Episode Three - Part One
The first time you do anything in a new place, it feels strange. Sometimes you try to hold on to that feeling- to remember it at a later time when you've settled into the everyday, even though you can never capture the moment perfectly again.
Emily found the act of cooking very grounding, something she badly needed after a roller coaster year. The dance of the knife over the fresh vegetables was almost hypnotic, the soft sound of blade against cutting board like a gentle heartbeat. The brilliant gleam of light off the metal stirred something deep within her, something primal and painful. It wouldn't take much, just one little slip... An instant later the numbness returned.
Another year, another kitchen... was Emily even the same anymore? You think from one day to the next you're the same person you always were, but taken as a whole change is bound to happen. Little things add up, weight upon weight, and you're moulded into different forms as a way to cope. When the big things happen, it's like an enormous hammer crashing down on your soul- sometimes you become stronger, sometimes you shatter.
Emily: "Good morning! Or... afternoon I guess. How'd you sleep last night?"
Mary: "I don't even remember coming home last night. I might have slept well. Champagne and I don't mix well."
Emily: "Did you want me to make you an omelette? I've got everything out, it wouldn't be a big deal."
Mary: "Oh no thanks, I don't think my stomach can handle eggs today. I'll just have some cereal."
Mary: "So how about you? Did you sleep ok? I know it can be weird getting settled in and all."
Emily: "Oh I slept fine- I think the traveling and party helped."
Mary: "That reminds me- how'd things go with Andy? Did you get a meeting time set up?"
Emily: "Actually yeah, we did. He wants to meet over lunch tomorrow to go over some details, but he said it should be a pretty informal arrangement."
Mary: "Tomorrow for lunch? Well that works out perfectly. I was going to ask you if you wanted to check out the Xenon tonight. I have some work to do over at the studio today, but I should be home around 7 or 8."
Emily: "The Xenon?"
Mary: "It's a nightclub here in town- local bands play, people dance -standard club happenings. I thought it'd be a nice change of scenery after the gallery last night."
Emily: "What's the atmosphere?"
Mary: "Dark and brooding, right up your alley."
Emily: "So, what time are we going?"