Chapter Text
Three years later…..
Cay sits at her drafting table in the art department office of Sutton Miller Advertising, toiling away at the specs given to her this morning. The company they were pitching to this week was called Racer Enterprises, and they needed a new ad campaign for the various theme parks they would be opening next year. She was in the middle of sketching a Ferris wheel when Brenda, Mr. Miller’s secretary, knocked on the open door.
“What’s up, Brenda Lee?” Tommy Franzini, Cay’s colleague, suddenly jumps up from where he was sorting through their supplies and smooths out his hair. “You finally decide to go out with me?” Brenda smirks at him and shakes her head.
“Maybe. If you quit calling me Brenda Lee.”
“Awww. I’m just teasing. What’s up?”
“I’m here for Cay. Mr. Miller wants to see you.”
“Right now?” Cay asks, suddenly nervous. She had only been at the company for a few months now, working part time while she finished her degree.
“That’s what he said. Come on.” Cay looks at Tommy with wide eyes and he shrugs.
“Good luck!”
“Thanks.” She mumbles. She follows Brenda to the boss man’s office and waits while the girl buzzes her through.
“Ms. Rivvers is here. Okay, thank you.” She hangs up the phone. “You can go in now.” She smiles and wipes her palms on her trousers before opening the office door. Fortunately, because she doesn’t spend much time on the main floor, they allow her to wear pants. She still has to wear a dress or a skirt when important clients are there, though. Which she does. Begrudgingly.
“You wanted to see me, Mr. Miller?”
“Yes, yes. Come on in. Have a seat.” He gestures to his stylish sofa and walks over to his small bar. “Drink?” He asks, holding up a glass bottle filled with a brown liquid.
“Um….no thanks. Trying to cut back.” She laughs, nervously. He grins at her and pours himself a finger or two. She notices her leg is shaking and she presses her palm down on it to get it to stop. Mr. Miller, a handsome man in his late 40s, had a pleasant way about him for the most part. But she had heard some crazy stories about him screaming at staff in the past. He walks over and sits across from her in a modern looking black, leather chair.
“So. I asked you in here because I want to talk about your future with this company.”
“Oh?” He nods before taking a sip of his drink.
“You’re graduating soon, right?”
“Um, yes. This weekend, actually.”
“Oh? That’s great! You have family coming in to celebrate? Or just you and your husband?” Don’t roll your eyes. Don’t roll your eyes.
“My brother actually lives in the city now, so he’s coming. With his fiance.”
“Wonderful!” He flashes a bright smile her way and sets his glass on the table next to him. “Well. As you know, we had to let Billy go last week.” She nods, biting her lower lip nervously. “And um, well…..we would really like it if you took over as head of the art department.” Cay blinks at him for a moment. Surely this is a mistake?
“Um….I’d be happy to, sir. But shouldn’t Tommy get it? He’s been here longer….” Mr. Miller chuckles.
“Tommy has a few valuable skills. But leadership isn’t one of them. I can’t exactly count on him to meet deadlines. Um….we will probably switch gears and start using Tommy more in the pitch meetings. You know how it is.” She nods, knowing exactly how it was. She’s a woman. No company would take them seriously if she was part of the pitch. “We plan on hiring another artist to help you out. Basically take your place as you step up and take the lead. How does this sound to you?” Cay grins and shrugs.
“It sounds amazing! Thank you so much Mr. Miller.”
“You’re very welcome! Of course it will come with a small pay raise. 25 cents.” Her eyes pop open. That was more than she had ever made before in her life.
“Wow! Thank you!”
“No, thank you! We are very impressed with your work. Glad to have you on our team.” He stands and she follows, shaking his hand enthusiastically.
“I won’t let you down, sir.”
——————-
Vivian glances at her watch. Train should be arriving in about 4 minutes. She told Cay she would be working late and to go ahead and order takeout. She hated lying to her. But it’ll be worth it tomorrow when she sees her surprise. She smiles to herself, thinking about how proud she is of her wife. Of all the awards she had won over the last couple of years. Even her studying had improved after she started reading to her every night. In fact, it improved so much that Cay had easily made valedictorian. Poor thing was so nervous about her speech, however, that she had Vivian help her with it nearly every night that week. She told her everything would be fine. And she meant it. But she had to admit she was nervous herself. She just wanted the day to go smoothly. Cay had worked so hard to get there.
