The next morning Jane and Rick were up and on the road early. Jane thought it would have been nice to stay around Wychbold and talk with Rick’s parents some more, since they were nice people. But, after the uproar they’d caused around town, they thought the best move would be to leave while they were still ahead.

Of course, they didn’t stop at the City Kitchen for breakfast, but drove the county and state roads through Amherst over to Bradford, and stopped at a good restaurant just before they got back on the Interstate. Before the waitress came for their order, Jane asked her husband, “Do you think I ought to order shirred eggs again?” and they both broke out laughing.

The visit to Wychbold had done wonders. While they didn’t expect to be back there anytime soon, Jane felt it had slain some of Rick’s demons. He was still pretty shy with other people, but nothing nearly as bad as he had been when she first met him, not even a month ago.

They settled for a normal breakfast, nothing fancy or incomprehensible, but they lingered over coffee afterwards, somehow not quite mentally ready to get back on the road. Since they didn’t want to stay in Wychbold, they’d decided to head back into Chicago and visit the Museum of Science and Industry like they’d talked about the morning before, but rushing to get there now didn’t seem as imperative.

But Jane had something on her mind. “You know, Rick,” she told her husband. “I’ve been thinking a lot about what we talked about yesterday, about my going back to school for my master’s, and there’s still something that doesn’t quite set well about it with me.”

“What’s that?”

“If I knew, I’d tell you. Maybe it’s no more than the fact that I’m tired of sitting in classrooms. I guess it’s just that I feel like I ought to be doing something useful.”

“I can’t fault you for that,” he told her. “In fact, when we were talking about it yesterday, something didn’t seem quite right about it to me, either. But you know, when we were bullshitting Danielle yesterday morning, you said a couple things that set a different train of thought going in my mind, and talking with that guy who was doing the St. Catherine’s copy added to them a little.”

“Rick, what are you talking about?”

“I don’t have all the pieces together in my mind yet, but the big thing is what you said about being a collector of paintings, buying them, selling them for a profit. You said it was a better investment than the stock market. Is that true, or was it just something to pull her leg about?”

“The answer to that is yes and no,” she said. “Paintings can be an excellent investment. I don’t think that the Toledo Museum paid all that much for The Crowning of St. Catherine, but that was what, sixty years ago? Yeah, if they were to sell it, it would be a ton of money now, but it’s all pretty theoretical, and it’s possible for someone to really fall on their ass when trying to invest in art. Besides, there aren’t many paintings of that quality out there, and if one goes on the market there are a lot of potential buyers. That’s part of why the price gets run up so far. It’s also easy to get taken in a deal like that. Remember my saying that I thought the Renoir was a fake?”

“Well, obviously. But I was also thinking that the walls of our apartment are pretty bare. I could see spending some money on nice paintings that might be worth some money to the right buyer. I mean, buy low, sell high.”

“It would be possible to come up with some nice stuff,” she submitted. “Not Peter Paul Rubens, obviously, and I don’t think I’d want to have to live around something potentially that valuable. But nice paintings that could appreciate in value, that’s different, and I have an idea of what to look for. If nothing else, I could look around and see what I could come up with. It’d cost some money, though.”

“So I have money, especially for an investment. It doesn’t sound like a bad idea to me. Then, I thought about that guy and his copies. Do you think there would be a market for his copy of that painting?”

“Boy, that’s a tough one. What he was doing wasn’t that good, and I’ve seen better. But since they’re copies, they usually aren’t that expensive.”

“Wouldn’t there be people who would be willing to pay a little for a good copy of some famous painting?”

“Sure, it’s done all the time. I’ve got some nice prints. They were cheap, ten or twenty bucks or so. I could have them framed for the apartment.”

“You’re still not getting what I’m talking about. I don’t mean a print, I mean a good hand-painted copy of, well, maybe not The Crowning of St. Catherine, but maybe a copy of one of those Rubens mythological paintings or nudes you were talking about?”

“Well, yeah, sure. Those are out there, and they’re not that expensive. I can see people paying two or three grand for one of them. Really, they’re a little out of style, since those girls, well, they’re a little meaty for modern tastes, but putting one on the wall would sort of let the owner show that they have some taste. I mean, it’s not exactly the same thing as tacking a Playboy centerfold up on the wall.”

