i n c o n s o l a b l e

- chapter 54 -

| Elise |

It was a bizarre kind of feeling - being in a room full of wandering people deciphering each stroke and slash across a once-plain canvas. It was even more bizarre with those strokes and slashes were of her doing.

Elise leaned against the frame of the wide doorway which separated the gallery from the hallway which led through the rest of the building; it was, like most things in New York, grand. Glamorous. It was everything that she could have hoped for, and then some.

"It looks lovely, no?" A fashionable elderly lady which had once acted as her Admissions advisor says beside her.

"It's perfect, thank you so much for this opportunity."

"Ah, shush, work like yours needs to be shown to the world; it will make people think critically, Elise, and that is what art is all about."

Elise beamed as the lady walked away, she thought of everything she went through to reach this point, and it all somehow seemed worth it - well, almost all.

"Elise, darling!" Olivia said as she swept up beside her, "This feels absolutely magical, I'm so proud of you." She said, kindness seeping from her features.

"Thank you so much, for everything." Elise hugged her elbows, "I really couldn't have gotten through this process without you; it was difficult, but completely worth it." she said, echoing her thoughts.

Olivia grinned, "I think you've finally figured it out." she said, as she leaned casually against one of the starch-white pillars that were placed about the room.

"What do you mean by that, exactly?" Elise asked curiously.

"Well, it's actually pretty simple," She said while flipping back her pin-straight hair, it was dyed a deep auburn red and was as shiny as freshly frozen ice, "It's really not about forcing a kind of superficial happiness that masks your true unhappiness." She shrugged, "It's about not letting the sadness overwhelm you and pin you down. It's about finding happiness in the small things which seem unimportant at the time, but are, really, extraordinary when you reflect back."

Elise attempted to digest what she said, and smiled slightly, "It took me a few months, but you're right, I have figured it out." She laughed, "Well, kind of. It's still a work in progress."

"But you're much better than what you were when we last spoke."

"Completely."

"And that is all that matters." Olivia said sincerely, "Now, enjoy your evening, I shall see you again before the night is over." And she swept away with a kind of grace that should be envied by everyone.

Elise suddenly felt very confined. The praise made her uncomfortable, and Olivia's words echoed in her head. She turned and quickly made her way down the hallway beside the gallery.

She was walking aimlessly, and only at the top of the flight of stairs did she realize she had wandered to the rooftop. She felt herself relax as she stepped out; it was unusually warm for November. She didn't feel exposed in her velvety-attire.

Elise leaned calmly on the railing, taking in the scene around her; the sun was beginning to set and the most spectacular colors of red and orange and yellow were painted across the sky.

She wished she had an canvas and paint so that she could capture the beauty of the moment; seeing that she had neither, she closed her eyes, hoping to paint a picture in her mind so that she could remember this moment forever.