Wicked Wednesday #207 — Aspire

Alice liked being in the galleries before everyone else was in for the day at work. It had always been her aspiration to work in the art world. Being a junior cataloguer was a dream come true. Her eyes were glossy at the Tamara de Lempicka before her eyes, equally because of its beauty…and because it reminded her alternately of Fiona.

Polly had been looking at her all afternoon with that look like are you okay? No, she was not okay! She did not know where her girlfriend was, after their fight. Fiona had never not come home before. But they had never had such a bad argument. Alice felt her eyes well with tears, and her aspirations of being a sophisticate blurred, as Polly grabbed her.

It was early enough that they could have coffee without the rest of the department walking in on them in Polly’s office.

“She probably just wants to scare you, it seems like those are the type of tactics she and here brother would use. Or at least her brother’s girlfriend…fiancee…” Polly said, with her lips twisted.

Alice swallowed her too hot black coffee, and looked apologetically at Polly. Fiona’s brother was engaged to the woman, who Polly’s boyfriend had been sleeping with on and off for years. Even though Polly had initiated their separation, it was clear she was still angry about it. Additionally even though she seemed to be involved with her own on and off again lover, Colin.

“I am sorry,” Alice said. “I did not mean to…”

“Nothing is what you aspire it to be,” Polly said cutting her off, getting up and opening her office window. Her cigarettes were on the window sill, and Alice watched Polly’s svelte body lean out of the window as if she was taking flight. Before she knew it, Alice grabbed the pack of cigarettes and leaned out of the window as well. She wanted to take flight, she wanted to escape. Even now that her career was blooming, Alice wanted to escape…

Had she slept with Josephine to escape what she knew was coming with Fiona? The evolution of their relationship? Had she been so afraid of what was real in her life, that she needed to float on a dream? Maybe if Fiona was not returning to her, she would go back to Josephine.

But she did love Fiona, she wanted her to come back…Alice’s hair blew around in the window, and she and Polly looked like art angels on the top floor. Their hair floating like Botticellis.

If Fiona came back, she would never let her go again…

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de lempicka via wikipedia