A Bond Through Art

March 6, 2023, 7:30 AM - Vertis North, Diliman, Quezon City, Philippines - Penthouse Unit 001

After ensuring that Ms. Ellie was settled in the guest bedroom, Daniel made his way to the gym to take care of most of his daily tasks. Over two hours later, he returned to his unit feeling slightly fatigued after his workout. As he walked into the living room, he was surprised to see Ms. Ellie emerging from the guest room, still appearing groggy and disoriented. When she noticed him, she spoke in a friendly yet drowsy tone, "Oh, Mr. Daniel. It's you? Did you need something?"

Daniel smiled awkwardly and replied, "No, no. I just came back from the gym."

Ms. Ellie, still piecing together the events from earlier, asked, "Did I leave my door open? Are you here to tell me?"

Daniel gently explained the situation, "This is actually my unit. I found you unconscious outside and had to move you somewhere safer. I left a note beside the bed. Did you not notice?"

Ms. Ellie realized her mistake, and her face flushed with embarrassment. "I'm so sorry," she murmured. "I didn't mean to cause any trouble."

"It's okay," Daniel reassured her. "You were just disoriented. Why don't you freshen up, and I'll make us some coffee?" he suggested, attempting to ease the tension.

Grateful for the suggestion, Ms. Ellie nodded and quickly retreated back to the guest room, locking the door behind her. Daniel chuckled softly to himself as he headed to the kitchen to prepare some coffee, understanding that it might take a little while for Ms. Ellie to recover from the embarrassing situation.

Fifteen minutes later, Ms. Ellie emerged from the guest bedroom looking much more refreshed, with her hair neatly fixed. "I'm really sorry, Mr. Daniel," she said sheepishly.

Daniel smiled warmly and replied, "It's okay. Don't worry about it," before gesturing towards the kitchen and asking, "Do you want your coffee hot or iced?"

"Iced, please," Ms. Ellie answered with a smile.

Daniel chuckled, saying, "Looks like we both like our coffee iced," as he started to prepare two cups of iced coffee. While he worked, he couldn't help but wonder about the circumstances that had led Ms. Ellie to pass out outside of her unit.

"Here you go," he said, handing her the iced coffee. "How are you feeling now? Are you okay?"

"I'm feeling much better, thank you," Ms. Ellie replied, taking a sip of the refreshing beverage. "And again, I'm really sorry for the trouble earlier."

Daniel waved his hand dismissively. "No trouble at all. I'm just glad that you're okay. But, may I ask what happened? You passed out in the hallway next to your unit," he said, with a tinge of concern, "I don't mean to pry, just making sure you're okay. Don't tell me if it's something sensitive."

He smiled lightly, trying to make Ms. Ellie feel comfortable. It wasn't every day that he found someone passed out in the hallway, and he genuinely wanted to make sure that she was okay.

Ms. Ellie sighed, setting down her cup. "I was just trying to finish a painting for a client. I had been working on it for days and didn't sleep for two nights. I was on my way to my unit to finally get some rest when I must have passed out.

Daniel nodded sympathetically. "That sounds like a lot of pressure. I wish I could help, but I don't know much about traditional painting."

Ms. Ellie smiled appreciatively. "That's okay, you've helped me enough already."

Ellie then took another sip of her iced coffee and looked at Daniel curiously. "How about you, Daniel, What do you do?" she asked.

Daniel smiled, feeling more at ease now that the tension from earlier had dissipated. "I'm in creatives and copywriting. I mostly come up with concepts, scripts, and captions for ads, and sometimes for creative content," he replied, taking a seat across from her.

Ms. Ellie's eyebrows lifted in surprise. "That sounds interesting. Can you tell me more about what you do?"

"Sure," Daniel replied. "I used to work with a team to come up with ideas for ads, shows, social media content, and other promotional materials. It's a fast-paced industry, but I love it because it challenges me to think creatively and outside the box."

Ms. Ellie nodded thoughtfully. "That sounds like a lot of work, but also very fulfilling.

Daniel's smile faded slightly as he mentioned his recent departure. "Yes, it was. I really loved my work, but my previous company decided to let me go, so I opted to resign instead. I just did a few days ago," he continued.

Ms. Ellie leaned forward, her expression sympathetic. "I'm sorry to hear that. Do you have any plans for what's next?"

Daniel shrugged. "I'm still figuring things out, to be honest. I might take on some freelance projects while I'm still thinking of what to do next."

Ellie hesitated for a moment and then said with a tinge of sadness on her face, "At least you enjoy what you do."

Daniel was taken aback by her statement and asked, "Why? Is painting not something you like?"

Ellie replied, "No, no, it's not like that. I love painting. I love art. It's just that the art industry has recently become a way for the extremely wealthy to avoid taxes and launder money. It pains me that artworks are only profitable because of that and not because of their intrinsic beauty."

Daniel listened thoughtfully as Ms. Ellie shared her perspective on the art industry. He had never considered the possibility that some artworks were merely a means for the wealthy to evade taxes or launder money.

"That's really unfortunate," he said, nodding in understanding. "I had no idea. I'm sorry to hear that it's affected your passion for painting."

Ms. Ellie shrugged, a sad smile on her face. "It's okay. I still love painting, but it's hard to ignore the reality of the situation."

Daniel nodded in agreement. "I understand what you mean. It's tough when things you're passionate about are marred by negative realities."

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence, sipping their drinks and watching the people passing by outside.

After a few minutes, Daniel broke the silence and said, "Have you ever thought about exploring a similar but different field? Perhaps something in the creative industry? Although it's not traditional art, it still involves artistic expression."

*Ding!*