The bell starts to ring and she hears the train slow down as it approaches the station. She told Walter that she would be by around 6 with his houseguest. Yet another Rivvers family member she was proud of. She pulled a few strings and got him into NYU last year, allowing him to finally fulfill his dream of living in the city. And now the dream is even better than he ever imagined it could be, as he studies writing and lives with Alice, now his fiance. Vivian also managed to get Alice a job in the admissions department at Columbia, as well helping her apply for a local secretarial school. While Walter worked as many hours as he could manage at the Butchers down the block from their apartment. The two kids didn’t have much money, but she honestly couldn’t think of a happier pair. Other than herself and Cay, of course.
________________
“Heyyyy. I’m home.” Vivian hollars out as she drops her keys in the little bowl by the door. Cay had made it after Vivian went off on her for not keeping her keys in the same place every day. It was painted light blue with black flecks of paint all over. And near the top it read “Vivian will kill me if I don’t put my keys in this bowl.” She thought it was so hilarious she started to use the bowl as well.
“Hi baby.”
“Why is it so dark in here?” She asks, walking over to turn on the tall light in her office area.
“Don’t turn it on!’
“I can’t see!”
“Really? That’s a little dramatic, don’t ya think? Just follow the candle light, silly.”
“Did we lose power or something?”
“No……” Vivian gasps as she takes in the sight of the kitchen.
“Roses? Candle light dinner? What did I do to deserve all this?” She walks over and kisses her wife. “This is your weekend, silly. Not mine.”
“Correction. It’s our weekend.”
“Okay. Our weekend. Why?” Cay grins and she can see her eyes sparkling even in the dark light.
“I got a promotion!”
“What?!”
“Yup! You’re looking at the new head of the art department at Sutton Miller Advertising. Comes with a .25 cent raise.” Vivian gasps and jumps up and down.
“Oh my God! Wow! I’m so proud of you. Come here.” She kisses her again and holds her in a tight embrace. “Congratulations, sweetheart. I always knew you’d do great things. I love you so much.”
“I love you, too. Maybe now we can start looking for a bigger place. Come on though, let’s eat. I’m starving. I got you your favorite.” Vivan tuts.
“You did? Thank you. You should’ve gone to your favorite, though. This is a celebration for you.”
“Oh, I did. See?” Vivian looks down at the table and snorts.
“The hot dog stand? Really?” Cay grins and nods her head, excitedly.
“I told him about my promotion after I paid for my hotdog, and then he gave me another one for FREE. So now I have TWO hot dogs.” Vivian stares at her for a moment before laughing.
“You’re adorable, you know that?”
“Of course I do.” Vivan smiles and caresses her cheek.
“This is really wonderful, Cay. But um……”
“What? What’s wrong?”
“I can barely see! I told you last time that you don’t have to turn off all the lights for a candle light dinner. Just the kitchen one is fine.” Cay chuckles.
“Sorry. Rookie mistake.”
“This is your third time!”
“Stop keeping score!”
—------------------------------
“I’ll leave you with this quote from the great playwright George Bernard Shaw. “You see things and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were, and I say, ‘Why not’?” And therein lies the beauty of art. I see it every day. In all things. And my hope is that one day, everyone in the whole world will see it too. Here’s to the class of 1963. Thank you for being a part of my past, present, but most importantly, my future.” Vivian stands up in their living room and claps.
“Yea!!! I think you’re ready.” Cay blows out her cheeks and lets the air out, slowly.
“You sure? You don’t think I should run through it one more time?” Vivian tips her head and smiles at the nervous girl in front of her. She reaches out and adjusts her graduation cap so it wasn’t tilting sideways.
“You are going to be amazing up there, Cay. I promise you. You have your cards.” Cay holds up the stack of index cards in her hand. “And I have your back up cards in my purse. See?” Cay peers inside Vivian’s new lavender clutch and nods her head, worrying her bottom lip for the billionth time that morning. “Stop that. It’s going to get all chapped again.”
“I can’t help it! I’m nervous!” Vivian chuckles as she turns off the lights in the apartment.
“Here. Chew on this.” She hands her a chicklet and locks the door behind them. Cay sighs and takes it from her before popping it in her mouth.
