Kim Davidson tried to pull together some energy. Her shift at Elixir had been crazy busy. From the minute she’d arrived, she was running. Her boss’s mother-in-law was turning seventy and the party of twenty was demanding and, worse still, bad tippers. That would mean less money this week, and already her mother was complaining when she’d left in the morning.

“You know Derek really needs some new shoes. His feet are cramped in these,” she said while getting Kim’s son ready for school.

“I know, Ma, I’m trying. I start the new cleaning job at the gallery tonight that’ll help. Things will be better. Promise.”

Her mother kissed her on the cheek. “Kimmy, honey, I know you try so hard. Your ex-husband should be paying for some of this, you know. Useless man!”

“Please, Ma, I don’t want Bruce involved in my life, or in Derek’s life. We’ll be fine.” She bent down to her son. “Won’t we, D?”

“Yes, Mama,” the little boy said.

Kim kissed him. “You be a good boy at school. I’ll try to get home before you fall asleep.”

Her mother didn’t understand. Yes, she’d like money from her ex-husband—that would make everything easier—but the price she’d have to pay would be too much. He wouldn’t just give them money and leave them alone; she knew him too well. If he gave them money, he’d expect to be involved in their life, and she would not have that. Never again. She was fine without a man, better than she’d ever been. She was in control of things. This was all just a tiny blip; she’d soon be back on track. Just a bad patch to get through. Once she got going with this regular job cleaning at the gallery and then with the two waitressing jobs, she ought to be able to save some money and get them all sorted out. It’d been tough for her mother too ever since her father died—one of the reasons Kim lived with her. But Kim was going to get them all out of trouble. They’d be fine; they just needed to give her a bit of time. There was no need to get her ex involved in things. Kim was done with men anyway. She’d learned her lesson; life never was a fairy tale. No prince on a white horse was going to save her. She would need to do it for herself.

She arrived at the front of Rive Gauche Gallery and tried to forget the five hours of running around waiting on demanding old women and men with grabby hands. A new job needed new energy. She took a deep breath and opened the door. She entered the glass-fronted building and found a security guard at the reception desk.

“Are you here for the opening?” he asked.

“Opening?”

“The opening of the Clara Dancy exhibit?”

“No, I’m part of the cleaning crew. My first night.”

“Oh?” The middle-aged man’s voice went up as if somehow his prospects had just improved. “So you’ll be working nights? With me?”

Kim looked him over. Obviously Italian. Obviously middle-aged. And obviously married. What was it with men? Why did they think every woman was interested in being hit on?

She ignored his question. “Where’s Sonya Lando?”

Sonya was Kim’s friend from high school. While Kim had gone off to her disastrous marriage with Bruce, Sonya got straight to work. Though she only had a high school diploma, she’d done well for herself. She was already a manager at Rive Gauche and had helped Kim get this new cleaning job.

“She’s at the party in gallery one, down that hall.” The security guard pointed to the left, and Kim set off in that direction.

“I didn’t get your name,” he called after her.

“Because I didn’t give it to you,” Kim said, walking away.

Kim knew which room it was because she heard the music and talking from quite some distance. At the entrance, she saw that she was underdressed in her jeans and blouse, so was reluctant to get inside of the room. Most of the men were in suits and many of the women in long evening gowns. Kim’s gaze was drawn to the paintings on the walls, big bold colors in purples, dark blues, splashes of red. And everywhere on the wall, figures of women, their beautiful bodies draped across beds, entangled in the arms of their lovers, gently holding their children. The paintings were so gorgeous Kim was swept away and didn’t notice when Sonya came up to her.

“I remember in high school you were a beautiful painter,” Sonya said.

“It feels like a million years ago.” Kim smiled at her friend, who looked sophisticated in a long black sheath with a massive silver necklace and strappy silver sandals to match.

The memory of how she used to love painting made Kim sad. She was suddenly being reminded of her life before Bruce. Her life when it had so many possibilities, when she was going to be a painter— the time when every day brought a new dream. The time before he crushed her aspirations with his constant talk: telling her she was nothing, telling her she could never do anything with her life. And now here she was, a single mother waiting tables and working as a janitor. Maybe he had been right about her. In any case, those dreams of becoming a famous painter seemed destined to never be fulfilled.

She shook her head, attempting to shake those horrible memories back to where she kept them locked-up. She’d learned how to ignore the things that brought her down. Those were Bruce’s words anyway, not hers, just words with no meaning. She knew one day she’d be back on track and all of her still-to-be-discovered dreams would come true; they had to, not only for her, but for her son Derek too.

“I’m here and ready to work,” Kim said. “That’s some security guard you got there, already trying to make his moves on me.”

“Who? Frank?” Sonya laughed. “Ignore him. It’s just his way; he’s a nice enough guy.”

“So where do I start?” Kim asked.

“Wow, you’re an eager beaver! Chill. You can’t do much until the opening is over anyway. Do you want to vacuum around these people?” She laughed at her own joke. Kim smiled. What she really wanted was to finish as quickly as possible, get home, kiss her likely already sleeping son, and climb into her own bed. She didn’t say that to Sonya though.

“Let’s go and get some champagne,” Sonya said, taking Kim’s arm to lead her inside.

Kim stopped. “I don’t know. Maybe I can wait out with Frank until the party’s over.”

“Don’t be silly! Why do you want to pass up free champagne? That’s not the Kim Davidson I used to know.”

Kim knew she wasn’t the Kim Sonya used to know. But that was not the problem. “I don’t think I’m dressed appropriately.”

Sonya looked her up and down. “Artists don’t care about such things. You should see what the woman who painted these paintings is wearing. I think it’s her smock she wears in her studio.”

Kim still hesitated. Sonya pushed her around the corner. She took her necklace off and put it around Kim’s neck, pulling the collar of her white blouse up for effect. She took a bright red lipstick from her silver handbag and quickly swiped it across Kim’s full lips, then dabbed it with a tissue from her bag. Then she pulled the hair tie out of Kim’s long blonde hair and fluffed it up it so it fell around her shoulders in long golden waves.

“Jesus!” Sonya said, standing back and looking at Kim. “You’re more beautiful than you were in high school, and in high school I was so jealous of you I could have bit your nose off if I got the chance.”

They both laughed at that. Kim caught a reflection of herself in the shiny plating on the corner of the wall, and she was shocked. Was that her? She worked all of the time, and when she wasn’t working she was trying to spend time with Derek or sleeping. Taking care of herself had fallen off the radar. There was just no time for that anymore. Who was that woman? Kim thought when she looked at herself. Where had she gone?

“I’m simply dying of thirst! I might collapse right here if I don’t get some champagne. Can we go into the party now? Please!” Sonya begged Kim.

Kim laughed. “Always the drama queen, hey, Sonya? Okay, let’s go!”