Mid-June 2005

“I think art school is a fabulous idea,” her mother said as they sat sipping at their cups of tea and her mother flipped through a catalog that she had downloaded from the Internet.

“Really? Because Roy…”

“Forget what Roy said,” her mother interrupted. “We all know what Roy said. We all know what Roy thought. I think that art school is a fabulous idea.”

“Really?” her eyes brightened.

“Of course! You’re a brilliant and talented artist!” her mother exclaimed as she flipped through the rest of the book.

“Oh great, because…”

“The only problem is,” Pam’s face immediately dropped down to the table, “well, I don’t quite know how you’re going to afford living in New York City. Getting into the school won’t be too difficult, and if anything you can take out loans for school but…well, honey, you do know how much it costs to rent an apartment in the city…right?”

“Yes,” she said nodding sadly and taking a long sip of her tea.

“I could certainly help you out, and you have some inheritance left from both your grandparents and your father but…”

“You’d be willing to help me pay for an apartment?” she asked, her eyes lighting up again.

“Well, not forever,” her mother replied. “You’d have to find a job, of course. And, well, I’m not going to pay for everything…”

“But you’ll help me out?” she asked.

“You realize that you have to send in a portfolio before they’ll consider you for enrollment, right?” her mother asked, pointing out a page about enrollment information.

“I kind of…I already did,” Pam replied shyly.

“Well, aren’t we prepared?” her mother responded happily. “How did you pay for it?”

“I…” she looked back down at the table and fiddled with her bare fingers, “I may have sold my engagement ring…”

“Pam!”

“What? It’s not like I was going to use it again, it’s not like I had any reason to keep it,” she said indignantly. “And I got a lot of money from it. There were a lot of diamonds in it. It was an expensive ring.”

“But it was your engagement ring.”

“And my engagement in over,” she said flatly. “And I used the money for something good.”

“How many schools did you apply to?” her mother asked, her eyebrow rose speculatively.

“Four,” she replied.

“And this brochure here?” her mother asked holding up the booklet.

“It’s my top choice,” she replied.

“So what did you send to the schools?”

“A couple still life watercolors,” Pam replied shyly. “And a couple of charcoal sketches. I hope they like them.”

“Well, if they have half a brain inside of their heads, I can’t imagine why they would turn you down,” her mother responded.

“Art schools can be really tough though, mom,” she said as she ran her finger absentmindedly around the rim of her cup. “I mean, they’re really competitive. Most schools really look for the absolute best candidates that they can find.”

“And what makes you think that you’re not the best candidate?” her mother asked as she pushed the brochure back towards Pam.

“Well…I’ve never exactly had the most formal training,” Pam responded, a twinge of sadness in her voice. “I haven’t taken an art class in…six or seven years?”

“So?”

“There are people that are applying to these schools who are fresh out of specialized art schools that are vying for the same acceptance that I am!” she sighed. “I want this so badly, mom, I really, really do.”

“Then you just have to keep trying,” her mother reached out across the table and covered her daughter’s hand with her own. “There are people who have to work years for their talent and there are people who are born with it. You, my dear, you are born with it.” Pam smiled weakly. “And you know what? You may be rejected a couple of times. You may not get into your first choice. You may have to apply to other schools, you may have to try someplace other than New York. But believe me; if this is what you want, you need to go after it. You need to never, ever give up.”

“Thanks, mom,” she said as she pulled her hand away from her mother’s and took another long sip of tea.

“So when do you think that you’ll hear back from a school?” Pam shrugged.

“They usually say that it can take anywhere from two weeks to two months,” Pam said. “I figure if I’m lucky, I’ll be able to get into a school by fall.”

“Well then,” her mother said with a smile on her face. “It looks like my lovely daughter is going to be back for a while.” She stood up and walked over to where Pam sat and placed a loving kiss on the top of her head.

“I can stay here until September?” Pam asked.

“You can stay as long as you need to,” her mother replied. “It’s not like there’s anyone else living here right now. I’ll enjoy the company.” Pam smiled. “And in the meantime, you can keep your eye out for apartments that are available in New York City.”

“Thanks, mom,” she said as she finished off the rest of her tea. “For everything. For absolutely everything.”

“It’s the least I can do.”