“What would I do without you?”
“Oh I don’t think we have enough time for that conversation.” Cay smirks.
“Ha Ha. Very funny.”
_____________________
Vivian sits in the amphitheater, waiting for the others to arrive. She bought extra tickets for everyone, even Martin and his new wife Shirley. He met Shirley a few years ago when she started as the head librarian at Columbia. Shirley was quiet and studious, with blonde hair that was always fashioned in a tight braid. She had beautiful green eyes that were usually hidden behind thick reading glasses, and smooth, creamy skin with high cheekbones. It took Martin spending every evening at the library for three months (as well as being coached by Cay) before he finally got the courage to ask her out. They fell in love quickly and got married at the courthouse, with Cay and Vivian as witnesses. The first time Walter met her he snorted and muttered “someone certainly has a type” under his breath.
As if summoning them, the two suddenly appear in the archway and she waves at Martin to get his attention. He smiles back and allows Shirley to go before him, with his hand on the small of her back.
“Martin, go ahead.” She hears Shirley murmuring. Vivian chuckles, knowing how hard it is for Shirley to engage in small talk. She likes her very much but she won’t lie, the woman was a little skittish and odd. She was quiet, though, and Vivian appreciated that fact. It was the only reason she finally allowed Martin to tell her the truth about her and Cay. She knew the woman wouldn’t say a peep.
“Hello, Vivian. You look nice.”
“Hi Martin. Thank you. Hello Shirley, how are you?” Shirley only nods at her with a small smile. Martin smiles at his wife and takes her hand.
“So! How’s our girl?” Vivian scrunches her face.
“Martin, I told you not to call her that. It’s weird. And she’s fine. A bit nervous but that’s to be expected.” Martin frowns at her.
“Why can’t I call her that?” Vivian sighs and rolls her eyes.
“Because it sounds like she’s our daughter!”
“Well. I do think of her as my daughter.” Vivian tips her head and smiles up at him.
“That’s sweet. Okay, but just….leave me out of it? Please? She’s my wife , Martin. It’s weird. Oh, there’s Walter.” She waves at the handsome young man and his two companions as they walk down the ramp and take the seats behind Vivian. She turns to whisper a greeting before the lights dim, signaling that the ceremony is about to start. An older man in a nice suit walks to the podium and begins to address the crowd.
“Hello everyone. Welcome to the class of 1963 commencement. My name is Jordan Hall. I’m the President of the New York School of Visual Arts. I know I say this every year, but this year I actually mean it: this class is truly special. One of a kind. I expect to see all of your names in galleries, architectural firms, and maybe even in the credits of Hollywood motion pictures.” The students all have a giggle over that. “In this class alone we have a three time State Showcase winner, a City Achievement in Architecture recipient, an Abstract Attractions runner up, and we even have a student who made it into the Guinness World Records for making an 8 foot tall sculpture made entirely of aluminum foil. 20,000 pieces of foil, to be exact. Needless to say, we are very proud of these students. They’ve worked hard and we appreciate all of you that helped and encouraged them along the way. Now, without further ado, I’d like to invite the class salutatorian to the stage. Please welcome Mr. Robert Spring.” They watch as a tall, lanky boy with pale skin and freckles makes his way to the podium and begins his speech. He was nervous and stumbled on his words, but Vivian wasn’t really listening anyway. She was too busy silently counting the seconds till it was Cay’s turn to speak. And then suddenly, it was time. The boy with the freckles was returning to his seat and Mr. Hall was walking back to the podium.
“Thank you Robert. I’m sure the rest of the architecture graduates will take your words to heart. And now, it is my honor and privilege to introduce our next speaker. Valedictorian and three time State Showcase winner, Miss Catherine Ann Rivvers.” The audience applauds as Cay stands from her position near the front and walks up the stairs to the podium. Vivian stands up halfway and waves to her so she knows exactly where to look if she starts freaking out, but Cay just smiles and looks out at her classmates.
“She’s got this.” Vivian whispers out loud.
