The Night Watchman

"You're a very interesting young man, Chad," Donna told him as she continued trying to make sense of his job and his education.

"I will take that as a compliment," he told her, "and as much as I've enjoyed talking with you, I do have a job to do, so if you'll excuse me..."

"Oh. Of course. I didn't mean to keep you. Please forgive me."

"Don't apologize. It's a rare pleasure to meet a woman who's both as beautiful and intelligent as you, Dr. Hartley."

"Thank you, Chad. That's so kind of you to say, but I'm not a PhD, so please call me Donna."

Chad smiled one more time, glanced at his watch then told her he really did need to go.

He went to leave when Donna said, "Chad?"

He stopped, turned to look at her, then waited.

"I'll um...I'll be here again around this time tomorrow. And most other evenings. If you'd care to talk some more. To discuss the painting, of course. Or Rembrandt. Or maybe just art."

Donna felt like she was back in high school talking to the cutest boy on campus rather than a master conservator-restorer talking to a modestly-educated art lover who worked as a security guard.

"Then on those nights when I'm working, I'll make it a point to stop by," he told her.

She could tell he was waiting for her to say something else or let him go, so she smiled at him and said, "I...I'd like that."

"Same here," he said before telling her yet again he really needed to go.

It took Donna a good 15 minutes to regain her focus on the painting as her short conversation with Chad, whose last name she still didn't know, took center stage in her mind. His extremely handsome face certainly played a role in this distraction, but most of all it was his ability to talk to her about the thing she loved the most. And no matter how physically attractive he might be, were he to bring up something like, say, whether she was a Cubs or a White Sox fan, she would have had no interest in him at all.

The disappointment she felt the next evening when someone else was on duty was as strong as her pleasant surprise from the night before. The good news was that he, too, was able to raise the veil, and a bonus was being able to really study the painting in detail without the distractingly good looking security guard named Chad.

The next morning she saw David who apologized for not having things ready for her. Two days in a row.

"No worries," Donna told him. "The security guards have been very good about giving me access."

"Ah, yes," he replied. "Were you aware that one of them is a graduate student at The School of the Art Institute?"

Donna blinked twice and shook her head in disbelief even as the fuzzy picture in her brain became a little clearer.

"Your alma mater," David said when she didn't reply.

"Would that be someone named Chad?" she asked.

"Yes. Very nice looking young man as I recall," David told her. "And that little girl of his is...adorable."

"Little girl?" Donna repeated, her brain fogging over again.

"Yes. After we hired him, he stopped by one day to sign some paperwork, and she was with him. Cute as can be and sweet as anything," David told her.

"Oh. Okay," Donna said as the number of pieces in the puzzle that was Chad continued to grow.

"At any rate, you shouldn't have any issues tonight," David told her as he handed her a new badge. "You now have the same level of privileges I enjoy."

He leaned closer then said with a laugh, "Don't let all this new power go to your head, though, okay?"

Donna made herself smile and promise she wouldn't as David told her he had a meeting to attend.

When she came back in that evening, she was indeed able to turn on the lights and raise the veil herself. She was deep in thought when a male voice spoke startling her so badly she yelped and jumped nearly a foot to the side.

"Sorry," a smiling Chad told her when she saw him.

"Shame on you! You nearly gave me a heart attack!" Donna said, her hand over her chest.

"I thought about saying, 'Psst!' or something else as I got closer, but you were so transfixed on the painting I couldn't bear to interrupt you."

He apologized again, and asked how she was doing. Other than her near cardiac event.

"I'm doing okay, thank you. And you?" Donna asked.

"I'm doing well myself," Chad told her, using the correct 'well' rather than 'good'.

He then raised his left hand to point to the painting, and Donna saw the wedding ring she'd missed before. For the briefest of moments, she felt a huge letdown as though her 'ideal prospect' had just evaporated before her very eyes. It didn't matter that he was also far too young to even consider. The whole thing was ludicrous, and after a few seconds she actually felt relieved. Now she could relax and just talk with someone who could at least hold his own with her.

"Did you notice this?" Chad asked as his index finger moved closer to the heavy plexiglass pane enclosing the painting.

"What is it?" Donna asked as she also moved closer.

"Well, you know how Rembrandt used smudging in his later works, right?"

