Spunky (Part 1)

By David Marcus Karp

“I don't believe in accidents. There are only encounters in history. There are no accidents.”

-Pablo Picasso

I knew the first time I ever laid my eyes on Spunky that she was the perfect girl for me.

That day is still as clear to me as every yesterday is. Let me paint the picture for you.

I was walking down one of the plain blue and white corridors of the Metropolitan Art Gallery, lit by bright florescent lighting. Windows were scattered here and there, allowing me glimpses of the busy city outside. The old, dark brown wooden floor creaked with every step I took. All seemed calm and normal around me. It was just me and my best friend, Jimmy, who was, at the time, interning there at the Gallery. It was a gig he got when we both got out of art school two seemingly long years ago.

            I had just got out of a meeting with Gil Clayton, a potential sponsor of my work. He was one of the heads of the gallery and, with that, Jimmy’s boss. During the meeting, Clayton seemed really intrigued with the pieces I showed him, along with the things Jimmy had said about me to even get an interview. At the end of the meeting, I was invited to a gala that was taking place that night for some other new artist, and he insisted I should come so we could “discuss a few possibilities”. After a long, nerve wreaking meeting, these were positive words to hear and it made me feel like I was getting a chance to go somewhere with my art.

So, the meeting ended on a good note. I told him I’d try my hardest to make it to the gala and then, a minute later, I was on my way back home to relax, eat lunch and return to my latest painting venture.

            We were about to turn the corner to a staircase that would bring us to the street exit, when I saw her.

            Her tight, denim pants matched her beautiful, dark red hair in color, with a black and white striped belt to hold them to her petite body. She was short, irresistibly cute, and had a smile that would make even the coldest person light up. Her eyes also had a sort of smile to them, and when you looked into them, they made you glow and hoisted you up into the clouds. She had a long, black overcoat on, covering a white shirt which housed a peace symbol on the front of it, with the word “love” written in black below.

            I felt my eyes widen as I caught sight of her, and it made me wonder if she noticed my sudden, shock-filled glance, as she looked back at me and it made my heart feel like it had frozen in time. I felt a bit foolish, but sometimes when you’re stuck in that kind of shock that penetrates the heart and the mind in unison, you lose control of everything for a minute without realizing it until the moment is far from passed.

            Anyway, I was stuck looking at her for a second or two before getting control back of my thoughts. When I did, I quickly turned and went down the staircase, a bit red from embarrassment, to the street exit, catching up the little distance to Jimmy. I could hear her talking to her friend as they walked behind us. Her voice was high, but not squeaky. It had a bounce.

            We walked out the door and onto the street. We were greeted by a beautiful day, with the sun beating down from a cloudless blue sky and there, surrounding us, was the pleasant, cool autumn wind, hinting that winter was not very far away.

            She walked parallel to Jimmy and I for a minute. Her voice seemed at ease as she talked to her friend, a slightly taller blonde girl, about something she seemed excited about. I didn’t catch what it was, but it made her voice glow a bit more, whatever it was. She seemed to be in a happy mood. I waited until she walked a little bit past us, and then I turned to Jimmy.

            “Why can’t I meet someone like that?” I said.

            “Huh?”

            “Why can’t I meet someone like her?”

            “Like who?”

            I softly gestured to her. “Like her!”

            “Who is she?”

            “I wish I knew, that’s what I’m saying!”

            “You don’t know who she is?”

            “No, I just noticed her when we were walking out of the gallery.”

            Jimmy gave out a bit of a cackle.

            “I can tell,” I said, “She just seems like the kind of girl I would fall for, you know? I mean, she’s cute, sounds like a nice person, likes black, seems happy, and seems…spunky. She might be…I don’t know…like… the girl of my dreams. I can always tell these things.”

            To tell the truth, I could never really tell those kinds of things, and who knew what she was really like if you got to know her. Hell, I DIDN’T know her. But, still, she seemed to have this kind of positive vibe to her, and it was certainly uplifting.

            “Go right now, Seth. Catch up to her and say something!” Jimmy suggested, giving me a little push and then laughing.

            “Funny.” I said. It would have been a different story if we were stuck in an elevator together or in the same waiting room together. Maybe, then, it would seem more logical to me, and I would get the balls to talk to her. But no. Not now.  She was a random person on the street who I just found beautiful and interesting from afar. Running up to her was probably not the greatest idea in the world.

            Jimmy teased me for the rest of the walk home, and as we made our way down the street, the beautiful girl was turning into a distant sight, walking off into the sunlight that was reflected on city windows.

            “I really like that word… spunky.” I said to Jimmy.

            “Yeah, it’s a fun word."

            “Spunky.” I repeated.

            That is the moment I dubbed her the name Spunky. It fit and Jimmy found the infatuation amusing to say the least. I had no idea what her real name was, and was never sure if I’d ever find out but, nevertheless, she seemed spunky. I liked spunky. I deemed her the name Spunky.

            Then we turned the corner, and she was out of my sight and into my memory. That was it; like that she was gone, and life kept on going. We walked home and made some lunch.

(SEE YOU NEXT TIME FOR PART 2!)