Heaven Tastes Like Peaches

Krystyna decided that she would not cry and in fact she did not shed a single tear. She paid the taxi driver and stood in front of the door of the gallery run by Henryk Kowalski. She had never been here because Józef did not think it was appropriate. She knew this place only from newspapers and from her son's stories.

Her heart was beating differently than usual, and as she stepped over the threshold she felt twenty years younger. The open room with white walls presented a neutral background for the paintings and sculptures displayed on it. There was no style dominating here. Surrealism, abstraction, modernism, cubism - to choose from. All these were the works of young, talented artists inspired by the masters, still looking for their own style. Henryk saw their potential and decided that it is worth investing in them. Krystyna looked around wondering which of the works might belong to Julia's son. Then she found Kowalski's gaze.

Henryk ... was here.

Of course he was, it was his gallery after all, and yet it was surprising to see him after so long. So much so that she didn't see the young gallery worker until he blocked her view.

"…in what…"

"I'll take care of the lady," Kowalski announced, pushing him gently aside.

The young man bowed and disappeared.

"Krystyna" Henry greeted her gently taking her hand. "What a lovely surprise! You look gorgeous!"

She knew he was lying. She wasn't as young as she used to be, and the unnecessary kilograms indicated that she was no longer as attractive, and yet she believed him. She believed his eyes, which looked at her in a way that made her blush the shy twenty-year-old she had been years ago.

"You haven't changed," she replied with a smile.

Has changed. He grew old and gray. But her heart said that he was exactly the same man who had once been very close to her.

"Glad to see you. Tell me, why do I owe this joy?"

"Domejczuk" she announced suddenly returning to reality.

"You heard about Sławoj," his voice turned sad. "It's a great loss, but he was old."

"Yes, unfortunately. Konrad said you took care of his grandson."

"Not really," he announced a little evasively. "The boy has a huge talent, but it's a raw diamond, not a diamond carved by the hand of master. And I, unfortunately, am not a grinder."

"I'd like to buy some of his works."

"Have you seen them?" Henryk asked curiously.

"No. I want to buy them anyway. As much as I can afford. I feel like I owe it to Julia."

She knew that this was not a typical way of dealing in works of art, so she was not surprised when he led her into his office and asked directly:

"What's happening?"

"Sławek has a debt to pay off his grandfather. I want to help him pay him off, but if he looks like his parents, he won't accept any alms. That's why I want to buy his works."

"I'm afraid it won't be possible."

"What? Why?"

"I already have a buyer."

"Really?"

Henryk smiled kindly.

"Really," he confirmed. "Before you walked in, I finished talking to your son. He was just as surprised as you are."

"But ... I hear it's hard for new artists to start."

"Very hard. Fortunately, I have a regular recipient, a young Arab Emirates sheikh who likes Sławek's style very much. The boy has talent, but he is also lucky to find his taste."

"I have to admit, I'm surprised."

"Me too. My client is fabulously rich and capricious. It's hard to find something that he would like to see. Nevertheless, he liked all of Sławek's works. Unfortunately, these are trifles. I can't ask too much for them. The boy needs to do something big. Fast."

"Has he already started work on this great work?"

"Oh yes. I hope he will finish it soon. Konrad promised that he would make sure that he was on time. He becomes an excellent patron of the arts."

Krystyna smiled, pleased with the compliment to her son. Like every mother, she was proud that someone praised her baby.

"You really think so?"

"Why would I lie? It seems he got into your great-grandfather."

During the Second Polish Republic, her great-grandfather ran a house open to artists in Lviv, and outstanding personalities from Lviv and Krakow used to visit his salons. He was a patron for several of them and promoted their art not only in Poland. The Second World War and subsequent political turmoil meant that he lost his property and the whole family had to move west. They settled in Lublin, where Krystyna's grandfather also dealt with the promotion of art, but times were not favorable to him and her family never reached the status from before the war.

"Konrad is actually interested in art, although he does not do it consciously" she admitted. "It might indeed be in his blood."

"You should encourage him to go to college in this field. I know" Henryk Kowalski added quickly "Józef may be against it, but in this profession we work with no less money than he does. That should convince him."

Krystyna curled her lips, which did not escape Kowalski's notice.

"Did… I say something wrong?" He asked.

"No," she said quickly. "It is only…"

She wanted to tell him about the conversation she had with her husband. About how she suddenly realized what a mistake she had made in marrying him, but she was ashamed.

"It's just ... It's hard for me to think that Konrad will go to college. He is still a small child to me."

"And I see him as a young man with great potential. The boy has an artistic sense and a great eye. Who knows if in a few years he will not be my biggest competition."

Yes, it is possible, thought Krystyna. With the talents of her great-grandfather and grandfather, and the determination that he shows now, with a little hard work, Konrad can really achieve success. It would be beautiful if his driving force was the friendship between him and Sławek, a friendship as beautiful and strong as between Julia and her.

"It is true that I have already sold Sławek's works" Henryk changed the subject "but I brought some Sławoj's sculptures. Maybe you want to see them?"

"Of course!" She exclaimed excitedly, feeling how her age was waning. "I have always been delighted with his works! Have you already sold these…?"

"No. Not those yet."

"Then let's go watch them and then we will talk about the price ..."

***

The blue of the irises, however, was embedded in the red and slightly swollen eyelids, which clearly indicated that Sławek had been crying recently. And it wasn't comical any more.

"But ... How is that possible?" Domejczuk asked once again.

"I told you - you have talent."

"But ... the talent itself ..."

"Look, you're absolutely right. Talent alone is definitely not enough. It still takes a lot of work and a lot of luck. You work hard and the knowledge of Henryk helped you."

"And my acquaintance with you. Thank you!"

The enthusiasm and honesty in his voice made Konrad feel embarrassed. He didn't deserve that gratitude, after all, he did nothing but make one phone call and take a few photos. Henryk took care of the rest. Despite the fact that the gratitude was not deserved, the expression on Domejczuk's face, especially his eyes in the color of the purest sky, pleased Skalski. He really wanted to see that face as often as possible. His smile widened.