She'd known that for nearly two decades but only said, "Sure. But this isn't one of them."

"Well, look right here from up close then keep your eye on that same area as we move away," Chad said, his finger still pointing and then drawing an air circle around a three-inch area.

"Okay. I see it," Donna said.

"Now. Walk back with me. Very slowly," he said as he reached over with his right hand and took her left.

It was purely platonic and Donna barely even noticed as she matched his movements.

"There! See it?" Chad asked.

"Oh, my...goodness! Yes! I do. That's...that's amazing!" she said, her voice filled with excitement.

"I know, right?" he replied using a catchy phrase that normally irked her. This time she not only didn't care, she didn't even notice.

"That's amazing, Chad! When did you see that?"

"Two nights ago. I came back after you left and spent my break time studying the painting and that just jumped out at me."

"It's so subtle and yet it's right there!" Donna said about the smudging she'd never seen nor heard of before.

She also had no idea he was still holding her hand until he looked at her and smiled. When he did, her heart skipped a beat before her brain reminded her he was a married man. She slowly let go, and when she did, Chad apologized.

"It's fine," she told him as she turned away and back to the painting.

Donna's attitude toward him seemed to change rather dramatically, so Chad told her he'd give her some time by herself.

"Oh. You're not bothering me," she told him. "I just overreacted a little. You know, with you being married and all."

"Oh," Chad replied very quietly. "Yes. That makes sense."

Sensing something was still wrong, Donna said, "I wasn't offended. At all. I know it wasn't any kind of...romantic gesture. We both just got caught up in seeing something new, and...it just happened."

When Chad excused himself without saying anything in reply to what she'd just said, Donna was wondering if perhaps it was more than platonic. It felt like she'd inadvertently 'called him out' for it, and he'd reacted the way a guilty person might.

As he walked away, Donna thought to herself that if he had been openly flirting with her while having a wife and child at home, then she was glad she'd done so. And by the time he disappeared from view, her view of him had changed completely, and not in a good way.

Chad wasn't working the next night, and Donna had the weekend off, but even so, she found herself back at the gallery when it opened the following Monday having all but forgotten about her 'unlikely soulmate'.

As it happened, this was the week prior to the Labor Day weekend, so the museum/Institute would be open on Saturday and Sunday but not on Monday. Crowds were rarely large unless a school sent students on a field trip, and to Donna's chagrin, not even this famous painting had attracted many new visitors. The flip side of that was that she'd talked her sister into joining her on Saturday, and they would be able to get reasonably close to it, just not nearly us close as she could at night by herself.

To say that Deanne was thrilled to be going was an understatement. In fact, she thought it would be so boring she didn't bring the girls with her.

They'd been standing in front of the Rembrandt for about ten minutes when Deanne asked how much longer they had to stare at the same boring painting. Donna rolled her eyes and was about to tell her it wouldn't be much longer when she heard a voice that sounded vaguely familiar quietly say 'hello'.

Deanne turned around first and the moment she saw the voice's owner said, "Well hello to you, too!"

Donna then turned around to see her sister smiling from ear to ear only to learn that the reason why was Chad. But the even bigger surprise was the very cute little girl standing next to him and holding his hand.

"Chad?" Donna said as she looked at him then at the little girl.

"Hi, Donna," he said very quietly.

"Ah, ha! So this is Chad," a Deanne said, the smile still glued to her face.

"Yes. This is Chad. Chad, this is my sister, Deanne."

Deanne's hand shot out as she said, "It is truly a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," Chad replied very quietly as he shook it. "And this is Annabelle. Or sometimes just Anna or maybe just Belle."

Both sisters bent down and said 'hi', but the shy little girl clung to her daddy's leg then hid behind it.

"She's a little bashful," he told them.

"She's adorable!" Deanne said as she continued trying to make friends.

"She is adorable," Donna admitted without looking at the girl's father.

"Thank you. I think so," he readily agreed. "I wanted her to see the Rembrandt even though she's too young to appreciate it."

"But not your wife?" Donna asked, her head slightly tilted and an eyebrow up just a touch.

Chad very quietly said, "Um...no. My wife died almost four years ago."

Donna's smug face went blank as she again looked at Chad then at Annabelle.

"I...I'm...Chad, I am so sorry," she said with pure, unadulterated sincerity and sympathy.

