilities. There aren’t any meters for electric so that would have to be included in the rent. Those charges, along with water and sewerage, would go through the gallery.”

“If you had two students sharing an apartment, that would be 600 per month rental. Did you say that you had one of the instructors asking about renting.”

“Yes, but he would still pay 1200 per month”

“Well, have Mom notify those that wanted to rent and see what happens.”

The next day, I went to the gallery and told Mom about contacting those who had shown an interest in renting an apartment. “Mom, do you have the prices of the furniture in the demo apartment?”

“Yes, and I think I could get them a discount if they want to buy any thing like we have in the demo apartment.”

“I’ll be home this afternoon. Give me a call if you have any questions. I need to get back to my painting.”

I returned to the club, grabbed a bottle of cold water and headed to the third floor. I needed to finish this painting and then start on a new theme, Endangered Species. I was intent on what I was doing when someone tugged my shirt. “What are you doing here? How did you get here?”

“I walked to the gallery and Grandmother brought me here.”

“Who is at the gallery?”

“Your friend, the one you call Professor. He was wrapping a painting, Grandmother asked him to stay until she returned.”

“Why didn’t Grandmother call me?”

“She did, check your phone.”

I had turned my phone off. A habit I had when I was painting. “I’ll call Grandmother now and apologize. I think I’ll get you a phone so you can call me. But, you’ll have to leave it at the galley with Grandmother. You won’t be able to have it at school.”

I think all he heard was, I would get him a phone.

“Who are you painting?”

“This is a client who wanted me to paint her a portrait. I’m painting the background.”

“Are you going to paint a portrait of me?”

“I did” He looked at me as if I was crazy.

“Dad, you never painted a portrait of me.”

“Yes, I did. Go and check that flyer I did for that seminar those people from the International Animal League held.”

He went and got the flyer. “I don’t see my picture.”

“Go down to Pop’s office and get his magnifier. Bring it here, I’ll show you. You can also check that painting in your bedroom.” I wasn’t sure if he heard me or not.

I went back to finishing the painting of that woman. I called her and told her it would be ready next week-end. I needed to make the frame for it but the painting will be done in the next few days.

That evening I told Colin that Tommy said the boys at the orphanage want to go fishing.

“I haven’t done that for a while. How many boys?”

“I don’t know. I’ll stop at the orphanage and ask. What do you have in mind?”

“Deep sea fishing, rent a boat and head out a few miles.”

“You may have to rent several boats.”

“No, what I can do is take some of the boys one day and some the next day, until they all have had a chance to fish.”

“What are you going to do with the fish?”

“Give it to the cooks at the orphanage. They caught it, they can eat it.”

I laughed. I think someone is getting the idea.

“What about the girls?”

“According to Tommy, the boys think the woman should take the girls shopping.”

“They start so young.”

He looked at me as if I had been sniffing my paints. “Women like to shop, get their hair done, have lunch. A day out being a woman.”

“Who told you that?”

“You need to listen to Mom when she is around her gang.”

“That’s an idea. Mom and her girls can take them for a shopping trip.”

“I’ll stop at the orphanage and see how many boys and let them know about the girls.”

I have a funny feeling our family is about to expand.

I finished the portrait and when the lady came to pick it up she was stunned. “I don’t think I looked like that.”

“That is you, I think that the background highlights the features that you overlook. If you are like my mother, you never really look in the mirror when you are applying anything to your face. I see your face without all of that makeup and this is what I see.”

“Can I take it now?”

“Yes, unless you want me to hang it for you?”

“Would you do that?”

“Yes, let me get my tools and hanger wire.”

I went upstairs, got my tools. I followed her home. She had a large house on the edge of the golf course. Her husband was coming in from playing golf, when she introduced me to him. She showed him the portrait, he looked and kissed her on the cheek. “I always told you that you were beautiful.”

Going into the house, I think she floated. She wanted it hung in the dining room. “I’ll hang it where ever you want, but I think it would look better in the living room, over the table with the flowers.” I took the picture and held it in place. Just then her husband walked in to the room.

“That is an excellent place, and I promise to have fresh flowers there all the time.” Issue settled. I hung the picture and the subdue lighting played off the back ground giving the portrait a special glow.

She was happy and so was I, she paid the balance with a check. What she didn’t know, she set my price for any future portraits.

That evening I told Colin I had sold my painting. He smiled, “Want to bet you’ll get another call within the month for another portrait.”

“I don’t know if I can take on another. I have a backlog of paintings I want to do. Mom has sold some of my paintings and wants more for the gallery.”

“When is school out?”

“June, I think.”

“You’ll have plenty of time then.”

“When are you going to take a vacation?”

