Chapter 3: The Artist known as Mia

The following week got a phone call from Emily.

“Hi Aunt Kathy, I’ve got those wall art frames finished the ones I told you about, can I come and show you?” she asked.

“What wall art” I enquired.

“You know those old plans you found.” She continued, “You told me it was ok to turn them into wall art.”

“Oh yes, the original drawings, OK yes now I remember. Yes come on down and show me.” I told her.

“Can I bring a friend with me?” she wanted to know.

“Of course you can, come around home, we’ll have lunch together. Who is your friend?” I wanted to know.

“It’s Mia, you haven’t met her yet but it is important to me that you meet her.”

“Is it now?” I asked.

“Yes it is, you will like her.”

I heard other voices in the background and a lot of giggling. There is something about a young woman giggling that shoots to my core, like a burning arrow. I shifted in my office chair.

“When do you want to come down to the old place?”

“Is tomorrow too soon?” She asked of me.

“Not at all, looking forward to it. Say hi to your mum for me.”

“OK, I will. Love you.” And she hung up.

I thought to myself, that this was the first time she wanted to introduce a friend to me, although she had often turned up with friends in the past. Something was afoot. I had known for some time that my grandniece wasn’t into boys and I also knew her family thought that one lesbian in the family was enough. Not a fight I would ever walk away from but families are a weird beast.

So I rang my brother, Emily’s Grandfather, and went through my normal update of the family business. Told him that we might have to have the Divitt street property empty for a while. He was nonplussed about it, and when I told him why, he was even pleased.

I did a bit of fishing while I had him on the phone. “How’s everything your end?”

“How’s Miriam.” I asked.

“Good as far as I know, why?”

“No reason, just asking.”

“Come on Kathleen, you don’t idly ask after Miriam, so what’s on your mind?”

I must admit, he could always read me like a book.

“I’m having lunch with Emily tomorrow, she’s bringing a friend with her, to meet me.” I told him “She has had the original blue prints to Divitt Street framed as some wall art or something. Fancy one for your study?”

“Has she now, and who is her friend this week?” He said sarcastically.

“Mia.” I told him. “Why be so hard on her, honestly, you can be cruel sometimes.”

There was silence for a short while.

“I can’t say I have met her but I can see now I know why you asked after Miriam.”

“Well, what have you heard and how is it all being handled, not that it is any of our business is it?” I told him

“Actually and you will be totally surprised by this, nobody has said anything to me. Not even Emily.”

“Well maybe it isn’t a big deal?” I reminded him.

“I would hope that she would introduce her friend to her family first.”

“What am I then, chopped liver? Maybe she is seeing how her favourite great Aunt feels about it before throwing her friend to the wolves.” I said with a laugh in my voice.

“You’re her only bloody great Aunt.” He replied laughing.

“But in answer to your original question yes. Yes I want one for our place. There should be plenty to go round, from memory there was something like 20 drawings to start with. And what I only get one? He continued “On the other matter, nobody has said tickity boo to me.”

We said our good byes and went through our customary we should catch up. Which we never seemed to do.

I hung up the phone and was pleasantly surprised that there wasn’t a big commotion about Emily’s friend. Maybe the family has grown up a little bit.

Emily turned up as arranged and rang the front door bell. I opened the door, and smiled at her, she hugged me as she had always done and gave me a little kiss on my cheek. She felt good in my arms.

She was small in stature, just reaching 5ft, petite, pale, slim, the cutest smile and sparkling eyes. She was pixie like, with her short cropped hair, fashionably, tinted blue on the tips. Her skin tight yoga pants hid nothing, and her sports top was just enough to make her decent. Her small child like breasts, showed off her nipples as pointed diamonds. Small but rock hard.

But she was also feisty, her mother said she got that from her late father’s side or my side of the family. She would speak her mind, on any subject, showing enough respect to the person that she was debating, that she thought they might deserve.

Any person who tamed her was going to be extra special.

As we entered the front door, Emily, pulled in her friend by the hand, “Aunt Kathy, this is my special friend Mia Di Lombardo.” The way that Emily looked at her I knew she was head over hills in love.

“Hello Mia, good to meet you.” I told her.

“And you Mrs Ambrose.” She replied.

I smiled, “It isn’t Mrs and you too can call me Aunt Kathy.

Mia was taller than our Em, by some 6 inches, a little fuller, but not overly large, her T Shirt showed her very masculine but trimmed body, which seem to ripple against her tight T shirt. One would say an athlete’s body at first glance. Dark complexion, black hair, very Mediterranean, a very handsome young lady. Her hand shake was firm, and she looked you straight in the eye. I was pretty sure, it wasn’t her I heard giggling in the back ground on the phone yesterday.

I ushered them into the family room, keeping the more formal front room and dining room for more auspicious occasions.

“So where are these pictures you told me about?” I asked.

“Wall Art Aunt Kathy.” I was told in reply.

“OK Wall Art.” I replied slowly.

“In the car.” She told me and went to rise, when Mia put a hand on her leg, and told her to stay, and that she would go and bring it in.

I looked on and was somewhat surprised by how compliant Emily was.

Mia left the room and immediately, Emily grabbed my hand with her two and was gushing with delight. “This is real Aunty, I mean really real.” Emily explained to me.

I smiled at her then said “Really real as opposed to a teenagers crush, maybe?” I felt guilty as soon as I said it.

She looked sad momentarily. “This is no schoolgirl crush, honestly.” She sternly stated.

“Fine, I believe you, then let it play out, don’t rush it.”

“I will need your help with mum and grandpa though.” She asked changing her tone.

Mia walked back into the room carrying a huge three foot by two foot glassed framed blue print. If it was heavy she didn’t let on. Her biceps bulged and the tattoos on her arms highlighted her masculine look.

