Categories > Movies > Breakfast Club > Of Big Shots and Bohemians
Three weeks passed quickly, and things were looking fairly tragic as far as paying the rent went. Helene couldn't get her job back, Aaron's check never came in, and Allison's job wasn't cutting it. Andy repeatedly asked if he could be of assistance, and time and time again Allison refused. The burning ruse did work, and when the landlord came around, Allison claimed she never got the notice. He bought it and gave them a month to either pay or move out. The trio had to move quickly.
Meanwhile, Andy and Allison didn't have a squabble since Andy finally humbled before Allison and begged her forgiveness. He would drop by the apartment 4-5 times a week after work, and Allison and Vanessa never met up again. Andy would sometimes stay for dinner, and drinks after (sometimes they'd watch TV or tell funny stories from the past decade). Allison was beginning to teach Andy yoga as well (surprisingly, Mr. Sport-O had trouble finding his balance and couldn't do the most flexible positions!). He got to know Helene and Aaron very well, and they were becoming a quartet again. Meanwhile, Vanessa was wondering why she was seeing less and less of her fiancé each night. Andy would come home beaming with smiles. She'd ask him where he was. His excuse was different every night. Vanessa, not being overly intelligent, never made the connection that it was Allison and her roommates he was seeing. Life was finally going up.
Except for the fact that in a month's time, Allison, Helene, and Aaron would be homeless. During the days while Andy was at work, the bohemians would go out job hunting. Aaron applied everywhere he could put his writing talents to use, Helene played on a street corner and visited some local talent agencies, and Allison stayed at home, furiously painting. Maybe someone would buy a painting for a few hundred. Three paintings sold would get them rent money for a month. It was brutal for Allison. She couldn't whip off paintings like an assembly line! Paintings came from the heart. Allison would look all over the place for inspiration. Little came.
One afternoon, by late April, Allison was on the porch painting the skyline, when Helene burst onto the deck proudly with a man at her side. The man was middle-aged, dressed in a business suit, with bifocal glasses and a receding hairline.
"Oh god, Helene! I TOLD you prostitution does NOT work!" said Allison.
"Oh no, Allison! You'll like this guy!" said Helene. "He's my brother's old teacher from Belgium who emigrated here. He's interested in some of your paintings..."
Allison jumped up excitedly and shook the man's hand. "What's your name?"
The man's accent was thick, but understandable. "My name is Didier Luc Javert III. May I see what you have?" he asked. Allison nodded eagerly and led the man inside. She took him into her bedroom and placed several of her works on the bed. Mr. Javert turned to Helene. "Helene, may I have a cup of tea?"
"Sugar or milk?" she asked.
"Neither, merci, mon chere!" Helene beamed happily and trotted to the kitchenette. Allison didn't get why she was so happy. People came to ogle her paintings many times...no one every bought one. Mr. Javert studied several canvases.
"I have more if you want them!" said Allison, going to the closet she kept her older canvases in. Mr. Javert shook his head. He gazed at the painting Allison had done with the girl under the tree with the bark switched with the pink fabric of her dress. Mr. Javert picked this up and grinned.
"Ah! Oui! C'est formidable!" exclaimed Mr. Javert.
"Pardon?" asked Allison.
"Forgive me, my English is weak, Mademoiselle. This painting is wonderful! I find it glorious!"
"Thank you, sir," said Allison. Of all times to forget her high school French!
"I am rather fond of this, I think I shall buy it!" he declared.
"How much can I get for it?" Allison expected a range of between 100-300 dollars. They weren't exactly Rembrandts.
"How does 5,000 dollars sound?" offered Javert. "I tend to bid low to start, if you want more, I'll offer it to you," he insisted. Was Allison deaf? Did he just offer a MINIMUM bid of 5,000 bucks??? That was...holy cow, rent for a year PLUS food! Allison could buy some new clothes, new art supplies! But she could get MORE too?
"One moment, please. Feel free to look at my others..." Allison sped out to the kitchenette where Helene was brewing Mr. Javert's tea.
"He's offering me a MINIMUM of 5,000 for a SINGLE painting!"
"Mademoiselle!" called Mr. Javert from the bedroom. "I am also interested in the two others on the pillows, how much will you take for them?"
THREE PAINTING AT 5,000 EACH?! 15,000 was a pretty nice load!
Helene shook her head. "Ask for double, and he'll pay it gladly!" she advised. Allison ran back into the bedroom like a little girl running on the playground.
"10,000 a painting, not a cent less!" she asked of Mr. Javert. He smiled.
"I see you are in for some money! Well, these are exquisite pieces, I'll pay it! Merci, Mademoiselle!" Mr. Javert got out his checkbook. Helene brought in Mr. Javert's tea, and as he sipped it, Allison and Helene gave each other a happy thumbs-up. 30 grand!!! THIRTY FUCKING GRAND!!! "Who do I make this out to?" asked Mr. Javert.
