I smiled and didn’t answer, but in the end, it was Zoey that ended up being right about everything. The night turned out to be far from a disaster, and everyone actually seemed to get along. I was nervous of my parents and the airs they tended to put on without even realizing it, but it seemed that my exhibition had earned some respect because even my father no longer looked at me like I was a total failure. That and the fact that I had somehow managed to get Zoey back had obviously impressed them.
Seth had forgiven me too, and I was endlessly grateful that he and Zoey’s mom had been so kind and generous to me since Zoey and I had got back together. After everyone had toasted to Zoey’s new job and the champagne glasses were being cleared away, my father walked up to me.
Neither mom nor dad had brought up the fact that they had bought one of my paintings during the exhibition. I wondered if it was something they would rather I not have known about, but I couldn’t help myself.
“So… where have you put it?” I asked.
“Put what?” dad asked.
“The painting you bought,” I clarified. “My painting.”
Dad looked towards me, and I saw one corner of his mouth tilt upwards. It was the closest thing to a smile I had ever seen from him in the recent past.
“It’s in the study.”
I raised my eyebrows in disbelief. “Your study?”
“Yes.”
“But that’s your special, private, very important space. You’ve handpicked every single thing that went into that room.”
“I handpicked that painting,” dad told me. “So it fits.”
“You chose my painting?” I asked incredulously.
“Yes,” dad replied. “Does that surprise you?”
“Of course it does,” I nodded. “I thought mom had been behind the purchase.”
“It wasn’t her.”
I felt deeply touched at the thought that my father had not only come to my exhibition but he had swallowed his pride and bought one of my pieces. The fact that he had bought it said a lot. It said that he finally acknowledged that this was what I wanted to do with my life; he had finally acknowledged that I was not some talentless layabout who didn’t know what he was doing. This was his way of saying that finally after all these years he finally supported me.
“Dad,” I said. “I have the money to pay you back for the bail posting you made for me.”
“Consider the debt forgotten,” dad said, cutting me off. “I don’t need the money… nor do I want it.”
“But—”
“I appreciate you trying to pay me back but… it’s not necessary,” dad said, in his gruff manner. “Now we don’t need to speak about it anymore… agreed?”
I stared at him for a moment and then nodded slowly. “Ok, dad,” I said. “Agreed.”
“I’m glad you’ve managed to turn your life around, Devlin,” dad said, with his eyes trained on Zoey. “You’ve finally found your way.”
“Thanks, dad.”
“Remember not to let your guard down,” he continued, and I realized he was actually advising me. It was a very paternal thing to do, and I was taken aback by it for a moment. “Just because you’ve got everything you want doesn’t mean you can’t lose it.”
“I know, dad.”
“She’s a brilliant woman, Devlin,” dad said. “Make sure you don’t lose her again.”
“I won’t,” I said fervently.
That night after everyone had left, Zoey and I made love in our bed. We were lying naked, tangled up in the sheets when I told her about the next exhibition that Gordon was putting on.
“Oh my God!” Zoey practically screamed. “A whole exhibition just for your work. Devlin, why didn’t you tell everyone at dinner? We could have been celebrating that too.”