“Thank you, Mr. Hall. And thank you to my fellow classmates, faculty members, and all of our family and friends that are with us here today.” She pauses to take a breath, a little trick that her wife taught her to help her relax and focus. Vivian clasps her hands together in anticipation and rests her chin on the tips of her fingers. “Leo Tolstoy once said, in so many words, that art is subjective. As artists, most of us have experienced a few harsh reality checks when it comes to our work, making us question our creativity and imagination. When I was a little girl of just 4 years, I used to make mud pies and present them to my father as if I was giving him, in his words, the arc of the covenant. Where most people just see dirt and water, a child sees inspiration and opportunity. When I was 10, I drew scales all over my 3 year old brother. In permanent marker. Just to see if he would look like a fish in the bathtub. My parents tried to punish me for a whole month for doing that. But I didn’t care. Because It was my vision. And it was worth it to bring it to life. As for my brother, don’t worry. They slapped some turpentine on him and he was just fine.” She takes a pause while the audience laughs. “When I was 12 I celebrated my growth spurt by taking all of my stepmother’s shoes and cementing them to the ceiling.” Vivian hears Walter laugh behind her.
“Oh man. I totally forgot we did that. That was hilari—ow!” Vivian chuckles as he’s cut off by a whack to the back of his head. “That hurt!”
“Shhhh!”
“Why am I telling you all of this? Because, once again, as Mr. Tolstoy said, art is subjective. Just because someone else can look at your creation and see something completely different than what you intended, doesn’t mean that it’s any less significant. Art may be born from your heart, but it lives, and breathes in everyone else’s eyes. So if someone out there can look at your creation, and see so much more than what’s on the surface, you’ve done your job. You’re an artist. And no one can ever take that away from you. I’ll leave you with this quote from the great playwright George Bernard Shaw. “You see things and you say, ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were, and I say, ‘Why not’?” And therein lies the beauty of art. I see it every day. In all things. And my hope is that one day everyone in this whole, crazy world will see it too. So here’s to the class of 1963. Thank you for being a part of my past, present, but most importantly, my future.” The audience erupts in cheers and hollars, with everyone standing and clapping at her words. Martin turns to Vivian with tears in his eyes.
“That’s my girl up there!” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head, but can’t help but smile up at him before he turns to speak to Shirley. Vivian beams and wipes away the tears that she finally lets fall, after holding them in the entire day. Wanting to be strong for Cay. Her heart felt like it was bursting with pride for this woman who she loved more than anything else in the world. As she sits back down in her seat, she clasps her hands together again and lets out a long sigh. It was over, and she did amazing.
The rest of the ceremony went by fairly fast, since it was a private school and had a fairly small number of students accepted each year. Both Vivian and Martin had sat through countless graduation ceremonies that felt like they lasted for an eternity, so this was like a special treat for them. When Cay’s name was called as they reached the Rs, they all stood up and cheered loudly for her.
“YEA!!!! YOU DID IT! WOOOO!” Cay looks out into the audience to wave to her family, after accepting her diploma and posing for her picture. She squints and tips her head, then breaks into a grin as she realizes Frances is next to Walter. Instead of walking back to her seat, she runs up the ramp to see her.
“What are you doing here?! You said you couldn’t come!”
“We wanted to surprise you! You did great, now go back to your seat! People are staring!” Cay rolls her eyes but smiles as she walks back down the ramp to sit with her class, clutching her diploma to her chest. She breathes out a long sigh of relief.
I did it, Dad.
“And with that, I present to you, The New York School of Visual Arts Class of 1963!” The auditorium erupts once again in applause as the graduates toss their caps in the air. Cay, glancing at the note Vivian had scrawled on her hand earlier, unclipped her tassel before tossing her hat up, holding it up for Vivian to see. She’s not sure but she thinks she hears a smoky voice cheer louder over the crowd. She smiles to herself and sighs. It was over. It was finally over.
Cay jolts out of her thoughts as she realizes it was time to leave. She stands, looking for her wife beyond the tall men standing in front of her. She sees Martin and Shirley follow Frances, Walter and Alice up the ramp, and then there she is, waiting for her by the aisle seat.
“Heyyyy….” She says, offering her arm to her. “You did so good!” She kisses her quickly on the cheek and Cay looks at her, surprised. “I don’t care. I’m proud of you.” Cay grins back and takes her hand, entwining their fingers.
“I’m proud of me, too.”
