Rose VanDusenberg, parts 978 - 981

978. Meanwhile the situation necessitated a subtle change in his relationship with the restaurant manager. The manager had received an e-mail about a week after his meeting with Rose, suggesting that Coromo be allowed to sell his pictures himself, if the opportunity arose. In order for this to happen, the rule of the help not indulging in idle conversation with the resort clients had to be abrogated.

979. Allowing a simple waiter to indulge in conversation with the clients was galling to the manager, but he had to go along with it. It didn't matter, he knew that Coromo was making a stupid mistake with his project of selling his pictures, a mistake so obvious that it proved beyond any doubt that Coromo was dumb, his pictures pointless, and Rose was just a simpleton who actually knew nothing about anything.

980. What was it that the manager knew? Just this, he was in charge of all purchases for the concession and gift shop for the resort and since he had to to make all those purchases, he knew very nearly how much Coromo's paintings cost to produce. This was not an artistic consideration, this was not a matter of art, it was simply a business consideration. Those pictures cost no less that fifteen dollars a piece for canvas, stretchers, and paint. How he was able to sell them for two dollars, he had no idea.

981. The manager did not know how his waiter managed to produce his paintings without the expense of the materials because he did not know about Tallulah's sending him all of those canvases as well as lots of very expensive tubes of paint. But the manager knew that sooner or later the excrement would be hitting the air-conditioner, and he rubbed his hands in anticipation.