“I haven’t thought about it. I’ll ask Dad.”

Now I wanted to paint Tommy riding an elephant from the time we went to the zoo. While I was there with the kids from the orphanage I picked up several flyers highlighting the endangered species at the zoo. Their spiel was that the zoo is preserving these endangered species by ensuring they are in good health. They stand as a reminder that these animals may not be found in the wild any more, if action isn’t taken now.

As I started to paint Tommy riding the elephant, the image of a little girl feeding a lamb in the petting zoo came to my mind. I dug out my photo of that little girl with the lamb.

I returned to painting Tommy and the elephant. Started, but I had a feeling this was going to take a long time.

Colin did a search for party boats. Mom and her gang where excited about the idea of taking the girls shopping.

I stopped at the orphanage after dropping Tommy at school. Two more weeks and he would have the summer off. I told them about our summer plans, fishing with the boys and a girls shopping trip. Again, they would need to accompany the girls but trusted us with the boys. I found out that a lot of the girls were quite young while most of the boys were in school with a few moving on to junior high school.

The first week-end after school was out, Colin lined up his first fishing trip. He took 10 boys with him, leaving 14 boys behind. Dad to the rescue. One of his clients had a boat but not a fishing boat. Dad arranged with his client to use the boat. He bought fishing rods for all of the boys. Between Colin’s boat and Dad’s boat all of the boys went. I wanted to tag a long but I had to be at the gallery. Mom and her girls took the girls for a shopping trip. I took over the gallery with the Professors help. One of the grad student stopped to see the apartments. I left the professor handle the gallery while I showed him the apartment.

He asked a few questions and left saying he would let me know. I knew one of the main concerns. The cost of furnishing an apartment. I made a note to have Mary calculate the cost on furnishing the model apartment. I have two options, I. Charge a monthly fee to cover the cost of furnishing an apartment or 2. Have a payment plan for them to buy the furnishing.

Professor and I sat and talked, drinking coffee he told me he had some people coming over from Europe. They were academic friends and they meet every year to discuss what is happening in the art world. “They really come to check the competition.”

“Do you meet with them in Europe also?”

“Sometimes, I’m generally up to date. The students keep me informed on which artist is considered the latest hot artist. Since you favored the old world masters, there weren’t too many artist following in their paths.”

“It would be interesting to listen to them, if you show them the gallery.”

“I’ll make that a must see as well as your village. I didn’t realize when I first saw it that it was an actual village.”

“Yes, I originally wanted to do that in Tony’s restaurant. You saw how he reacted. So I did it here.”

“You actually lived in that village?”

“Yes, for three months. I think I may have mentioned that during my summers when I was at Carnegie-Mellon, I spent the summers in Europe. Three months in France, three months in Spain and three months in Italy. That was how I learned the language.”

“I think I do recall you mentioning that.”

Then we heard the noise. Dad, Colin and the boys were back.

“Dad, look what I caught. He held up a fish.” I didn’t know what kind of fish but I wished I had a camera.

Then, all of the boys began telling me about the fishing trip. Professor and I just sat there listening. Colin and Dad were smiling.

“I take it the fishing trip was successful.”

“Dad, can we go again. It was fun.”

In Italian, “We will talk later.”

“We are going to take them home. I’ll put Tommy’s fish in one of Dad’s cooler.”

Saying good bye to the boys, which included a hug, I now smelled like fish.

“If I was a betting man, I would bet if you found a way, you would adopt every one of those boys.”

“You would be right. Maybe I can’t now, but when they finish high school and reach the age of 18, I’ll provide a place for them and treat them as my sons.”

“What’s the matter? Your eyes are wet.”

“I wish that those kids, had a loving home. My greatest joy was when we adopted Tommy.”

In my mind, I was going to adopt another child. I’m not sure when or who, but I will.

Mary called and said they were taking the girls for dinner and she would see me tomorrow.

Colin returned. “Ready to go home?”

“Yes, where is Tommy?”

“In the car”

I locked up, dropped the screen over the window, checked the back door, made sure the alarm worked, locked up the front door, dropped the screen.

Riding home, “Who caught the biggest fish?”

“Tony, he had a whale on his line.” I started to laugh. “He did catch the biggest fish. It made his day.”

“What was it?”

“The captain said it was Atlantic cod”

“We should eat more fish.”

“Tommy, will your fish feed us tonight?”

He laughed, “I’ll bet Marcel could get three meals from that fish.”

So a wager was made, if Marcel got enough from that fish to feed the three of us, Colin would take the boys fishing again and Tommy would wash dishes.”

“What about you?”

“I know Marcel will do it.”

“If he doesn’t then you’ll take the boys fishing.”

All three of us shook on it.