Joneses – 19.10 Fresh Start

Harvestfest came at the right time and allowed Breanne to quickly get over the Kaiden situation and regroup. Whatever she thought she lost wasn’t worth brooding over. Somewhere out there, a far better option existed and she decided to get out and find him. He had to be someone like her: refined, serious, and cultured. Early Saturday evening, she went to the perfect place to find such a man.

Only the most refined people could appreciate such beauty and elegance. Surely the co-progenitor of her impending successful lineage would be found in such a place. Outside, the cold world was full of bad people lurking in every corner, waiting on their next victim. Inside the arts center, warm vibrant colors radiated throughout the building, piercing every cultured heart in the place. It was so inviting and refreshed her soul. She planned to come there more often.

“Short stack! What up, neighbor!”

Her breaths got quicker. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth in attempts to keep her nerve. Who let that barbarian in here? And what did he know about fine art? To add insult to injury, he walked around the expensive works with a plate of hummus in his hand. Could he get any less cultured?

“You snuck out without me, huh? Good to see you’re feeling better though.”

The arts center was a posh, public place, and she had to behave. Painting on a smile, she said, “Yes…I’m sorry. It must have slipped my mind. What are you doing here?”

“I was hungry, so I got on Yelp. Everyone said this place had the best hummus. I had to check it out!” He swiped the plate with the last piece of pita and stuffed the whole thing in his mouth like the uncouth beast she knew he was.

Who came to an art gallery for the food? What ingrate had the audacity to even put it on Yelp? Too many people who weren’t cultured enough to respect the sanctity of elegance tried to destroy one of the last institutes of sophistication they had left! The rage bubbled over, and she could no longer contain herself. If she got any untoward looks, at least they would know she fought for all their honor. “How dare you! This is not some hotspot you go check out! Do you even know where you are? How dare you disrespect this place with your hummus and your unrefined self!”

At first, he stood there dazed and confused. He looked like he was trying to get upset but didn’t know what he should be upset about. Boorish lout! Then, that goofy grin returned and he chuckled. “You’re really serious about art, huh?”

Unbelievable! It was almost as if he didn’t hear a word she said. He couldn’t ruin her perfect afternoon no matter how hard he tried. She walked away, went to the cafeteria, and ordered the most posh drink they had to wash away all the ill-bred vibes until she felt like herself again.