The lesson

A rather short story about the power of money.

Nora Comely was considered as the most beautiful young woman of the planet of freedom, since her early childhood. Her father was one of the planet’s most famous painters, simply because there were not many artists alive during that time; and when the leading painters passed away, he broke into the planet’s inhabitants’ conscious as their one and only leading artist. Art was neglected by the younger generations and that was of course an additional factor that promoted Cornelius Comely’s career.

Thus her own beauty and her father’s new surprising status made Nora a celebrity. She was very sought not just by her own generation of young men, but by the most distinguished personalities of our community.

She was hardly eighteen years old when the close fisted Horace of Avarice, the richest man on our planet, snatched her under the noses of all her pursuers. He stipulated a secret contract with her father, and married Nora without delay.

He brought her to his palace after their marriage and kept her secluded there, like a bird in a cage. She had no contact with any living soul except her husband, and such contact could have taken place at about midnight each day; when he returned from the stock exchange and meetings with other financial colleagues of his, if she was not asleep already.

As far as Horace was concerned, his young and beautiful wife was no more than another good bargain, a part of his art collection. He had nothing in common with her, and thus he hardly talked to her, and had hardly kept to his obligations as a husband should.

One night when he returned exhausted but satisfied as usual he was surprised to find his young wife wide awake.

'I'm terribly bored, I must do something,' she told him. 'I can't go on living like this…'

Thus Horace of Avarice realized at last, that he must provide his young wife with an occupation.

As she was a daughter of a painter he made her a patron of the arts, and installed her in one of his office rooms, where she will be able to have meetings with artists that would present their art creations to her, and seek her financial support, but not before he Horace of Avarice would approve it.

At first things ran quite smoothly, but after a rather short while rumors were spread and reached his ears too. His young wife was having an affair under his nose, with a young and good looking artist.

Horace of Avarice was furious, he hired a hoodlum that broke into his wife office a few moments before lunch break, attacked her brutally, cut her beautiful face with a sharp blade, and put an end to her artistic career.

Her loving husband had no other choice but to seclude her in his palace again, as a part of his art collection. A part that was damaged and needed to pass a meticulous restoration; but still he was the only one that owned her and that was his consolation.

 

© Haim Kadman 20.10.2010 �" all rights reserved.