A Double Whammy Of Loss

It was a tough week. Work was like hell with a paycheck.  I fielded endless texts from Bruce as his relationship ended on the day of his mother’s funeral.  A double whammy of loss for Bruce.  A break up two weeks after buying wedding rings at David Yurman.  On the bright side, Bruce’s mother funded his private jet travel for the foreseeable future.  What a parting gift!

I was in need of art.  Bart and I attended Space Gallery’s 20^th Anniversary opening/celebration. The art was stellar.  It brought peace to my soul.  I ran into an old friend who recently moved back to Denver.  He immediately zeroed in on Bart after introductions were made.  Bart could have cared less as the man didn’t look like an emancipated meth addict, his favored body type.  Odd, yes, but there is so much about Bart that is odd.  This was the second time in as many weeks that I introduced Bart to a man who immediately started hitting on Bart.  Bart wasn’t interested and it clearly showed.  If anything, Bart is a man magnet. 

Here’s my favorite painting of the night:

Patricia Aaron, Nothing But Blue Skies (Cape Town, South Africa), beeswax, pigment and mixed media on panel, 36 x 36, $6,500, Space Gallery.

Read Full Post »

Bittersweet

One friend experiences an emotionally uplifting day when he finishes cancer treatment, while simultaneously, on the same day, another friend experiences an emotionally devastating day when his mother succumbs to cancer.  I’m torn between being elated for one while helping the other grieve and be supportive. Why does life have to be so bittersweet?

Read Full Post »

An $800 Bar Tab

I woke up this morning with the cat purring next to me.  The bedroom was filled with chilled air thanks to a window I cracked open before going to bed last night.  It was one of those great mornings after a night of deep sleep.  The bed felt unbelievably comfortable. I had fond memories of Friday night’s adventure. I texted a safe travel message to Bruce who was sitting on plane at DIA waiting for departure.

Yesterday, Bruce received a call from one of his sisters advising him his mom had taken a turn for the worse and would be entering hospice care.  He was a wreck.  Many texts back and forth.  LA, for some unknown reason, was being uncommunicative.  Bruce and I talked several times.  Bruce was arranging flights to Iowa.  I agreed to watch his dog until Mike could take the dog to his house.  The plans changed relentlessly.  The final plan was for Bruce to fly out first thing this morning.  LA would arrive Saturday afternoon.  Bruce’s neighbor, Jill, would watch the dog until LA arrived.

Bruce was a mess.  His mom’s rapidly declining health along with relationship issues put Bruce in a glum mood.  I suggested having dinner.    

We had dinner at an upscale chain restaurant in Cherry Creek.  I steered the conversation to real estate in order to avoid talking about his mom’s pending death, or his issues with LA.  Bruce is a newly licensed real estate agent in Denver.  He’s building his brand and trying to develop a clientele.  Discussing real estate soon had Bruce in a much better mood.

Bruce had secured after dinner reservations at a private speakeasy deep in bowels of one of the new chic boutique hotels in Cherry Creek.  After dinner we dropped his car off with the hotel’s valet and searched for the unmarked entrance.  After some effort we found a doorbell next to an unmarked door in the alley.  Soon we were being escorted two floors underground to a beautifully decorated lounge with dim lighting and a semi-circular bar.  The room evoked a long-forgotten era.  We settled on two different elaborately-concocted gin cocktails.  Both were very tasty.  The conversation turned to his relationship woes.  Two hours later Bruce picked up the almost $800 bar tab (two cocktails and two very expensive shots of scotch, neat).  We headed upstairs to get a private tour of the hotel’s art collection because, of course, Bruce knew someone at the hotel.  The tour started with complimentary top-shelf tequila shots on the rooftop deck next to the pool.  I knew many of artists whose work hung in the hotel.  It’s an amazing collection. 

After the tour, Bruce retrieved the car from the valet and drove me home.  Despite Bruce’s relationship woes, it was a most enjoyable night.  I managed to put Bruce in a better mood.  We had good food and outrageously-expensive liquor along with seeing stellar art.  It was a great way to start the weekend.

Read Full Post »