My Poor Husband Got Rich and Now I Am His Maid..
The Street Artist..
DISCLAIMER : This story is a work of fiction created for entertainment purposes only... Any characters, places, and events are the products of the Authors imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental..
Location : Los angels, California, USA
The city was a chaotic symphony of honking horns and rushing footsteps..
Andrew Cruz sat in the middle of it.. beside his stool, a battered, vintage radio crackled, pouring out the smooth, rhythmic bass of a 1940s funk track...
He was focused. His brush moved with a beautiful energy across a canvas... A street scene filled with warm orange streetlights and misty purple shadows...
Robert (old man)
(Hobbling over with a cough, his eyes landing on the canvas)
Robert (old man)
Still at it, Andy?
Robert (old man)
You’ve been staring at that corner of the canvas for twenty minutes...
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
(Smiling warmly, his eyes never leaving the painting)
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
Just waiting for the right shadow, Robert..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
If you rush the dark parts, the light doesn't mean as much when it finally hits...
Andrew reached into his bag and pulled out a small sandwich wrapped in foil. He handed it to Robert without a second thought...
Robert (old man)
Wait... kid, this is your lunch...
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
(Laughing softly)
I’m an artist, Robert...
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
I feed on inspiration and cheap coffee...
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
You’re a growing man.. you need the protein more than I do...
Robert (old man)
(Shaking his head)
You’re too good for this city, Andrew..
Robert (old man)
One of these days, someone’s gonna notice that face of yours or that talent, and you’ll be far away from this curb....
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
As long as there’s a place to set my easel, I’m exactly where I belong...
A wealthy looking couple stopped. The woman stared at Andrew’s face, then at the painting...
...
Oh, look at that detail. It’s so... nostalgic...
...
It’s like I can almost hear the saxophone coming out of the paint...
...
(Checking his watch)
It’s nice. Hey, Man...
...
How much for the 70s club scene?
...
I’ve got a blank spot in my hallway that needs something vintage...
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
It’s not finished yet, sir...
...
That’s probably more than you make in a month sitting out here...
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
I appreciate the offer, truly..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
But I don't paint for blank spots in hallways... I paint because these people in my head need a place to live..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
Money can't buy them a home.. only the right eyes can...
...
Suit yourself. Stay hungry, then...
As the couple walked away, a young girl.. six years old, stepped up to the easel. She looked at Andrew’s paint covered hands....
Little girl
Why do you have blue on your nose, mister?
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
(Kneeling down to her level, his voice gentle and playful)
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
Because I was trying to whisper a secret to the sky, and the sky whispered back..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
Do you want to see a magic trick?
Little girl
(Wide eyed) Yes...
Andrew took a small, clean brush, dipped it into a bright gold, and made a tiny star on the corner of his canvas...
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
There. That star is for you...
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
Now, whenever the sun hits this painting..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
...that star will glow just to remind you to keep dreaming.
Girl's Mother
That’s very sweet of you...
Girl's Mother
Here, please take this for your time..
Girl's Mother
(She tries to hand him a ten dollar)
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
(Shaking his head, smiling)
Keep it..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
Buy her an ice cream and tell her it’s from the guy who talks to the sky..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
That’s payment enough for me...
The mother smiled, thanked him, and led the girl away
As the sun began to dip behind th skyline.... Andrew began to pack his belongings. He wiped his brushes with a rag and carefully covered his canvas with a protective sheet...
He clicked the dial on his radio to his favorite evening station, and the upbeat funk was replaced by the nostalgic, jingling guitar and sweet, simple vocals of Buddy Holly.....
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
Everyday, it's a gettin' closer... 🎵🎵
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
Goin' faster than a roller coaster...🎵🎵
Andrew hummed along to "Everyday" as he slung his heavy bag over his shoulder. He began the long walk toward his home.....
Dreams Priced Too High..
A crumbling, red brick tenement building on the edge of the Lower East Side...
Andrew climbed the four flights of stairs, his shoulders aching from carrying his easel all day..
He pushed open the door to a tiny, one bedroom apartment...
The walls were covered literally from floor to ceiling with sketches, half-finished paintings, and vintage posters of jazz legends...
Sitting in an armchair in the corner was Uncle Egon...
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
(Dropping his bag with a heavy thud)
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
I am home, Egon...
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
And before you ask..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
No, I didn't sell anything today...
Egon(ML Uncle)
(Looking up from a thick book, smiling warmly)
Egon(ML Uncle)
Ah, so the world is still blind to genius?
Egon(ML Uncle)
Don't worry, Andrew...
Egon(ML Uncle)
History is full of great men who ate crusts of bread while painting masterpieces...
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
(Collapsing onto a small wooden chair, rubbing his face)
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
I’m tired of eating crusts, Egon..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
A guy today offered me two hundred dollars for the 70s club scene...
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
I turned him down because he called it decor..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
But then I looked at my shoes, and I felt like a fool...
Egon(ML Uncle)
You followed your heart..
Egon(ML Uncle)
Your heart knows more than your stomach..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
(Sighing, looking around at their cramped kitchen)
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
Because my stomach is currently asking why I’m not a relative of Elon Musk..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
Can you imagine that, Egon?
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
If I was a Musk?
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
I wouldn’t be worrying about the rent or the price of linseed oil
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
I did be painting on a yacht in the middle of the Mediterranean, with a butler holding my palette..
