290 Gallery, 10.30 Wednesday morning, Andy and Emma
That morning Andy had already been on the phone when Emma had arrived and she hadn't as yet had a chance to speak to her.
She put the phone down with a heavy sigh, flicked the switch on the kettle - it was a tea day, she'd already had enough coffee to make her hands shake - and she went out into the body of the gallery to ask if Emma wanted a cup.
Emma had just sold a couple of postcards, of pictures they had larger prints of, because the lady couldn't decide, so Emma had suggested she take the various ones she liked home, and postcards were just the answer! Feeling fairly chuffed she turned round as the office door opened, "Oh hi Andy, wasn't sure you were in, everything all right? You look a bit, um, frazzled?"
"That's one way of putting it," Andy said with a scowl. "Do you want tea love? I'm making a BIG pot. Not of that poisonous chai either. Good ol' PG Tips."
"Oooh, yes please, that would be lovely." Emma grinned, "I've not tried that chai stuff yet, although there are people at college who swear by it. Do you not like it?"
Andy looked over her shoulder and grinned. "I understand it has it's advantages, but I just don't much like the taste. Be back in a moment."
She went back to the office, made the brew and put everything on a tray plus the 'biscuit tin' then went back to reception. She put the tray out of sight of any customers and began to make their drinks.
"Oooh, biscuits as well? What'd I do right?" Emma smirked, "I did just sell three postcards, and the lady took them because the prints are what she's struggling with? Which one to put where, and does she have this one or that one for the dining room? I reckon she might be back to pick up the prints, but she might decide she doesn't like any of them."
"Fingers crossed," Andy said and popped the lid off the tin. She's pay for it later but God she needed the sugar rush. She took a cookie and bit into it, glancing down to check for crumbs. "Mmm, that's good," she mumbled. "So - have you heard the news yet?"
"There's news? What happened?" Emma reached into tin and grabbed herself a cookie too, but she snapped hers in half over the tin before nibbling at it a bit.
Andy sat in one of the chairs, cookie in one hand and mug in the other. "We've got trouble," she said. "That's why I switched the phones through to the office. I don't want you to have to listen to some of the stuff that's being said. The gallery in New York has put up an exhibition of very dubious photos and a lot of people are offended."
"What? I thought they were having sculptures? I know there were a couple of conversations about that. Weren't they supposed to be moving round the galleries after New York?" Emma frowned, she wasn't entirely sure she'd heard the conversations correctly, but she was sure she'd heard something about it.
"Yeah, Allan Kinyon," Andy said. "He's a bit weird but an okay guy except he had a mishap with a gas heater and set his studio on fire. So he needed to put off the exhibition while he repaired the smoke damage. Marian grabbed the opportunity while Charlie was out of the country to exhibit for a 'friend' of hers. Emma it's horrible stuff. Andras went to the preview and he was shocked. Horrible stuff with kids. We're getting phone calls from parents."
"Ouch, but, Charlie would have, oh dear. He wasn't here so Marian did it all by herself? That's like, not good. But Charlie should be all right shouldn't he? I mean, he didn't authorise it did he?" Emma nibbled on her cookie again. Then shook her head as she swallowed, "I don't think I want to see anything like that, but, it won't be coming here right?"
"Absolutely not," Andy promised. "Marian and Charlie have been arguing over this artist for the past three years. She says he's avant garde, Charlie says he's a paedophile. I wouldn't go quite as far as to say that, but he certainly uses very deeply offensive imagery." She shrugged. "Even his ordinary stuff is disturbing, but this - no. Meantime it's a case of the buck stopping on Charlie's desk. He's the CEO so he's accepting responsibility but, I tell you, if I catch Marian bending she'll be wearing her ass as a hat."
Emma laughed at the image that brought to her mind, "Oh lord, that might be good to see, if kind of sick in a different way?" She finished the one half of her cookie and looked round, "I can't imagine anything like that being here, but then, Charlie shouldn't have to take the rap for Marian's decision. But then, who would manage New York in her place?"
