Jodi took a sip of her second cup of black coffee, letting the hot liquid soothe her tired vocal chords.

“So… you are reporter for The Village Voice… that sounds very exciting.”

The private tour had taken more than an hour, but it wasn’t until Lucia came into the wing and announced she was about to lock that Jodi noticed how late it was. Tom was exhausted, and could barely keep his eyes open, let alone interpret for her. Still, the artist didn’t feel like ending the night, so she risked inviting Mary for a cup of coffee at Carmen’s, a 24-hour café just one block away from the gallery, without the presence of her interpreter. So far, it had been a breeze; Mary didn’t seem to have any problem understanding Jodi, and the artist could read the words in those full lips without a hitch.

“It isn’t,” Mary answered honestly, setting her cup of tea down. “They got me working mostly on nightlife and entertainment. I want to go into serious journalism. You know? Social Commentary. Politics. My dream is to go to Washington one day. I don’t need to have an article on the “10 Best S&M Bars in the City” in my catalogue.”

“I read that article,” Jodi teased, the corners of her lips curling into a smile. “It is currently taped to my fridge.”

“Liar,” countered Mary, arching her eyebrow playfully.

Jodi raised her cup as a sign of truce before taking another sip. “Michael is your big brother, right?”

Mary nodded. “Older by thirteen years.”

“Which makes you…” Jodi asked.

“Smooth, Ms. Lerner,” Mary joked before answering. “I just turned 22.”

The answered surprised Jodi; Mary was even younger than she had originally guessed. Still, nine years was not a big difference, especially under the covers. “At least it worked. So, are you and Michael close?”

“Very much so,” answered Mary with an enthusiastic nod of the head. “My father died when I was only two, so my whole life revolved around my mother and my big brother. My family is very set on their Irish catholic ways, so my brother instantly became the “man of the house”. In many ways, he is like a father to me.”