Hey, love, I’m back!
… Look at you.
Your review must have come in —
It must have come in good —

Hello, sweetheart.
It did.
It’s on the table

“Blah, blah,
  exhibit of seven new artists…
  trailblazing work of Hugh Gonzalez..
  technical mastery…
  shifting paradigms as a paradigm in itself…”

Yeah, that reviewer
Loved him some Hugh.
Hugh’s stuff is amazing…

Okay, here.

“The work of Janey Servant
  brings up the important question
  of the role of the modern artist
  in making sense of the American past.
  her vibrant cityscapes are evocative
  without ever being nostalgic —
  she tells stories, almost parables,
  and her encyclopedic “Mill Town” was the finest
  and most finished piece in the entire exhibit.”

Wow!

I know, right?
She said modestly

You’re even doing your own adverbs now.
Well, you’ve earned it.
We should go out
And celebrate

I need a few hours to finish
The part of this I want to get done
Today

Okay, no worries.
I have some things I was going to do
This weekend.
I’m going to hit the shower, then
Head out.

Sounds good.
Can you bring me some iced tea
Before you get in the shower?

Sure thing.
I’m so proud of you, I can’t even
Speak.
Were you surprised?
That guy didn’t show
A lot of emotion
Going through the gallery

I was hopeful.
He spent a lot of time in my area,
And he came back for a second look at
“Mill Town” before leaving.

So…
Is this now going to be like
“A Star Is Born”
Where your career
Starts its meteoric rise, while
Mine crashes down into a spiral
Of drunkenness and depression?

Dear,
You are a mathematician.
Most people don’t even think
You even have feelings,
Let alone moods.
And, you don’t drink

Yeah, good points, those.
Well, when you become world-famous,
Don’t forget the broken-down
Actuary who loved you when
You were still a starving artist

Not starving.
Thirsty.

Oh, that’s right.
Iced tea