The Solemn Gallery
As David opened the door light entered the melancholy room. Beautiful paintings hung all around, each more exquisite than the other. Paintings of different sizes with all possible colors in them. Paintings of the rising sun, a lady in the woods, rain the city and many many more hung in the room.
Each painting engrossed the viewer. They made one enter the painting and would just be in that moment stopped forever allowing the viewer to see a fraction of a second for anything upto eternity. David was standing in the most colorful and vibrant room he had ever been in and still felt a heavy drowning sadness in the room.
On the far end sat an old man with paint marks all over his torn clothes a paint brush balanced on top of his ear under the thick lofts of long unkempt grey hair. He had another brush in his right hand and a pallet with slightly dry dark colors spread all over it held in his left hand. Sorrow reeked off him. His black eyes had depth that had an eeriness in them. Were they joyful? Sorrowful? Had pain ? remorse?? David could not tell from that distance but there was a cocoon of concentration around the artist and with utter precision and confidence the old man brushed a dark grey colour in the clouds on the canvas.
In the other end of the room almost next to the door sat an old lady ( about the same age as the man) behind a desk with a lot of messy papers , open directories and scribbled phone numbers. She too had a sad expression, hers was as it she had lost something close to her heart. Her eyes were watery as if she had been weeping until Mr. David opened the door.
The lady stood up politely and kindly requested David to step into the room-their gallery- ‘the room of wonders’. He looked around, fascinated! Painting after painting colour after colour, shades after shades. All under a black roof with tiny white stars made on it. David kept his suitcase down on the dirty floor and loosened his sharp slack tie and unbuttoned his blazer just absorbing all that was around him.
The lady poured him a glass of water from a bottle kept on the desk and offered it to him. David accepted it and took a short sip of the warm and salty water. It was unlike the clean and cool water had been accustomed to, the water brought him back to his senses, he realized it is a gallery and not a room of dreams he perceived it to be. He asked the old man “ Sir have you made all of these?” his voice had a hint of awe in it. He did not get any response from the man & david with an expression of a question faced the lady.
She said with composure “ My husband is hard of hearing and has been mute for a year now. He stopped speaking when he heard that our eldest son died in a train accident when his was shifting to the city where he had got placed by his college.. And yes he has made all the paintings” she said the last part with a faint smile and with pride.
David was surprised to hear this and he enquired more about there family. She told him they had 5 children two of them are going to school. Her twin daughters are studying art in
He asked how they paid for the schooling, the college and the medical. The lady lowered her head and said that they had taken loans and were finding it hard to repay specially because they had not sold even a single painting in over a year. Their main client suddenly retired from the business and had abruptly stopped their sales. She added “ Sir it is very hard to look for a person with as much money as you and a taste like yours” she peeked into his eyes gave expressed that they would no longer be able to survive if he did
Not buy a painting today.
David was shaken. He had been taken out of his self-made bubble of luxuries and was given a sneek-peek into the grim reality of the real life. He was now determined to help the family as much as he could.
He picked out a painting which showed the sun over a city street still wet with fresh rains.
He asked for the price. The lady said “Sir please give us how much ever you find worth of the painting.” Daivd did not ask again and wrote a cheque of 50 thousand rupees in the name of the artist the lady was overjoyed and hugged her husband showing him the cheque. He was overwhelmed and a tear rolled down his cheek. David was very happy that he was able to revive a fantastic artist.
David gave the lady a few phone numbers of his friends and told her that they will also be interested in such paintings. The lady bow her head before him and thanked him profusely as if he had saved her lift.
David smiled and left the gallery and sent his chauffer to collect the painting. The lady and the artist helped give him the painting. They showed gratitude to him as well.
A minute after the driver left. The artist said” Honey can we leave now. Its so hot here. Do you want to have dinner at Hyatt tonight?? They wernt so good last time but still want to give it a shot.?”
The lady nodded..
They went to the basement of the building sat in their porsche carrera gt and drove off..
The old mad said” honey dint we have twin boys last time?”
a good plot, held my attention throughout.i must say a vivid imagination,descriptive portions of the narrative belie your age.remniscent of Raol Dahl,Jeffery Afcher and the vintage Maupassant.but let me tell you,deception is a temporary and friend and permanent enemy. this couple will cook their chips if they continue like this. in any case they can no longer sell their paintings by themselves as the fraud will get detected.the name of the car is fancy!all in all an absorbing read, dude. Dad
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