"Allison Reynolds!" Allison proclaimed. Mr. Javert nodded and began filling out the check. Allison was about to explode in ecstasy. Mr. Javert finished the check and handed it to Allison, who wanted to make out with it.
"Your pieces will be hanging in about a week's time in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Abstract wing," Mr. Javert informed.
WHOA BABY! WHAT KIND OF SICK JOKE WAS THIS? "Did, he just say my work will hang in the MMA?" Allison asked Helene. This was surreal. Helene nodded.
"He's a collector for them! That's why he moved here! He taught art!" Helene said. "You're in a museum, Ally!"
Allison fainted.
~~~~~
"So you're saying 30,000 dollars and she's going to be in an abstract wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art?" Allison blinked awake. She was lying on the sofa with Andy looking down at her, holding an ice pack to her forehead. Helene and Aaron stood over them.
Helene nodded. "Thank god I found him while at the agency this morning!" Helene said.
"I, wha-?" Allison muttered. Andy smiled and looked up at Helene and Aaron.
"She's awake!" he said. "Allison, you okay?"
Allison nodded. "Andy? Yeah, I'm...in a museum!" She declared. Andy nodded happily.
"I heard! No one deserves it more than you! Thirty thousand dollars! Guess you won't have a problem with rent now!" he said.
"You, you seem happier than I do!" said Allison to Andy. Andy chuckled.
"Way to go, Mouse!" said Aaron. Helene put her hand on Aaron's arm.
"Let's leave them alone for awhile," Helene said, winking at Aaron. Aaron nodded and they left. Andy smiled down at Allison. He liked the way her hair spread out on the pillow and how when she smiled her nostrils flared. Her eyes (while a little red) were glowing with excitement. Suddenly Aaron's words about Andy still being in love with Allison echoed in his memory. Allison was strikingly pretty, but Vanessa WAS a model, after all. Andy knew Aaron was ridiculous.
"Andy, Mr. Javert said I was opening next weekend. I'd be honored if you'd accompany me," asked Allison. Andy smiled. If he were 17, then he'd think she was asking him on a date. But they were a little past that stage of life. Andy nodded.
" Next Saturday?" he asked. Allison nodded.
"Please?" she asked. Having Andy at her opening would mean the best damn thing in the world to her.
Andy nodded. "I'd love to go with you!" he said. Allison grinned.
"Thirty grand! Jesus!" Allison exclaimed. Andy nodded. For a long time they just stared at each other. Andy didn't even really notice his hand was holding Allison's.
But Allison sure noticed.
Meanwhile, Andy and Allison didn't have a squabble since Andy finally humbled before Allison and begged her forgiveness. He would drop by the apartment 4-5 times a week after work, and Allison and Vanessa never met up again. Andy would sometimes stay for dinner, and drinks after (sometimes they'd watch TV or tell funny stories from the past decade). Allison was beginning to teach Andy yoga as well (surprisingly, Mr. Sport-O had trouble finding his balance and couldn't do the most flexible positions!). He got to know Helene and Aaron very well, and they were becoming a quartet again. Meanwhile, Vanessa was wondering why she was seeing less and less of her fiancé each night. Andy would come home beaming with smiles. She'd ask him where he was. His excuse was different every night. Vanessa, not being overly intelligent, never made the connection that it was Allison and her roommates he was seeing. Life was finally going up.
Except for the fact that in a month's time, Allison, Helene, and Aaron would be homeless. During the days while Andy was at work, the bohemians would go out job hunting. Aaron applied everywhere he could put his writing talents to use, Helene played on a street corner and visited some local talent agencies, and Allison stayed at home, furiously painting. Maybe someone would buy a painting for a few hundred. Three paintings sold would get them rent money for a month. It was brutal for Allison. She couldn't whip off paintings like an assembly line! Paintings came from the heart. Allison would look all over the place for inspiration. Little came.
One afternoon, by late April, Allison was on the porch painting the skyline, when Helene burst onto the deck proudly with a man at her side. The man was middle-aged, dressed in a business suit, with bifocal glasses and a receding hairline.
"Oh god, Helene! I TOLD you prostitution does NOT work!" said Allison.
"Oh no, Allison! You'll like this guy!" said Helene. "He's my brother's old teacher from Belgium who emigrated here. He's interested in some of your paintings..."
Allison jumped up excitedly and shook the man's hand. "What's your name?"
The man's accent was thick, but understandable. "My name is Didier Luc Javert III. May I see what you have?" he asked. Allison nodded eagerly and led the man inside. She took him into her bedroom and placed several of her works on the bed. Mr. Javert turned to Helene. "Helene, may I have a cup of tea?"
"Sugar or milk?" she asked.
