Nora Wood stood in the center of the gallery, looking around, reassessing her work—
So, had she miscalculated?
Other than the opening night, which had been packed, the gallery had lost its buzz, becoming deserted. No visitors, let alone sales.
Was this due to poor promotion, a misstep in positioning, or perhaps the curation itself lacked appeal?
Failure isn't scary. What's scary is going through failure and not learning from it, then facing the same challenge again only to fail once more.
Besides, this wasn't a failure just yet. There was still a week left until the exhibition ended.
There was still time.
That's why Nora had come to the gallery today—to reevaluate her work—
Starting with the positioning, she decided to completely rethink the exhibition.
Art exhibitions have many considerations: layout, lighting, arrangement, and so on. The entire experience is immersive, aiming to make visitors feel the power of the art.
A classic example is the Musée de l'Orangerie in Paris, a very small museum where the most famous piece is Claude Monet's Water Lilies.
The exhibition hall is shaped like an oval, and Water Lilies unfolds like a continuous scroll along the walls, taking up three-quarters of the space. The result is that no matter where you stand, you feel surrounded by the artwork. From different angles, you can appreciate different aspects of it, creating the illusion that you are stepping inside the painting. This effect perfectly showcases the masterpiece, earning the gallery the title of "The Sistine Chapel of Impressionist Art."
Now, Nora was reexamining the arrangement of her own pieces.
Strolling from the outer edge inward, Nora fully immersed herself in her work.
Rustle, rustle—
A low, muffled sound came from outside, causing Nora to frown slightly. But she didn't turn to investigate. This was one of the prices of choosing to hold an exhibition in the East Village.
Here, the young crowd was large, with hip-hop, graffiti, and street poets, all eager to challenge traditional art forms.
Noise, in a sense, was part of the art, a rebellion against conventional exhibitions.
In fact, this was one of the reasons Nora had chosen this location—to spark discussion, encouraging young artists to speak their minds boldly. A diversity of voices was the weapon that advances art.
So Nora continued her assessment.
However, the sounds outside grew louder, becoming hard to ignore.
Was someone causing trouble?
Nora remained calm, not rushing out, though the gallery staff didn't share her composure. One of them came running up to her.
"Nora," they whispered urgently.
Nora looked over.
"You might want to come out and see this."
Nora asked, "What's going on?"
"Just come and see." Without waiting for her response, the staff member hurried back outside.
Nora took a deep breath, composed herself, and walked out.
Rounding a corner from the back hall to the front, she immediately saw the figure—
Tall and lean, dressed casually in a hoodie and jeans, with a backpack slung over one shoulder. He stood in front of a painting near the entrance, examining it closely.
He wasn't doing anything in particular—just standing there—but somehow, he naturally drew attention.
One person. There was only one person in the front gallery. No rebellious young artists barging in, no picky rappers causing a scene—just one solitary figure.
The gallery's three staff members had gathered together like prairie dogs, unable to contain their excitement despite their best efforts. Their hushed rustling had been the source of the noise.
Outside the gallery, two young girls were pressed up against the glass, trying to listen in. Their faces and body language were bursting with excitement, adding energy to the gloomy weather outside.
At some point, the sky had cleared a bit.
A ray of golden sunlight broke through the clouds, streaming down past the tall buildings, brightening the street outside the gallery. The world was still overcast, but that single shaft of light made everything outside seem to glow.
The light seeped gently into the gallery.
Quiet yet lively.
Nora froze, caught off guard, totally unprepared for what she saw. "Anson?"
The man turned around, his lips curving into a smile that reached his bright eyes. The buzz in the gallery fell silent as his deep gaze took center stage, illuminating the space.
"Hey, darling Nora."
He opened his arms and gave Nora a warm hug.
Huh.
The entire gallery froze in shock, unable to believe their eyes—
What were they seeing? What was going on? Was this some kind of sensational news?
Nora, however, had no time to care about the gawking eyes. She warmly returned Anson's hug. "When did you get back? Why didn't you go straight home?"
Anson chuckled lightly. "I did, but I didn't have my key."
It took a second for Nora to remember, "Oh, Judy had to go to Boston for a week. I totally forgot about that."
Anson spread his hands, "So, I was locked out. I called Luca, and he said you might be here, so I came to try my luck."
Nora shook her head, a hint of exasperation in her eyes. "You could've just called me."
Anson smiled, "But then it wouldn't have been as fun. It wouldn't be the surprise it is now!"
As he spoke, he raised his hands to mimic a "surprise" gesture.
Nora looked at her sunshine-filled youngest son and couldn't help but smile, her lips curling into a soft, beautiful arc. "A surprise, yes, indeed."
"Ah, let go of me! I've got the flu. Don't want to pass it on to you—then it'd be a problem."
The joy settled in, and Nora hastily covered her mouth, stepping back.
Anson looked a bit concerned, "Getting sick in summer? That's not good."
Nora waved her hand, "It's just the flu. A lot of people around me have caught it. I was actually thinking of getting a vaccine, but I guess it's too late."
After just a few words, Nora turned back to Anson and gave him a once-over, "You look thinner."
Anson couldn't believe his ears, "You say that every time we meet. I'm beginning to doubt your eyesight. Trust me, I haven't lost any weight."
Nora shook her head helplessly, "You're such a tease. My eyesight's fine."
"No need for reading glasses?"
"Anson!"
Anson obediently zipped his lips and raised his hands in surrender, then turned to look at the painting near the entrance. "How much is this one?"
Nora knew he was changing the subject on purpose and didn't say anything, just quietly watched him.
Anson, catching her look, said with mock seriousness, "I'm serious. Can't you see how serious I am? I'm a customer now, aren't I? A customer of the gallery."
Nora couldn't hold back a chuckle, her smile blooming brightly. She played along, "So, dear customer, is there anything I can help you with?"