(I was already three quarters through writing this when Stefan was posted, that’s on me for doing multiple drafts haha. Posting it anyway because I loved writing this [this forum is amazing, I love all the stories!] But feel free to not regard Bogdan as canonical)
Please excuse the lack of colour in the photo, Bogdan Maciej Piotrowski (61) is painfully camera shy and this is one of very few photographs of him that aren’t blurred.
Mr. Piotrowski has lived a life as eccentric as he is and always has an exciting tale to tell. He’s lived in all seven continents and has “seen it all” but refuses to elaborate on what that actually means. As open as Mr. Piotrowski seems, those who listen not just to his stories but to him as well, know that he is far more secretive than he lets on. If anyone asks for stories from his childhood, Mr. Piotrowski will feign a sudden loss of his ability to speak English; and if the person he’s speaking to happens to know Polish, Mr. Piotrowski will switch to one of the many other languages he knows.
Though a friend to all, Mr. Piotrowski believes he is incapable of forming close bonds with people and spends most of his free time alone. Though Mr. Piotrowski takes pride in how open he’s made himself to change, and by extension, growth; there are lonely nights where he fears that he remains that sad little boy whose only companions were his books. While Mr. Piotrowski is convinced that he will never truly feel connected to others, he cares deeply for everyone he meets, and views the museum’s workers and its regulars as the family he will never have.
Though Mr. Piotrowski does not know of Lewis’s plans to adopt Vanessa, he would be vehemently opposed to the idea. It fills Mr. Piotrowski with sorrow that Lewis had to take care of his sister at such a young age, and he fears that Lewis might snap under the pressure and suffer the same fate as Mr. Piotrowski’s own older brother did, so many years ago. If Mr. Piotrowski believed that his presence would not burden the siblings, he would gladly become the guardian of both. While he cares for Lewis and Vanessa, Mr. Piotrowski feels a deep kinship with the latter, though he’ll never say it out loud. Her struggles to relate to others and the strength of her interests remind him of himself before he learned to hide that part of him away.
Mr. Piotrowski’s relationship with Juliette is more simple; he views he like the daughter he never had, in the life he could have lived. Mr. Piotrowski knows the feeling is likely not mutual, but he feels protective of her and the museum regardless, meticulously ensuring every inch of it is immaculate. It’s the least he can do. He anonymously donates money to keep the museum running; as a semi-popular artist, writer, and composer (each under a different pseudonym), funds are not an issue for Mr. Piotrowski.
But all the money in the world cannot substitute human companionship, and while Mr. Piotrowski loves his many books and dogs, he dreams of one day being able to find true love. But that’s all it is, a dream. No matter how much he pines for one Pazia Wilcox, Mr. Piotrowski will never admit his love. She deserves someone without so much baggage; someone normal, someone Bogdan has spent his whole life trying to be. The words he heard so often as a child cling to him like chains…
There is nowhere in the world that he belongs, there is no one who will understand. So Bogdan Maciej Piotrowski spends his life alone… It’s for the best.