visitor.
Every snippet Georgia uncovered about Nik reaffirmed the mind-blowing privilege that he was accustomed to. His family apparently owned a string of houses. There was his father’s apartment in London, one for his sister in Paris, St Tropez for summer holidays, Aspen for skiing, Barbados to escape the European win ter, Milan, Sydney and Noosa. And those were just the ones that came up casually in conversation. She noticed his father featured in his anecdotes, but there was never a mention of his mother. Perhaps there had been an ugly divorce. Maybe she had abandoned the family and taken off with another man. There were also very few details about how his father had made his enormous wealth.
‘He has businesses in Europe and Asia and is looking at a few things in Australia,’ said Nik, when Georgia asked. And then he changed the subject. ‘Hey, I’ve just worked it out!’ he said excitedly. ‘I’ve just realised who you remind me of.’
‘Who’s … that?’ Georgia replied nervously. She wasn’t actually sure she wanted to know the answer.
‘In that blue dress, with your hair pinned up, and the red lipstick,’ Nik continued. ‘You’re straight from a painting!’
Georgia blushed. ‘Which one?’ she asked hesitantly.
‘You know, I can’t remember the name of the painting or even where I saw it – it might have been the Tate, or the Hermitage, or maybe even the Louvre,’ Nik mused.
‘Now you’re just showing off,’ she grinned.
‘I’m not trying to,’ he laughed. ‘I really can’t remember where I saw it. I just remember the girl in the painting – so pensive, so beautiful. Was she holding a piece of fruit – an apple or something? I’m pretty sure it was Pre-Raphaelite, which means I probably saw it in London.’
Georgia blushed. She had no idea which painting Nik was talking about. She knew almost nothing about art, or even what Pre-Raphaelite was. But the painting was obviously something that had left a mark on Nik and he was comparing her to some beautiful Pre-Raphaelite girl. She felt slightly dizzy just thinking about it.
‘Sorry,’ Nik said, ‘that’s like telling a joke and forgetting the punchline.’
Georgia shrugged. ‘No need to apologise.’
‘I’ll pay more attention to the notes next time I visit a museum. I like to look, but I’m too lazy to read. Does that make me a bad person?’
Georgia shook her head. ‘There are worse crimes. Like just reading the notes and forgetting to look at the painting – that’s something I’d do. Just in case I’m tested on it later.’
He smiled. ‘You’re really that studious?’
‘Worse,’ she replied. ‘A complete nerd.’
The conversation moved from art to school, where Georgia was more comfortable. But that made Nik embarrassed. Apparently he hadn’t been much of a student – always in trouble. He looked quite remorseful about it. ‘I should have been expelled. But it’s amazing how money can smooth things over. It changes everything.’
‘Not always,’ Georgia said. ‘I know of a guy who got punched in a fight. Smashed his head on the gutter. He’ll be wearing nappies for the rest of his life. Money won’t help him.’
Nik nodded. ‘How tragic.’
‘Sorry, I’m sounding all worthy again,’ she said.
Nik raised his eyebrows. ‘You don’t need to be sorry. You have a really clear vision of right and wrong. I wish I had such a precise moral compass.’
Georgia looked at him closely. ‘Are you making fun of me?’
Nik shook his head. ‘I just don’t question things in the same way you do.’
Georgia paused. There was one question that had been weighing on her mind all evening. She spoke hesitantly.
‘Do you remember the first day in the park, when you found my hair-tie?’
Nik nodded.
‘How did you see it fall when you were running the other way?’
Nik took a deep breath, suddenly lost for words. She felt his leg shuffle under the table as he prepared to answer the question.
Every snippet Georgia uncovered about Nik reaffirmed the mind-blowing privilege that he was accustomed to. His family apparently owned a string of houses. There was his father’s apartment in London, one for his sister in Paris, St Tropez for summer holidays, Aspen for skiing, Barbados to escape the European win ter, Milan, Sydney and Noosa. And those were just the ones that came up casually in conversation. She noticed his father featured in his anecdotes, but there was never a mention of his mother. Perhaps there had been an ugly divorce. Maybe she had abandoned the family and taken off with another man. There were also very few details about how his father had made his enormous wealth.
‘He has businesses in Europe and Asia and is looking at a few things in Australia,’ said Nik, when Georgia asked. And then he changed the subject. ‘Hey, I’ve just worked it out!’ he said excitedly. ‘I’ve just realised who you remind me of.’
‘Who’s … that?’ Georgia replied nervously. She wasn’t actually sure she wanted to know the answer.
‘In that blue dress, with your hair pinned up, and the red lipstick,’ Nik continued. ‘You’re straight from a painting!’
Georgia blushed. ‘Which one?’ she asked hesitantly.
‘You know, I can’t remember the name of the painting or even where I saw it – it might have been the Tate, or the Hermitage, or maybe even the Louvre,’ Nik mused.
‘Now you’re just showing off,’ she grinned.
‘I’m not trying to,’ he laughed. ‘I really can’t remember where I saw it. I just remember the girl in the painting – so pensive, so beautiful. Was she holding a piece of fruit – an apple or something? I’m pretty sure it was Pre-Raphaelite, which means I probably saw it in London.’
Georgia blushed. She had no idea which painting Nik was talking about. She knew almost nothing about art, or even what Pre-Raphaelite was. But the painting was obviously something that had left a mark on Nik and he was comparing her to some beautiful Pre-Raphaelite girl. She felt slightly dizzy just thinking about it.
‘Sorry,’ Nik said, ‘that’s like telling a joke and forgetting the punchline.’
Georgia shrugged. ‘No need to apologise.’
‘I’ll pay more attention to the notes next time I visit a museum. I like to look, but I’m too lazy to read. Does that make me a bad person?’
Georgia shook her head. ‘There are worse crimes. Like just reading the notes and forgetting to look at the painting – that’s something I’d do. Just in case I’m tested on it later.’
He smiled. ‘You’re really that studious?’
‘Worse,’ she replied. ‘A complete nerd.’
The conversation moved from art to school, where Georgia was more comfortable. But that made Nik embarrassed. Apparently he hadn’t been much of a student – always in trouble. He looked quite remorseful about it. ‘I should have been expelled. But it’s amazing how money can smooth things over. It changes everything.’
‘Not always,’ Georgia said. ‘I know of a guy who got punched in a fight. Smashed his head on the gutter. He’ll be wearing nappies for the rest of his life. Money won’t help him.’
Nik nodded. ‘How tragic.’
‘Sorry, I’m sounding all worthy again,’ she said.
Nik raised his eyebrows. ‘You don’t need to be sorry. You have a really clear vision of right and wrong. I wish I had such a precise moral compass.’
Georgia looked at him closely. ‘Are you making fun of me?’
Nik shook his head. ‘I just don’t question things in the same way you do.’
Georgia paused. There was one question that had been weighing on her mind all evening. She spoke hesitantly.
‘Do you remember the first day in the park, when you found my hair-tie?’
Nik nodded.
‘How did you see it fall when you were running the other way?’
Nik took a deep breath, suddenly lost for words. She felt his leg shuffle under the table as he prepared to answer the question.
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