"Neither, merci, mon chere!" Helene beamed happily and trotted to the kitchenette. Allison didn't get why she was so happy. People came to ogle her paintings many times...no one every bought one. Mr. Javert studied several canvases.
"I have more if you want them!" said Allison, going to the closet she kept her older canvases in. Mr. Javert shook his head. He gazed at the painting Allison had done with the girl under the tree with the bark switched with the pink fabric of her dress. Mr. Javert picked this up and grinned.
"Ah! Oui! C'est formidable!" exclaimed Mr. Javert.
"Pardon?" asked Allison.
"Forgive me, my English is weak, Mademoiselle. This painting is wonderful! I find it glorious!"
"Thank you, sir," said Allison. Of all times to forget her high school French!
"I am rather fond of this, I think I shall buy it!" he declared.
"How much can I get for it?" Allison expected a range of between 100-300 dollars. They weren't exactly Rembrandts.
"How does 5,000 dollars sound?" offered Javert. "I tend to bid low to start, if you want more, I'll offer it to you," he insisted. Was Allison deaf? Did he just offer a MINIMUM bid of 5,000 bucks??? That was...holy cow, rent for a year PLUS food! Allison could buy some new clothes, new art supplies! But she could get MORE too?
"One moment, please. Feel free to look at my others..." Allison sped out to the kitchenette where Helene was brewing Mr. Javert's tea.
"He's offering me a MINIMUM of 5,000 for a SINGLE painting!"
"Mademoiselle!" called Mr. Javert from the bedroom. "I am also interested in the two others on the pillows, how much will you take for them?"
THREE PAINTING AT 5,000 EACH?! 15,000 was a pretty nice load!
Helene shook her head. "Ask for double, and he'll pay it gladly!" she advised. Allison ran back into the bedroom like a little girl running on the playground.
"10,000 a painting, not a cent less!" she asked of Mr. Javert. He smiled.
"I see you are in for some money! Well, these are exquisite pieces, I'll pay it! Merci, Mademoiselle!" Mr. Javert got out his checkbook. Helene brought in Mr. Javert's tea, and as he sipped it, Allison and Helene gave each other a happy thumbs-up. 30 grand!!! THIRTY FUCKING GRAND!!! "Who do I make this out to?" asked Mr. Javert.
"Allison Reynolds!" Allison proclaimed. Mr. Javert nodded and began filling out the check. Allison was about to explode in ecstasy. Mr. Javert finished the check and handed it to Allison, who wanted to make out with it.
"Your pieces will be hanging in about a week's time in the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Abstract wing," Mr. Javert informed.
WHOA BABY! WHAT KIND OF SICK JOKE WAS THIS? "Did, he just say my work will hang in the MMA?" Allison asked Helene. This was surreal. Helene nodded.
"He's a collector for them! That's why he moved here! He taught art!" Helene said. "You're in a museum, Ally!"
Allison fainted.
~~~~~
"So you're saying 30,000 dollars and she's going to be in an abstract wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art?" Allison blinked awake. She was lying on the sofa with Andy looking down at her, holding an ice pack to her forehead. Helene and Aaron stood over them.
Helene nodded. "Thank god I found him while at the agency this morning!" Helene said.
"I, wha-?" Allison muttered. Andy smiled and looked up at Helene and Aaron.
"She's awake!" he said. "Allison, you okay?"
Allison nodded. "Andy? Yeah, I'm...in a museum!" She declared. Andy nodded happily.
"I heard! No one deserves it more than you! Thirty thousand dollars! Guess you won't have a problem with rent now!" he said.
"You, you seem happier than I do!" said Allison to Andy. Andy chuckled.
"Way to go, Mouse!" said Aaron. Helene put her hand on Aaron's arm.
"Let's leave them alone for awhile," Helene said, winking at Aaron. Aaron nodded and they left. Andy smiled down at Allison. He liked the way her hair spread out on the pillow and how when she smiled her nostrils flared. Her eyes (while a little red) were glowing with excitement. Suddenly Aaron's words about Andy still being in love with Allison echoed in his memory. Allison was strikingly pretty, but Vanessa WAS a model, after all. Andy knew Aaron was ridiculous.
"Andy, Mr. Javert said I was opening next weekend. I'd be honored if you'd accompany me," asked Allison. Andy smiled. If he were 17, then he'd think she was asking him on a date. But they were a little past that stage of life. Andy nodded.
" Next Saturday?" he asked. Allison nodded.
"Please?" she asked. Having Andy at her opening would mean the best damn thing in the world to her.
Andy nodded. "I'd love to go with you!" he said. Allison grinned.
"Thirty grand! Jesus!" Allison exclaimed. Andy nodded. For a long time they just stared at each other. Andy didn't even really notice his hand was holding Allison's.
But Allison sure noticed.
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