_______________________
“So whose idea was it to surprise me with Ole Francie here?” Cay shouts out over the cacophony of chatter, as they all settle into their seats at the private table Martin had reserved for them at the Russian Tea Room. She sees Vivian’s hand start to go up when Walter interrupts.
“Vivian’s. Obviously. And just so you know, she’s going home with you tonight. My back is killing me.”
“Excuse me, young man. But I told you I was perfectly fine sleeping on the couch.” Walter scoffs.
“I’m not gonna make my own mother sleep on a couch. Even though it’s a perfectly fine and comfortable couch and Alice slept like a baby. I know this because I was awake all night long, on the hard floor, afraid of being eaten by a swarm of cockroaches. But I hope you two had sweet dreams.” He gestures to Cay and Vivian across the table and Cay doesn’t miss a beat.
“Oh, we did! Thank you.” Walter glares at her. “What?! I didn’t know she was coming, don’t look at me. Besides. It’s not my fault you guys own like…. one piece of furniture.”
“It’s a small place! Anyways, furniture is like expensive? Hello?” Cay exaggerates an impression of Walter crying. “You live in New York City now, dingus! There’s like a million thrift shops and discount stores! Go buy yourself a frickin chair!”
“Shhhh! How old are you two?! This is not Howard Johnson’s! This is the Russian Tea Room! Shut. Up!” Cay and Walter both try not to laugh at Frances, as she lectures them as if they were still kids. Fortunately, just then, the waiter walks up to their table and introduces himself.
“Good evening. My name is Lawrence. Welcome to the Russian Tea Room. Can I start you off with some drinks? Our bar is fully stocked with the highest quality, top shelf brands of alcohol and spirits.” Vivian turns to her wife and smiles.
“Get whatever you want. It’s your night.”
_____________________________
“That was, by far, the best Surf and Turf I have EVER eaten in my entire life.”
“Yes, well. You’re only 23. Give it some time.” He laughs and points at Martin.
“Hey! That’s pretty funny.” Martin scoffs.
“I do have a sense of humor. Despite what people think.” Vivian laughs and slaps the table and Martin smirks at her.
“Presents! We have presents for the Graduate, right?” Walter takes the envelope from Alice’s hand and tosses it across to Cay’s side of the table, landing right onto her dinner plate. “Whoops. Sorry.” Cay rolls her eyes and picks up the envelope to open it.
“Yeah, yeah. Sure you are.” She takes the card out and moves to open it when a check falls out. Cay picks it up and reads the amount: $50.00. “Oh. Oh, you guys. I can’t take this. I mean, thank you. I really appreciate it. But I….I want you guys to keep it. Really.” Alice shakes her head.
“Please. We want you to have it. Don’t worry about us. We’re doing okay.”
“Well…..alright. But I’m using it to buy you a chair.” Alice laughs.
“You do whatever you’d like with it. Frances? Did you want to go next?”
“Yeah, okay. Here you are, honey. Congratulations. Everyone is just so proud of you back home. Even little Priscilla has been cheering you on over at Joe and Silver’s.” Cay grins at the mention of her Goddaughter. “Anyways. It’s not much, but we all chipped in. And we all signed the card.” Cay opens it up and takes out the cash, reading all of the heartfelt words with tears in her eyes.
“This is wonderful. Thank you so much.” Frances smiles and appears to remember something else.
“Oh. I almost forgot.” She takes out a small card and hands it to her.
“What’s this?”
“From Cecil.” Cay gives her a sly grin.
“Oh? You two back on again?”
“None of your business. Thank you very much.” Cay mocks her and sticks her tongue out before ripping open the card and pulling out a piece of paper.
“Free car washes for life. Congratulations Cay, from all of us at Reno City Car Wash. Wow. This is…..this is great. Tell Cecil I’m really looking forward to using this. The uh…one season that I’m there. He really knows the way to a girl’s heart.”
“Just say thank you, Cay.” Vivian tells her.
“Thank you Cay.” she rolls her eyes at her wife.
“Okay. Next!” Walter calls out. “Vivian? What about you?”
“My gift for Cay is at home.”
“Oooooh.” Vivian’s face turns pink and she shifts in her seat, uncomfortably.
“No, Walter. Not that.” Frances whacks the back of his head again.
“Ow!”
