MY ART IS LOVING YOU

RESPONSIBILITIES

Gabriel

Today has been a hectic day. It’s been meeting after meeting, from one place to another, and I am exhausted. I just want to get home, get into my jacuzzi, enjoy a nice glass of whisky, and have s*x. It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve talked to Lucrecia, and I haven’t reached out because I don’t want to give her the wrong idea that I agreed to be in a serious relationship with her.

That doesn't mean I neglect my needs though. While I am constantly surrounded by women, tonight I want something different from the usual. Something casual, meaningless, and free from any pressure. If I were to call Lucrecia, she would undoubtedly want to discuss our future and I am not in the mood for that kind of nonsense today. I could call Samantha, but she is too clingy and wouldn’t let me go that easily. Valeria is good in bed and enjoys being in control, but today I yearn for the opposite -I want to be the one in control. Unfortunately, that leaves me out of options. The other girls I know are out of town.

I could always go to a bar and pick up a stranger, then take her to a hotel room. But that would require flirting, getting to know her, and buying her drinks, and frankly, I’m too exhausted for that today. It’s in moments like these where I long for a woman who is eagerly waiting for me to come home, and always available to satisfy me.

“Mr. Ziegermann, we have arrived, Sir. Sir?!”

Petter’s voice snaps me back to reality. He has been my driver for ten years. Like Sebastian, he is both my friend and confident. I trust him with my life.

“What Petter? Why are you yelling at me?”

“We arrived. Your mind seems to be off in space somewhere.” He looks at me with concern and asks, “Can I help you with anything?”

“If you know how to change a woman’s perspective on commitment, you will solve all my problems. I can’t understand why they are so fixated on it.”

“It is easier to rebuild the Berlin Wall and for Trojans and Greeks to come to an agreement than it is to change a woman’s mind on that matter, my friend,” Petter replies sympathetically. “Why the question? Is Miss Lucrecia pressuring you or does another woman want a piece of you?”

“Well what woman doesn’t want a piece of this stud muffin,” we chuckle. “But seriously, I’ve been thinking that maybe I would want to have a woman different from all the others. One who could make me want to be romantic, trustful, and happy; someone more than just a one-night stand.”

“Who knows buddy,” Petter replies. “Maybe somewhere out there, is a woman waiting to turn your world upside down.” Could that be possible?

“No. I am certain that I would rather have casual s*x with many women who are open-minded about sleeping around, rather than one who pretends to be a saint but is actually worse than all the rest.”

“There’s a quote that goes: “FOR EVERY KING THERE IS A QUEEN”. You just haven’t found yours yet. But when you do find her, you will know. Trust me, I know.”

“Well then, let’s just wait for this queen to empty out my pocket,” I respond sarcastically.

“Why do you have such a low opinion of women? I know you have many, I have witnessed that, and I know that you treat them with respect. Who knows, maybe your queen is amongst them, and you are so blinded with this wrong idea you have of women, that you are incapable of seeing it. Who knows, maybe it’s even miss Lucrecia.”

“Seriously Petter,” I protest. “With all those women, when has it ever been slightly difficult for me to get into her pants? They may have their differences, but ultimately, they all want the same things: money, fame, and pleasure. They know how to put on a façade of innocence when it suits them. And Lucrecia is an expert in that. So, if she is supposed to be my queen, I would rather keep things as they are. I am leaving now, come pick me up in three hours. And stop acting so formal with me.”

“Yes, Sir. But while I am working, being formal is the correct thing to do. Just remember what I said.”

Later at the office, I find myself reviewing some notes Sebastian made while he was at Melithes Kerls Hospital. I probably should’ve gone to see how things were going, but I have more important tasks to attend to, so I sent Sebastian instead. After all, it’s his wife’s idea, right?

“Hey there bro” I hear Sabrina’s voice from the back of the room. She is standing at the door, arms crossed over her chest looking at me with anger in her eyes.

“Hey Doll. What brings you here? And what is with that expression on your face?”

“Oh, nothing. I just found out my husband missed a doctor’s appointment this morning because he went to supervise the renovation, which I thought my brother was going to handle. Care to explain?” Sabrina confronts me.

“First of all, calm down and take a seat. You remind me of Dad when he is angry at us, standing there like that. Secondly, I didn’t know Sebastian had a doctor’s appointment. Is he alright? And lastly, I had business matters to take care of Sabrina. I couldn't make it.”

“But you promised to go. When the workers see you, they immediately get to work because of how demanding you are. They get things done faster when you are around. Plus, you are the best architect I know,” Sabrina argues.

“What about your husband, Sabrina? Sebastian knows how to do his job. Don’t you trust him?” I ask her.

“Of course, I trust him. But I wanted you to be there today instead of him. I wanted you to see the place, understand its structure, and meet some of the doctors there. I can tell that you are not too enthusiastic about this idea.”

My sister knows me too well. I can’t lie to her. It’s true. When she first shared her ideas for the project with us, I thought it would involve making small changes in a few offices, like donating some equipment and then another foundation would handle the rest. That’s why I asked for the blueprints and budget. However, I haven’t seen her so excited in a long time, and Sebastian was genuinely happy to see her this way. It is very strange. They would exchange looks in a way you can tell they share a secret. I knew then, there is a deeper reason behind all this, something that means a lot to them, especially to my sister. But I wasn’t expecting it to cost so much, take up so much time, and all the materials it requires. It seems like she hasn’t quite realized the full extent of it yet.

“It’s not that I don’t like this project,” I quickly correct her, “But I had other obligations, and Sebastian is more enthusiastic about it than I am, so he went instead.”

“Gabriel, I understand that Sebastian is happy about this and will ensure things well. But you are much more objective than him and I don’t want anyone to take advantage of his kind-heartedness. That is why I want you there making sure that everything is in order. Promise me you will go,” She pleads.

I could sense that she is hiding something from me. They are keeping a secret, and as a good brother and friend, I know what I must do.

“All right, next time I’ll go. I’ll talk with whoever I need to be spoken to, take care of what needs to be done, and if necessary, fire whoever needs to be fired, ok?” she smiles while applauding.

“Wonderful. I’m sure you’ll like the changes we want to make once you see it. I have a hunch that you’ll end up loving this project even more than I do, “she replies, planting me a kiss on the cheek before leaving the room.

“Sabrina?" I call her, stopping her in her tracks, and she turns around with a huge smile on her face, “You know we need to have a conversation about why this is so important to both of you, right?”

“Someday brother, someday.” She replies mysteriously. And just like that, she left the room, confirming that there is definitely something more to this project than meets the eye. I know I have to put my best effort into it.