“I had a roommate once back at Illinois who liked to do that,” he laughed. “But the point is, there is a market for, how do I say it, good art that’s not overpriced, isn’t there?”

“Sure. It’s done all the time. That’s how galleries stay in business. The trick there is to know what will sell, and how to buy it cheap and sell it expensive. It doesn’t have to be Rubens, or even some copy done by some more modern artist. You’re driving at something, Rick, and I don’t quite see what it is.”

“It’s pretty simple, but I wanted to know if you saw it my way. Jane, you know a lot about art. What’s to keep you from getting in that business?”

“You mean like running a gallery?”

“That, or just being a collector, like you told Danielle.”

Jane was silent for a moment as several thoughts went through her mind at the same time – parallel processing as Rick would have called it. “To be honest, Rick,” she finally started, “I don’t know. There’s an awful lot about that business that I don’t know. I know art history, but not necessarily what makes any modern market tick, like for those historic paintings. I don’t know how to assess what the public would want, so that means I wouldn’t know what to buy. The pricing would be a mystery all the way around. Then, publicity, selling, hell, lots of things I don’t know.”

“You could learn,” he said. “I don’t know how you’d learn. Maybe taking classes for some of it. I would guess that some of the practical things you would have to learn in the business. Maybe you could find someone who could teach you. Maybe you could find a job working for someone who owns a gallery, so you could get that practical experience. So it takes a couple of years, or even more. So what?”

It was an intriguing prospect for Jane, something she hadn’t thought about before, but there were plenty of concerns to consider. “Even if I did, it wouldn’t be a cheap proposition. Even if you’re buying low it still costs money. A painting that appreciates to ten million in a few years, might still cost you one million now – a lot of money. Sure, you make a lot, but there’s still a substantial initial investment. I also don’t know about the economics of a gallery beyond that, but there are all sorts of other overhead expenses. I mean, taxes, rent, utilities, staff salaries, advertising, God alone knows what else.”

Rick shifted his position slightly, so he could look into her eyes more easily. “I’ll bet Rob could help you learn about that, at least if you can drag him out of the Philippines long enough.”

“But Rick, it’ll still cost a lot of money up front.”

“So what? Jane, I have money. If this stock split and merger we’ve been hearing about actually happens, I’ll have even more money. Rob says I need to put some of it into an investment somewhere to keep from having to give it to the government to throw away on something I don’t want them spending it on in the first place. As far as working for someone in a gallery to get the experience, you could work cheap, hell even for free if it’s the best place to learn what you need. After all, it’s not like you need the money. That’s why you married me.”

“No, Rick,” she protested. “I did not marry you for your money. I knew you had some, but that wasn’t why I did it. I didn’t set out to be a mooch or a gold digger, Rick, and I never want you to think of me that way. I married you because I wanted to be your wife. I will be the first to admit that my motives were a little odd and the reasons we wound up getting married were a little screwy, but the bottom line is that I thought I could be a good wife to you. I still intend to be one.”

“I never thought you were a gold digger, and neither did Sophia. If either of us had thought so, she told me you’d never have gotten near the starting gate. But the fact remains that I do have money, and when I can spend it for our good, then I will. Jane, it’s like I said yesterday. I want a happy wife who’s enjoying what she’s doing, because if she’s happy then she’ll make me happy in the process. Besides, in this case, it doesn’t matter.”

“How do you figure that? Rick, this gallery idea sounds like it would be fun and interesting, but I’ll tell you again, we could be talking about a lot of money, especially if it were to go in some directions.”

“I know that. Look, let’s think about it a little differently. Yesterday, you were tweaking Danielle about owning a Ferrari, right?”

“It was the first thing I could think of.”

“I don’t know if they have a Ferrari dealership in Chicago, but I could buy one. I wouldn’t, because I would be scared to drive it, and I think I’d be scared for you if you were to drive it. The BMW we’re in right now is enough of a hot rod as it is, thank you. But as far as the money goes, yes, if we wanted a Ferrari we could buy one.”

“So?”

“So I don’t know enough about cars, and I don’t think you do, either. But think about this: let’s suppose we could buy a Ferrari for, oh, a quarter of a million dollars this afternoon with a pretty good certainty that we could put it in bonded storage, never turn a wheel, and sell it in five years for half a million. Would that be a good investment?”

“Sure. It would take knowing something about the cars, and more than a little at that, but it would be a darn good deal.”