“He’s just tired. Ignore him.” Alice smiles at her fiance and rubs his back. Vivian sighs and hears her neck crack as she turns to look at Martin.
“Martin? You mentioned on the phone that you and Shirley have something for Cay?” Martin clears his throat and stands up, looking first at Shirley and then Cay, before taking an envelope from his pocket.
“Um…..well. As you all know, Vivian and I never had any children. And um, well. Shirley and I don’t have any plans for them either. But, um, ever since I’ve gotten to know you, Cay, you’ve felt like a daughter to me. I truly do treasure our friendship, I hope you know that.” Cay smiles, softly, and nods back at him. “Because of my family’s wealth I was given a large trust fund. And, well…..I can’t think of a better way to spend it than to give some to you.” Cay looks surprised and takes the envelope from his hand. She opens it, carefully, and takes out a piece of paper with an address on it.
“I don’t understand….”
“We leased a space for you, for one year. For a gallery.” Shirley finally pipes up. Cay’s jaw drops and she looks at Vivian with tears in her eyes before turning back to Martin.
“I….I can’t believe you did this! Oh my God.” Martin grins and places his hand on her shoulder.
“You deserve it. And the public deserves to see your work.” She wipes away the tears before remembering her promotion.
“Oh no! I just got promoted to department head at work. I don’t know when I’ll have time to do this.”
“What?! That’s fantastic! Congratulations!” Frances exclaims. Martin grins and also congratulates her before placing his hand on her shoulder.
“That’s the beauty of having your own gallery, Cay. You decide when it’s open. Besides, Shirley and I are happy to help out when we can.” Shirley smiles and nods in agreement.
“I can help, too.” Alice adds. Cay bites her lip to stop it from trembling as she looks around at the table.
“Thank you so much for being here today. All of you. It means more than you will ever know. I….I love you. All of you.” Vivian holds her hand and entwines their fingers.
“We love you too, sweetheart. And we are so proud of you. Congratulations.” Cay smiles at her wife.
“Thank you.”
————————
After getting a very tired Frances settled in her studio, Cay retreated to her and Vivian’s bedroom and plopped onto the bed.
“Does this officially make me an adult?” She asks, as Vivian exits the bathroom and tosses her hairbrush back onto her vanity.
“I don’t think anything will make you an adult, Cay.” She laughs and walks over to the bed to comb her fingers through Cay’s hair. “But that’s why I love you.” Cay beams and rests her head on Vivian’s lap.
“So. Where’s my present?” Vivian snorts and removes her gently from her lap.
“So demanding!” Cay grins and sits up on the bed, preparing herself for whatever Vivian has in store for her. She walks into her closet and comes out with a long, flat box.
“Hmmm. Doesn’t look like a car.” Vivian chuckles and sits next to her as she opens up the box. Inside was a long, multi picture frame. The top slot had a picture of Cay and Vivian at the ranch, before they got together. Frances had taken a photo of everyone at breakfast one morning and Vivian asked her for a copy of it last time she was there. The second photo was from Cay’s initial visit to New York City, when she was deciding whether or not to move there. Vivian had held a camera in front of them as they were cuddled together on the couch. The picture was of Vivian kissing Cay’s cheek while Cay grinned. The third slot held a photo from Robin and Joanie’s wedding, with Vivian holding the bouquet that Joanie had given her. And Cay by her side. This was followed by a photo from their own wedding, with the two of them grinning at the camera while covered in cake. The fourth photo was from New Years Eve 1962, at Caroline’s apartment. And the fifth spot was blank.
“This is beautiful, Vivian. Perfect. I love it. Thank you.”
“The last spot is for your graduation. You can put one of just you, of us together, or of everyone. It’s up to you. We just have to get the film developed, obviously.” Cay stares at each photo and traces the outline of Vivian in each one.
“I want one of us. Just us.” Vivian smiles, softly, and kisses her cheek.
“Okay. Sounds good to me.” Cay snuggles closer to her and rests her head on her shoulder.
“I love you, Viv. I couldn’t have done this without you. And I’m not just talking about the fact that you paid for it all. You were always extremely supportive and always gave me your honest opinion of my work. You’ve been there for me every step of the way. I’ll never be able to thank you enough.” Vivian pouts and kisses her lips.
“You just did.”
The End.