It was magnificently presented I thought to myself.

The blue prints were great too. The dark red wooded frame, setting off the dark blue drawing, complete with faded water marks.

“Oh wow” I exclaimed. As I went to help her and Emily sat where she was. “Let’s put it up on the mantel piece shall we, I’ll just move these old things out of the way.”

I looked at Emily who was still sat where she was told to be. “Emily, come grab these things for me please darling.”

She looked at Mia who I saw just smiled and it was only then that she came to grab the nic nacs off of the mantel piece for me.

It was truly a work of art.

The three of us stood back. I have seen some of the world’s greatest pieces of artworks. While this wasn’t to be compared to any of those, it still had the same impact on me as they had.

It took my breath away.

“Who did this, who took a piece of old paper and turned it into this? I asked them both.

I turned to look at them, Mia had her arm around Emily, hugging her. “Mia did Aunty, this was all Mia’s work.”

I think I saw Mia blush, although I can’t be certain.

“How many do we have?” I asked them.

“This is the only one I have completed so far Aunt Kathleen.” Mia told me with a smile on her face.

“I am so glad you liked it, I thought you might not, for some reason.”

“Stay here you two.” I told them and hurried out of the room. I went up to my office and got a permanent marker. When I walked in they were just breaking from a kiss, “Save that till later you two.” I told them, then handed the marker to Mia, “on the back of this one I want you to write the following for me.”

“Presented to Kathleen Ambrose by the artist Mia Di Lombardo and date it today. Then sign it.” The business woman in me came to light.

“On the next two write the same thing except use Terence Ambrose and mark them 1 and 2 please.” I instructed her.

“On all the others write Presented to the Ambrose family, date it when you finish each one and autograph it. How many are there by the way?”

Emily spoke up, “Aunty, they cost us about seven hundred dollars each to do.” I noted the use of the word ‘us’ but let it fly. “And there are twenty three in total.” She explained.

“Mia DI Lombardo, I am commissioning you to produce these for the Ambrose family, at a $1000 dollars each, is it a deal?” I asked ‘them’.

Mia smiled and held onto Emily’s hand, as she brought it to her lips and kissed her hand.

“Yes Aunt Kathleen, we have a deal.”

We shook hands, I hugged her and kissed her cheeks. How very Italian of me I thought.

Emily jumped into my arms. “Thank you a thousand times over, thank you.” And she kissed me over and over again.

“OK lunch it is, down to the British Hotel on the river front I told them. Oh before we go, a word of advice to you both.” I said and then looking at Emily. “Don’t ever tell anyone the price it costs you when you are selling something to them, especially family, we will expect to get it on the cheap.” I smiled at her and cupped her cheek in my hand, then looking over her head at Mia. “You are truly lucky Mia.”

With that we headed off. On walking into the British Hotel, they were not all that busy, and the manager Anthony came up to me, shaking my hand, smiling, “Hi Kathleen, lunch for 3 or just some wine?” He asked.

“Lunch, please Anthony, but we are celebrating as well.” I informed him.

“Oh good, what’s the occasion then?” He asked.

“A successful business deal.” I told him.

He escorted us to the riverfront room, where my table by the large window was permanently set for four people, complete with a ‘Reserved’ sign.

Kim our waitress removed one setting, and as we sat down, then asked generally, “Are we all drinking wine over lunch?”

“Yes I think so.” I replied. I looked at Mia who nodded and told me, “My parents are Italian so I’ve been drinking wine with meals since I was 10.”

Kim then turned to Emily, and asked of me “Is the young girl also drinking wine or maybe she might enjoy one of our mocktails?”

I smiled and bit my tongue, it wasn’t the first time that 19 year old Emily had been mistaken for someone a lot younger. “Emily is my Grand Niece, and she is of legal age to drink, thank you Kim.”

She smiled awkwardly at me, nodded and went on her way.

“Trust me to order ladies? I take it we have no dietary needs I need to take into account?” I asked and then without waiting for an answer signaled for Anthony to take our order.

“Veal Saltimbocca for 3 please Anthony, and a bottle of the Bin 28 please.” I instructed him. He nodded, without writing anything down and disappeared.

Emily excused herself to the ladies room and left Mia in my very capable hands. I waited until Emily was out of earshot, then turned to Mia.

“So how long have you two been a couple?” I asked directly.

“About 3 months officially, but we’ve known each other when we were at high school. I was finishing the year Em was starting, but we ran into each other at different times.” She told me.

“Who else knows about you two, apart from your friends? Your family for instance?”

“Oh yes, they love Emily, we have our own room at home. Mum and Dad have known since I was an early teenager. I told them, they said fine, and it didn’t bother anyone. Even my bis nonna says it is good that I have found love and I’m happy.”

“Bis Nonna?” I enquired.

“Grand Mother.” I was told.

“Getting Bis Nonna’s approval was far more important than even my parents, believe me, what she says goes.” She said with a serious look on her face.

“Well Emily’s family is a little different, but you have my support.” I told her.

“I know they are Aunt Kathleen, I have never been in the closet, and have no intention of going into one now, Em knows that and she is scared. Which is why she has brought me here to meet you.”

“Do YOU think, ... that she needs my approval?” I smiled as I asked her.

“I think she is scared of what you think and how her mother may react.” Came the reply.

“Her mother and Grandfather I can talk to when I need to. They won’t be an issue for her. Where do they think Emily sleeps when she doesn’t come home at night?” I asked her. “They may seem a bit naïve, but they aren’t, and if they haven’t said anything to either of you then it won’t be a problem,” I informed her.

She shrugged “I’ve never asked about their discussions and Em has never offered any.”

“I only want what is best for her, so I will say this to you only once. You hurt her in any way and you will have to deal with me. Is that understood?”