“Good. Now, suppose we could buy a, oh, just for the sake of a name, a Joe Smith painting for a quarter of a million knowing that there’s a good chance we could sell it in five years for half a million. Would that be as good an investment as the Ferrari I just mentioned?”

“It’s iffy,” she frowned. “You’d have to know the painter, the market, a lot of other things. Actually, the same sort of things you’d have to know about the Ferrari, except it’d be a painting.”

“My point exactly. I know damn well that I’ll never know those kinds of things about art. But Jane, you’re in a position where you can learn them, because you already have a good grounding in them from those four years you say you wasted learning art history.”

Jane took a sip of her coffee, and sat there thinking for quite a while. “It might work,” she said finally. “Rick, I knew you were awful damn smart about coding, but I never quite realized that you’re awful damn smart, period.”

“I am pretty good with coding,” he smiled. “A lot of the rest I’ve learned from you, and I want to keep on learning it. So what do you think?”

“I don’t know what to think, other than I don’t know what questions to ask yet. Rick, what would you say if we said the hell with the Museum of Science and Industry, and just spent a few days in Chicago visiting a few galleries? If we nose around enough and talk with people, I might have a better idea of what questions I need to ask, and maybe learn a thing or two in the process.”

“I’d say it would be a step in the right direction.”

“Good,” she smiled. “Let’s finish our coffee and get on the road.”

Half an hour later they were on the Indiana Turnpike, heading west toward Chicago. Jane had been turning over Rick’s idea in her mind, examining it from various angles. There were parts of it that seemed like a very good idea, and part of it that seemed pretty chancy. They might not be so chancy when she knew more about the business, but if Rick were willing to finance her learning it seemed like it would be money well spent.

“It might work,” she said to her husband after a lot of silence.

“The gallery idea?”

“That, or getting a master’s, or maybe both,” she replied. “For the short run, the next few years, the bottom line is that it will give me something to do that at least has the promise of working toward the future. I really don’t know about the gallery idea, since from even what little I know, there are a lot of pitfalls. Some experience will reveal some of them but not all of them, but at least looking in that direction will give me something to do.”

“Good. I was hoping something like that would happen. In fact, for a while it was my biggest fear, that you couldn’t find something and would wind up watching a lot of daytime TV, getting bored shitless, and taking it out on me when I got home. That could have ruined the whole thing, Jane.”

“I’ve got to talk with Sophia,” she smiled. “You are a lot smarter about some of those things than she thinks. But the reverse to what you just said is also true. I don’t want to have you sitting on your dead ass in your office up there in Comsector, bored shitless and being all burned out from it when you get home.”

“I don’t either, but I don’t think it’s going to happen, now. I’ve been thinking a lot about what Sophia found out the other day, that Comsector will pick up a lot of my tuition as an employee enrichment thing, and allow me time on the job to pursue at least some of it. I think I’m going to take them up on it. If they’re dumb enough to let me spend their money, I might as well spend what of it I can for them.”

“You’ve said you have enough money to finance it yourself.”

“Oh, I do, and I’d do it if I had to. But after the screw job they’ve given me, I might as well screw them back. Let’s face it, while I hate sitting in that office bored shitless, financially there’s a damn good reason to do it, which is part of why I haven’t told them to go to hell already.”

“Yeah, Sophia told me about that. That non-compete clause in your contract really has to grind you.”

“Actually, I thought of a way around that, but I never told Sophia about it,” he grinned. “Yeah, I’m not supposed to do coding. I’ve had the odd idea now and then that ought to be investigated, and the idea came to me once that I could hire some sharp young kid, crazy like I used to be, and point them at it. I’d just sit back and guide them and let them do the code cutting.”

“That might work.”

“Yeah, but I gave up on the idea. There were some good reasons. One is that it would violate the spirit of the contract if not the letter. I try to be reasonably honest, Jane, and that bothered me. Besides, it would bother me to not be cutting the code myself, to have to stand back and watch someone else do it.”

“Yeah, I can see how that could get pretty hard.”

“There’s more. The final reason was that I never figured that I had the people skills it would take to do it, let alone the management skills. I’m still not sure about the management skills, but I’ve picked up so much in people skills from you in the last month it isn’t funny. And that little bullshit act we pulled on Danielle yesterday, Jane, I don’t know if you realize just what that meant for me. I feel like a huge weight got lifted from my shoulders. I suppose I’m always going to be shy around strangers, because that shit in Wychbold dragged me down for so long, but I’m getting a little better, and it’s mostly thanks to you.”

