“All sorts of things. What are you passionate about? Where do you work?”
Leo thought for a moment as he chewed a piece of chicken. “That first one is a hard question. Passionate about? I’m not sure there’s anything. I love my cat, Sofi, but I wouldn’t say I’m passionate about her. I guess that would be kinda creepy and perverted, wouldn’t it?”
“Not really. A lot of people are passionate about their pets in a totally nonsexual way. What do you like to do?” Then Aud blushed again.
The look and awkwardness brought a soft smile to Leo. “I’m going to go with the idea of in day-to-day life.”
“Probably best while we’re sitting in a restaurant full of people.”
“I like reading and going to movies. Sometimes Felix drags me and Julie out to go hiking, and that’s not bad.”
“Are you and Felix a couple?”
“God, no. Felix is a great friend, but I couldn’t put up with him full-time. We all took a vacation to Hawaii together a couple of years ago. By the time we got on the plane to come home, I was ready to kill him.” Leo didn’t want to explain that the catty queen persona Felix kept up most of the time tended to rub him raw every so often.
“I’ve got friends like that.” Aud took a long sip of his soda. “But you like hiking. That’s good.”
“I wish I had more time for it.”
“I know that feeling. Being self-employed actually translates to having two or three jobs in terms of the amount of time you spend on work.”
“I guess you rarely have time to yourself.”
Aud nodded. “I often go weeks without more than just an hour at the gym three or four times a week for downtime. But I wouldn’t change it for anything. I’m really passionate about art and love running the gallery. It took me almost five years of doing portrait painting before I could afford to open up the place.”
Leo paused, his fork halfway to his mouth. “People still pay for portrait paintings?”
“Yeah. It’s normally the wealthier folks, and they don’t mind chunking out a good piece of change for the right painter to do them.” He blushed again. “That didn’t come out right either.”
“Understood. I didn’t know there was still a market for that kind of stuff. I guess I’m too used to flea-market art, where a big painting sells for five to ten bucks and you hang it over the couch.”
Aud laughed. “It’s been forever since I went to a flea market. I guess you’re right. That’s what most people think of when they think of art. But there’s a lot more to it than that.”
Leo relaxed as Aud started explaining the ins and outs of the gallery business, and his passion for art really sparkled. It was also easier than talking about himself. He’d never liked discussing his own life, even after he got to know someone. On a first date it was particularly awkward. This really is more of a date than anything, isn’t it? I doubt he’d be this nervous if it was just a sketch sitting.
When Leo came back with his second plate of food, Aud grinned at him. “Okay, you managed to get me talking all about art. Now I want to learn more about Leo. You like hiking and your friend Felix can get on your nerves. You have a cat named Sofi and go to flea markets. There has to be more. Everyone has things they like to do when they have downtime.”
Leo picked up his fork, then set it down. “Well, to be honest, I can’t really afford to do much in my downtime.” He hadn’t wanted to tell Aud the whole truth about his situation but couldn’t see a graceful way not to. “I do tech support at the Hewlett-Packard call center and barely make enough to pay for my rent, food, and car. It sucks.”
“I can understand that. When I was saving to open the gallery, I didn’t do much other than draw and paint for eight to fourteen hours a day. Every penny I made that didn’t go to bills went to art supplies. Back then I didn’t have the money for the gym, and eating out meant the dollar menu.”
His confession helped Leo relax even more. “Exactly. Felix and Julie want to go to brunch tomorrow. It’s gotta be cheap. I don’t plan on being poor forever. I’m just not sure how to get out of it right now.”
“It’s not easy.” Aud reached for his glass. “And sometimes it’s even harder to keep things once you have them. It takes a lot of focus.”
“But first I have to find that focus. Maybe that’s where not being sure what I’m passionate about hits.” As he spoke, Leo’s brain churned. Is that the key? Finding passion and then focusing on it to make a change in life?