"I might go," Andy said. "If they can't come to an accommodation and she does leave I'll go and hold the place down for a few weeks while we get a replacement. The thing is, love, that we might be sued. Marian made a contract with the artist to exhibit. If we take the exhibition down he's threatening to take us to court over it. Loss of earning plus mental anguish could add up to a hell of a lot."
Emma's eyes widened in sudden comprehension, "And if we don't take it down the parents could sue instead? That is sick. Very sick. Charlie must be doing his nut over this."
Suddenly she felt she needed tea more than anything. "Shall I finish the tea?"
"Just a bit," Andy said. "It's a real cleft stick situation, but the exhibition is coming down, no matter what, just on grounds of taste, Charlie says and let the artist do his worst. If you take a call from someone called Richard Udridzt put it straight through to me or Charlie, if we're here. If not, apologise and tell him you can't help him. If he gets nasty say you have a customer in the shop and can't talk right now and just hang up. He's a really nasty piece of work."
"Right, um, you're gonna have to write that one down, no way I can spell it just off the bat!" Emma chuckled, "I might mess up and call him uzi or something? Just because it's easier?"
Andy reached for the pad and wrote in neat block capitals. "There," she said. "Same goes for the press if they call up. Put them through or apologise and hang up. I'm sorry, hun, but this is going to get messy before we're done."
"Oh lord, well, we've had some messy things before, I guess this one could be kind of um, bad, but, we'll cope right?" Emma hoped that was the case. "Want me to do a few extra hours or are you ok with other people being on the phones? I mean, Sadie is not the most, um, circumspect of people?"
"If you could manage a few extra that would be cool," Andy said, "and Sadie is under the strictest instructions not to talk to anyone. She was in the gallery yesterday when Charlie lost his temper on the phone. Leena said she looked like a startled bushbaby."
"I bet she did, mild mannered Charlie turning into Mr Angry? That's enough to startle anyone." Emma snickered, "Did he turn green? Or do anything else unusual? I don't think I want to see him angry, and certainly not with me."
"It's not a pretty sight," Andy admitted and took a sip of his tea. "But we'll be all right. Weather the storm and all that. We just have to hope there are no more setbacks. Dear lord what a thing to come back to after your honeymoon! Oh and best not mention that either."
"What? Trouble in paradise already?" Emma shook her head and finished her cookie, "I can't believe that, they're so good together. I just don't believe it. But, hey, we should drink the tea before it gets cold, or a customer turns up! We could do with a few more of those right now huh?"
"I meant best not to mention it to the press. D and Charlie are indecently happy together, but this is a nasty mess to have to deal with when you should be basking in the glow." Andy grinned. "My tea is almost finished, but I am going to have another cookie." She selected one and said, "Will working extra hours compromise your grades at all, because, though it's a kind offer, I know Charlie wouldn't want that."
"Nah, I'll just spend more of Friday in the studio at college. That's the only day really that I need. Plus I can always draw more at home, and I can write essays and stuff while I'm here when it's quiet?" Emma grinned and drank some of her tea, "I just think, I could be here a bit more and take some of the pressure off? Even if all I do is sell postcards and small stuff? I'm still learning more for my benefit and if I can help I want to."
"As long as you're sure, hun," Andy said. "And - well don't be surprised if Charlie's a bit - on edge. It's not personal, he's just got many worries and I know he'll really appreciate the people who stick by him. We've already had two artists call up to say they want to withdraw their work."
"Not good at all, and if only mine was good enough to replace theirs huh? But I know it's not, not yet anyway." Emma grinned, and managed to drain her tea in a few more swallows, "But we'll manage somehow right?"
"You're getting there hun," Andy said. "And believe me, a decent education never goes to waste. It's - oh dear..." the phone had started to ring in the office. Andy sighed. "Sounds like my break's over. I'll leave you to pot, hun. I'll come fetch it when I've answered this." She got up, mug in hand and reached for another cookie then waved it at Emma as she headed for the office.