“I have seen you getting better. When we first met, when we were first married, you were pretty shy with me, and not very talkative. You’re not like that now.”

“I’ve gotten used to you and I’ve learned to trust you. That’s never been easy for me, mostly thanks to Danielle and the shit she and her buddies pulled on me. I just barely got to the point where I could trust Rob and Sophia when she came up with this idea that brought you into my life. But you, well, I’m still not sure how you managed it, but you opened me up and made me love you. I never thought that could happen. I owe you for that, Jane, and I owe you deeply.”

“I just tried to love you and help you along, Rick. It’s not that big a deal.”

“It’s a big deal to me, Jane, especially after the way I got treated by Danielle for years. Look, Jane, two years ago when I was at Facelvega, I was the stereotypical geek. You know, cutting code until all hours, living on pizza. You name a stereotype about coders, that was me, right down to the pocket protectors. I was happy doing it. I didn’t have to deal with people very much. Code made sense, people didn’t. Code couldn’t hurt me, and people could.”

“I pretty much figured it was something like that.”

Rick reached out and put his hand on her thigh. “Jane, I never thought I’d be saying this,” he said after a moment, “but I’m getting to the point where I don’t care if I ever work on code again.”

“What?”

“You taught me that there’s more to life than computer code. Oh, yeah, I’ll probably do it some, and depending on what I wind up doing for my master’s and my PhD, I may even do it lots. But cutting code until I fall asleep and my face lands on the keyboard, living on stale pizza – well, never again. I’ve got a loving wife to come home to, one who’s taught me that there’s more to life, and to enjoy some of the good things about it. The last few days, seeing the passion you put into art, well, I don’t know how to say it, but I like some of it, and I love your passion for it. I realize my tastes are pretty simple, but I hope that you’ll work on fixing that.”

“You’re telling me you want me to drag you to art shows and stuff?”

“So long as I’m with you.”

“Damn it, Rick.”

“What?”

“I’m driving and I can’t stop and kiss you here on the Turnpike.”

“If that sign is right, there’s a rest stop not far ahead.”

It was a while before they got back on the road. “A lot happened in a short time today,” she said, still behind the wheel – the traffic was so heavy there was no hope of convincing him to drive. “Somewhere in there I missed something. I know you plan on getting your master’s and doctorate while you’re still at Comsector. But what are you going to do after you have it?”

“I don’t know yet. It’s still a short-term answer, just like you working on your master’s or toward your doctorate is a short-term answer for you. I know I told you that I feel like I’m out of touch with the leading edge of software development. It’ll be hard to play catch-up and I don’t feel like college is going to be the way to do it. I’m just falling further behind every day I have to stay away from it. But, like I told you, I don’t care if I do it anymore. “

“But what happens when you get your doctorate?”

“Maybe I’ll see if there’s some college that needs a professor who will work cheap. Maybe I’ll follow up on that idea of hiring some smart young coders who live on stale pizza, point them at a problem and see what they come up with. That’s in the future, just like the idea of your starting an art gallery is in the future. We don’t know what’s going to happen, and in five years we may be facing an entirely different set of problems.”

“Rick, don’t take this that I’m asking, but just that I’m curious, but are you including children in that statement?”

“Maybe yes, maybe no,” he smiled. “That’s a question for the future. For now, I just want to enjoy living with my beautiful wife.”

Jane shook her head. “No matter what you say, I still don’t think I’m all that good looking. I’m still just a Plain Jane.”

“I’ve told you time and again, you’re the most beautiful woman in the world to me, because you’re with me and you’re on my side. Appearance doesn’t matter, but what’s between your ears does. Don’t argue with me on that, Jane. I know what I like, and I love you.”

“Rick, I’ve discovered that there’s a lot more to you than I ever dreamed, and I’m glad I managed to find it or bring it out of you or whatever.”

“I’m glad you did, too,” he replied as she pushed the BMW on down the Turnpike toward Chicago and things she’d never considered before – including having a husband she’d never imagined little more than a month before. Together they’d already gone places and done things she never could have dreamed, and they’d only just begun their journey together. “I don’t know what the future is going to bring for us,” he continued, “but I don’t think either of us is going to be bored.”

This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.