"Thank you," he replied.

"What did he just say?" Deanne asked as she stood back up having abandoned the 'let's be friends' routine for the time being.

"I'll tell you later," her sister replied as feelings of guilt and embarrassment welled up inside her.

"So have you discovered anything new?" he asked Donna, a pleasant smile back on his handsome face.

"No. Sorry," Donna told him. "At least...not about the painting."

She felt horrible for having assumed the worst, and were they not in public she'd have hugged Chad and probably cried when she apologized. But they were, so she only tried to smile and hope he wouldn't hate her. Then again, perhaps he had no idea what she'd been thinking and it would just go away on its own.

"Anna? You want to go look at the painting?" he asked.

The little girl didn't answer, but she did hold her arms out. Her dad picked her up and and said, "Okay. Let's go see those what those men in the painting are doing, shall we?"

Annabelle said, "Okay," very quietly, and Donna couldn't help but say 'ahhh!' as she moved aside for them to pass by and get a better look.

"Now I know why you spend so much time here at night!" Deanne told her sister just quietly enough that Chad couldn't hear.

Donna pulled her head back, made a face, then said, "What? That's ridiculous!"

"No, that's...gorgeous!" her sister said as she admired the man's 'booty'.

"Okay. He's not bad looking," Donna admitted.

"Not bad. Are you serious?"

"It doesn't matter anyway."

"Wait. He's married, huh? That's what you were saying, right?"

Donna turned her back to Chad then explained what he'd said.

Deanne covered her face with her hands in horror and said, "That is SO terrible!"

"Yes. And that poor little girl!"

Their discussion ended when they heard a tiny voice ask, "Daddy? Are they the three Mustakeers?"

They heard Chad say it correctly for her and Deanne grabbed her sister's arm and said, "She is so precious!"

"She's...a little doll," Donna agreed.

"Did he say how long it's been since...you know?"

"Around four years ago, and his daughter can't be much older than that, can she?"

"No. She might be five, but I'd say four. I don't know for sure, but that's my guess," Deanne said, using her girls as a guide.

Donna didn't say anything, but Deanne did.

"That's long enough, though, right?"

"Long enough for what?" Donna asked, her eyes open wide.

"Duh! Do I have to spell it out?"

"He's not even 30 years old, for heaven's sake!" Donna said, her whisper strained and nearly audible to others.

"And your point is?" Deanne asked with a little head shake.

"You're...you're just...amazing!" Donna told her as she turned away, shaking her head.

"So do you like it?" they both heard Chad ask his daughter.

"I guess," the little girl replied. "But can we go home now?"

He saw Donna out of the corner of his eye and knew she heard that exchange.

"So much for the cultural refinement of America's youth," he told her with a smile.

"She's probably just tired, Daddy," Donna said to Chad while trying to get Annabelle to smile at her.

"I'm not sleepy," the little girl informed her. "I almost never take naps anymore."

"Oh. I see," Donna told her, a smile on her face. "So can you tell me how old you are?"

"I'm this many," Annabelle told her as she held up four little fingers. "But I'll be five in..."

She turned to her father and asked, "How many more days, Daddy?"

"Just two more. On Labor Day."

"I'll be five in two more days," she parroted to Donna who managed not to laugh.

"I see. So that's why you hardly ever take naps, right?"

"Uh-huh," Annabelle agreed.

Deanne was right next to her sister, and Chad spoke to them both.

"Listen. I know we barely know each other, but we're having a birthday party on Monday. Would the two of you care to join us?"

"We'd love to!" Deanne said, answering for her sister, too.

"Deann!" Donna said, a smile on her face.

"What? It's a holiday, you have nothing to do, and I will find nothing to do."

"What about your girls?" Donna asked.

"Bring them!" Chad suggested immediately.

"Are you sure?" Deanne asked in that flirty way that was driving her older sister crazy.

"Yes. Of course. And there's no need to bring..."

He mouthed the word 'presents'.

"Just show up and have some cake and ice cream with us."

"I love cake and ous cream!" Annabelle said, smiling for the first time.

"Come on, Donna. Say yes!" Deanne insisted.

"Are you sure?" she asked Chad.

"Positive. Here. Let me give you my address and phone number."

