WSW- WOMEN SUPPORTING WOMEN
Nobody can do it all. Maria was very aware of that fact. The grace it took to get her herself together and step out of her haven to follow Genevieve Pierre to a nearby French restaurant needed to be taught in schools. She had expected something more of an ambush by the lady and her two minions, if she had any.
It was a far cry from reality, though. Genevieve did not strike her as a spiteful person, but she realized assuming much of a person she barely knew was not a great idea. It was only going to land her in even deeper waters.
Maria had no clue on how to begin her apology. Genevieve had given no room for conversation since they walked out of Maria’s apartment building. As they walked into the grand restaurant, the receptionist recognized Genevieve and greeted her with respect. The receptionist greeted Maria respectfully as well, before leading them to an exclusive table.
Maria is impressed by the interior of the restaurant and the service. The exclusive was a large two person table that provided privacy and the view of the ocean. That it secluded them from other people in the area made it a pleasant spot to have a private conversation.
The lady who had escorted them to the table offered them the menus. Genevieve ordered her usual while Maria ordered for a chocolate waffle with spicy chicken wings and a chocolate shake. One look at the menu had Maria salivating. Back to her good old days, she visited many restaurants, especially French restaurants. The food items on the menu went foreign to her, and she craved to try them out. But according to the restaurant’s program, they had a timetable of when certain foods were available to order. Since it was the breakfast/lunch, she went along with it.
She was bummed but understood. There was always a next time to check the place out. It was a bonus that the place was a walking distance from her house. Maria realized too late that she had forgotten to take her purse before leaving home, so even if the three course meals were available, she couldn’t get them.
Maria did not want to keep Genevieve waiting for too long after she refused to allow her into the apartment. She rushed to get dressed and the thought of putting her purse into her bag did not cross her mind. All she had in her tiny bag was her phone, tissue, and mints. She did an amazing job of ruining her first impression, and her second would not be any different.
“You certainly do not need to be hyper-aware around me,” Genevieve said in a soft tone.
Maria raised her eyes from the menu and looked at Genevieve. She smiled nervously and picked the glass of water on the table to drink. Genevieve’s statement did the exact opposite. The lady sitting in front of her was the picture of elegance. Not a single hair was out of place, all slicked back in a low bun. Whilst Maria’s hair looked the exact opposite. She didn’t have enough time to wash and blow dry, so she packed it in a rough bun.
Little pieces of hair framed her face and regardless, the color of hair shined.
The two women were a sight to behold despite the insipidness. Maria had been around a few wealthy people, yet it never ceased to amaze her how they always looked so prim and proper. Aside from the fact that she enjoyed hearing Genevieve talk as her accent made everything sound so lovely, her eyes appreciated her fashion sense. The orange knee length gown she had singled her out of a crowd, with the heavy coat on her shoulders and expensive jewelry.
“This might come as a shock, but I am not offended by your thoughts of my paintings. You rather pointed what I truly intended to depict.”
“Oh, it would be understandable if you were. I wasn’t exactly kind with my words.”
She laughed softly and brushed her hands. “I’ve heard much worse. Have you heard of the name Shelly the viper?”
“No, but it’s quite an intriguing one.”
“It is. She’s an old white lady who derives joy from criticizing many artists’ works. She has nothing good to say, yet people still invite her to their exhibition.”
“The blacklist is where she should be.”
Genevieve loved Maria’s outspoken nature, and it made her comfortable that she could tell her anything.
“Shelly came to my first exhibition and liked only one piece out of thirty. It was probably the worst review any upcoming artists could have gotten. My story with the viper is quite a lengthy one, but the moral of the story is, no matter what stage I’m at, people will always have their opinions whether I like it or don’t. I learned early to not bother about what critics who don’t understand the hard-work creatives put in their works and just do what I do best.”
“You must have thought me the spawn of Shelly the viper,” Maria said in a low tone, fidgeting with the menu in her hand.