Egon(ML Uncle)
(Chuckles)
A yacht, eh?
Egon(ML Uncle)
And would the paint be more colorful on a yacht?
Egon(ML Uncle)
Would the shadows be deeper?
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
No, but the life would be easier..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
I could actually create without the constant fear of the landlord knocking on the door tomorrow morning. ..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
Sometimes I think I was born in the wrong century..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
Why does the world make it so hard for a man to just... be an artist?
Egon(ML Uncle)
(Closing his book and leaning forward)
Egon(ML Uncle)
Andrew, my boy...
Egon(ML Uncle)
If life were as easy as a billionaire’s vacation, your paintings would be as empty as their hearts...
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
(Leaning his head back against the wall.. a small tired smile appearing)
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
I know, I know...
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
It just feels like I'm screaming into a vacuum
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
I want my art to mean something
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
I want it to be a world people can actually live in..
Egon(ML Uncle)
Be careful what you wish for, Andrew...
Egon(ML Uncle)
Sometimes, the worlds we create are more real than the one we are standing in..
She Who Has It All..
A sleek red Lamborghini speeds along the winding the roadway...
Inside, the girls were surrounded by the scent of brand new leather and designer shopping bags...
Celestia Nelson(Fl)
(hands easy on the wheel, hair flying in the wind)
Celestia Nelson(Fl)
God, I love this stretch..
Celestia Nelson(Fl)
You can actually breathe out here...
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
(front seat, feet on the dash)
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
LA traffic can choke for a minute...
Rachel Haley(FL Friend)
(leaning forward from the back)
Rachel Haley(FL Friend)
Turn it up.. This song is everything right now...
The bassline of a current pop hit fills the car. Everyone sings along.. laughing...
Lia Lopez(FL Friend)
We should do this every weekend..
Celestia Nelson(Fl)
I’m down... No parties, no events, no obligations...
Celestia Nelson(Fl)
Just us...
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
(grinning sideways at her)
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
Says the girl who never says no to anything...
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
You plan epic nights, you skip whatever classes you want, you talk your way out of everything...
Rachel Haley(FL Friend)
Seriously...
Rachel Haley(FL Friend)
Security guards? Professors? Paparazzi? You just smile and they fold..
Lia Lopez(FL Friend)
You’re like… untouchable
Celestia Nelson(Fl)
(laughing)
Untouchable?
Celestia Nelson(Fl)
Hardly.. I just know what I want...
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
Exactly. You do whatever you feel like..
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
New bag? Done..
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
Spontaneous trip? Booked..
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
Staying out till sunrise? All okay..
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
And nobody ever tells you no..
Lia Lopez(FL Friend)
Except maybe one person...
Rachel Haley(FL Friend)
(Teasing)
One very specific person…
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
The only name that ever makes our queen go quiet...
Celestia Nelson(Fl)
(rolling her eyes)
Celestia Nelson(Fl)
Oh my God... Please stop
Celestia Nelson(Fl)
I’m not afraid of anyone...
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
Not afraid. Just… selectively silent..
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
Like, you’ll argue with literally anybody else on the planet...
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
But one phone call from her and suddenly you are busy...
Rachel Haley(FL Friend)
It’s kinda sweet, actually...
Rachel Haley(FL Friend)
The one person who can make Celestia sweat...
Celestia Nelson(Fl)
(shaking her head)
You guys are ridiculous...
They keep talking... the conversation rolls on easily..
Then Celestia’s phone, on the center console cradle, lights up and starts vibrating hard..
The screen clearly shows..
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
Oh my god...
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
Speak of the devil and it’s her...
Celestia Nelson(Fl)
My mother is not devil okayyyy....
Celestia Nelson(Fl)
(Her heart hammering against her ribs)
Celestia’s hands were shaking as she reached out to accept the call. .
Just as her finger was inches from the screen, the car hit a sudden dip in the asphalt..
The phone slips from the cradle, tumbling down toward the footwell..
Celestia Nelson(Fl)
No! Damn it..
Panicked, she leaned down, her fingers searching blindly for the device. Her eyes left the road..
In those few seconds, the call disconnected..
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
CELESTIA..
Gigi Aster(FL Friend)
THE SIDEWALK..
Celestia snapped her head up. A massive delivery truck had stopped dead in front of her..
She slammed her foot down, but in her panic, she jerked the wheel hard to the right...
Off to the side, a familiar roadside spot.. Andrew's easel set up with a half finished canvas..Andrew stands there, brush in hand, lost in his work..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
(To himself)
There... just a few more touches on the shadows...
Andrew’s head snapped up... He saw the red of the Lamborghini flying toward him..
Andrew Cruz(Ml)
LOOK OUT..
He dived to his left, his body hitting the hard concrete...
He felt a sharp, searing pain in his shoulder as he skidded across the ground, his arm catching on a metal trash can...
The car collided with Andrew’s wooden easel... Tubes of oil paint exploded against the car..
Then.... the car finally came to a halt against a lamp post... the engine dying with a hiss of steam..
From Andrew's small radio on the ground which is hit by the car...
.....comes the gentle, lilting voice of Doris Day...
When I was just a little girl
I asked my mother, What will I be?
Will I be pretty? Will I be rich?
Here's what she said to me....
Que sera, sera
Whatever will be, will be..
The future's not ours to see
Que sera, sera
What will be, will be.....🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵
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