He set Annabelle down and fished out his phone. As he did, Deanne elbowed her sister who understood why and shoved her back using her hip.

"You ladies okay?" Chad asked as he found his contact info and handed the phone to Donna. The phone that Deanne snatched and thanked him for.

"What time should we show up?" Deanne asked as she copied his number and address into her contacts list.

Chad provided the time and noticed the look on Donna's face. As he took his phone back he asked if he could have a minute of her time.

"I'll be right here," Deanne said with a devious smile which drew another look from her sister.

A few feet further away Chad asked if everything was okay.

"It's just a sibling thing," Donna told him.

"You don't need to apologize for her. She's actually quite charming."

Donna felt a little embarrassed as she said, "I guess I sometimes forget how wonderful she is. It's just that she's on some kind of mission to match me up and marry me off, and she can come across as...aggravating."

Chad laughed once he understood the dynamic.

"Okay. It all makes sense now. I have a younger brother and he's the um...more vocal one, too."

Donna laughed for the first time, as far as an actual, genuine laugh went.

"There's five years difference between us. How about between you and your brother?"

"Two years but you and Deanne remind me of my brother and myself."

"I won't ask if he's also a matchmaker," Donna said in a very subdued tone of voice out of respect for Chad's situation.

He smiled then told her, "Actually, he is. He keeps telling me it's been four years and time to move on."

He stopped for a moment, looked down then back at Donna before telling her, "If he saw us talking, he'd definitely try and pair us up."

Donna felt a flutter she hadn't felt in a long time. It, or whatever came with it, caused her to make a goofy noise and say, "Right. Like that's gonna happen!"

She was nervously laughing at her own comment until Chad winced and said, "Ouch."

It took her a second to understand, but she realized it sounded like she was implying he wasn't good enough for her.

"No. Chad, that's not what I meant. At all."

He smiled like he'd done before then said, "That's okay. You're a very beautiful woman and the head of restoration at one of the most prestigious art museums in the world. It's not like we're in the same league."

It was said politely and as a statement of fact. And the part about her job was true. But what was most surprising to Donna was the overwhelming feeling of some kind of huge letdown because of what he'd just said. That feeling made no more sense to her than the rush of elation she'd experienced just moments before.

"It's okay, Donna. I don't take that sort of thing personally," he told her in a way that said he did. Or at least that he had in this particular case.

Now feeling foolish Donna just stood there, unable to look at him.

"I should really be going. My little princess here doesn't seem to get the same kind of joy we do from the Rembrandt, so we'll leave you and your sister to enjoy it," Chad told her.

"My sister has the same level of interest in it as your daughter," a very confused Donna told him as she tried her best to smile and sound like her old self.

Chad laughed politely and again told her he understood.

"My brother has no interest in art and absolutely hates classical music, but it's my music of choice."

"Wait. What...what did you say?" Donna asked with a tiny little shake of her head.

"I enjoy other kinds of music, too," Chad replied as though he thought Donna disliked his favorite genre as much as his brother. "It may be illogical, but I love country music, almost as much as classical. So please don't think I'm a total nerd because art and classical music are my passions."

"That's...that's just cr..." Donna began before Deanne called out to her.

"Are you two planning your future life together or something?"

Her words took an extra second to sink in, and when Chad laughed and commented on them, Donna laughed, too.

"You weren't kidding, were you?" he said.

"Nope. It's pretty much a constant theme with her."

"I know you're talking about me!" Deanne called out.

"We really should go," Chad said again.

"Oh. Right. Sure," Donna said as she tried to get Annabelle's attention.

"Maybe I'll see you again sometime, okay?"

"She's coming to your birthday party, honey," her dad explained.

When Annabelle held her arms out to Donna, the woman's heart went pitter-patter.

She looked at Chad who smiled and said, "Go ahead."

Donna took the sweet little girl in her arms and said, "Well, hello there!"

"You're very pretty," the almost-five-year old told her.

"You are SO sweet!" Donna said back. "And you're very pretty, too!"

"Thank you," Annabelle said. "I'm glad you're coming to my party."

"Yes. Me, too, sweetie."

And with that she wanted her daddy again, so Donna handed her over.

"She is so sweet!" she told him as she passed her back.

"Except at bedtime, right?" he said to his daughter.