Genevieve laughed hard at her statement. “You did not know who I was and I understand you’re not a fan of art.”
She was so cool; Maria thought. Still, it was only right that she apologized the right you.
“I apologize for the way I spoke about your painting despite not being versed in the sector well. I hope you can forgive me.”
“All is forgiven. Next time, though, you shouldn’t apologize for speaking your truth.” Her right finger moved to her eyebrows. “Fake praises to win my husband’s favor was all I got.” Her lip curved into a sad smile.
“Then it’s a good thing that my blunt nature eventually earned me a favor from someone like you.”
Maria was impressed. Smitten by her regal and conservative personality. She thought she ruined her business chances, but actually did the opposite. Who could have thought? The important thing was not about Genevieve putting in a good word for her or Reid. It was about her anxiety being for nothing.
The food they ordered soon arrived and Maria did a little dance in her seat. Before her plate was even placed in her front, she could smell it from a distance. The waiter dropped their meals and drinks on the table and excused himself.
Genevieve was having something similar to Maria’s, except for the spicy chicken wings, which were replaced with eggs and bacon and orange juice.
“I actually saw a few paintings of yours fascinating,” Maria said, as she swallowed her first cut of her meal.
“Really?”
“Yes. Many were confusing but still pleasing to look at art.”
It was not mere flattery Maria was offering because of new knowledge of the woman’s identity.
“I do not intend to hold your thoughts against you, so it is alright.” She smiled and picked up her glass to take a sip from it.
Maria watched her with apt attention. Slowly, she noticed how young Genevieve was as she carried on doing the simple things like eating. Maria was not stupid enough to sleep last night without doing a bit of research. Google had a lot of information about the Pierre family. Genevieve was 47 yet could pass as someone ten years younger. She got her fame in the art industry quite early at 18.
The entertainment blog that covered her story mentioned how she won an art competition that eventually brought out here in the promise of fame. She had wealthy sponsors like George Pierre who was married to a former opera singer.
The articles that first popped up were the scandal of her in an alleged affair with George. Aside from the rumors, she found out that Genevieve had stayed consistent in the art world for over twenty years and owned over ten art galleries around the world.
“If you don’t mind me asking, what made you love art and decide to choose this path?”
Maria was intrigued by the positive works and reviews of Genevieve. She felt a certain want for closeness. One thing Maria could not forget was how distinguished Genevieve had appeared at the event. Out-of-place like her, but handled it well that one can hardly tell.
Genevieve was caught off guard as the cutlery slipped from hand and hit the ceramic plate. She covered it up with a mild smile and stared out the window.
Maria, who was halfway done with her meal, picked up her glass of chocolate shake and rested her back on the plush seat.
“The ocean calms me. Reminds me of home where I was surrounded by them and art. Everywhere I turned, it was a painting, a photograph, or a sculpture. I could hardly get away from it.” She smiled swiftly at the thoughts of her home.
“With time, I got used to it and began appreciating it. I spent my free time messing around with paints that I frequently missed dinner.
The orphanage had this strict rule of miss dinner and you sleep hungry.” Her voice skipped as she turned from the window to look at Maria, who has frozen.
Maria had not seen it coming and Genevieve had not meant to spill it, either. Maria did enough research that lasted for hours until her eyes begged to rest. There was no mention of her family or the childhood she had, which meant the public was not aware.
Genevieve cleared her throat and let out a small laugh. “It wasn’t actually that bad. We, uh, had nice matrons that took care of us like every loving mother would.”
Maria smiled encouragingly, knowing it was a slipup. “Sounds like you were surrounded by love,” she mumbled, her eyes on Genevieve.
“I was.” She nodded and sighed in relief. “Anyway, I got invested in painting and an art exhibition was to held by a group of philanthropist to donate to the orphanage. I had five paintings exhibited, and they were all sold for over a million euros.”
Maria’s eyes bulged as she squeaked at the amount of money. It made her wonder if she would ever see that kind of money in her bank account.
“Wow! How old were you then?”
“Seventeen. When I was eighteen, I came out here, but it wasn’t peachy. It was that money that kept me off the streets. Art saved my life.”
Maria was beyond impressed by how she built herself to become a brand. The woman fascinated her and it only made her more to curious about the story of how she eventually became the wide of a billionaire. It was wrong to pry and would be rude of her to ask such a question. Things Maria found online were different accounts based on rumors. Cases like this. She knew her best was the original source or someone close to them. Reid for example.
Genevieve graciously laughed and brushed off her compliments like it was nothing. “Enough about me, though. How is it going with your restaurant and your partnership with Reid?”
The mention of Reid’s name put a sour expression on Maria’s face. She was disappointed at herself for believing his words in the elevator and wanted to put him in shackles.
Genevieve did not fail to see how Maria’s expression changed. “He’s a lot to deal with, right?” She asked.
Maria figured the two were close and brushed her curiosity reluctantly. “The thought of harming him in intriguing ways crosses my mind a lot, but he’s quite the efficient partner.”
Her burst of laughter slipped from Genevieve’s mouth, and she placed her hand over it.
“George is excited to invest, and I wanted to ask you if it was alright to place a few pieces of my work at the restaurant.”
“Oh! It certainly will take the interior to a high level. I see no reason to refuse.” The paintings and photographs from a renowned artist were certainly raise the bar of her business. The exclusive artworks were sure to set the place on a most visit list.
“You should pick them. Something that is pleasing to you and pleases the public, so how about you come around to my gallery and check them out?” Genevieve opened her purse and brought out a white and gold business card.
Maria collected it and scanned the card. “Do you think I could pick out exquisite works?” Her eyebrows raised. She was nervous and excited at the same time. The business was set to serve the wealthy society who are well versed in scrutiny, and the middle class society that deserved to have a taste of luxury.
“Of course, and I’ll be there to guide you.”
Maria thanked her before continuing with her meal. The brunch was quite filling that she couldn’t finish the meal. She picked the serviette beside her plate to wipe her mouth and drank an entire glass of water.
Genevieve was done as well with her food and excused herself to use the ladies. Maria watched her trail gracefully across the room until she was out of sight. The beginning of a budding friendship; she thought. Although there was an age gap, she found her to be friendly, relatable and inspiring. The last time Maria was head over heels for a female was a neighbor back home who was a baker. Perhaps that was when her love for food was awakened.
Maria heard a distant ringtone and realized she had not checked her phone the entire time she’d been with Genevieve. It was certainly the effect of having an intellectual and interesting conversation with such a personality. She removed her phone from the bag and saw the notification of two missed calls and a text from Athina. It read;
“Come around for dinner. I’m making your favorite.”
A small smile appeared on her cheeks just as Genevieve was heading back to their table.
Genevieve expressed that she would have loved to keep talking to Maria as she enjoyed her company, but she had gallery and family business to attend to. Maria’s face fell that the day was soon ending, but she quickly flashed a smile and shared her happiness on coming to the gallery soon.
The two women walked back to Maria’s apartment building, where Genevieve got into her car and drove off. The clock in Maria’s apartment read “12:56”, giving her enough time before heading to Athina’s. She did a bit of chore mostly in the sitting area in case of next time, since she was having quite a lot of visitors in the short period she moved in.
Maria called home to see how they were doing and got caught up in her siblings’ weekly activities. She missed them and hoped to see them soon. The weather was hot in the usual Sunday kind of way. The sun was no different in the rest of the week, but Maria was felt like the start of the week. Sunday was hotter than the rest except it was winter season.
Maria showered and changed her clothes. She chose a simple flower print up and down ensemble. The trouser was high waist; the length of sweeping the floors without heels and a bodysuit crop top that enhanced her bosom. She braided her hair into one and wore a five-inch slipper heels. With her face moisturized and lips glossed, she locked her door behind her and drove to Athina’s house.