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I spent so long blaming my distance from art on Anna leaving that it almost feels like I have no right to be doing it again.
Nevertheless, I bite the bullet and start covering the surface. Not every artist believes in preparing canvases this way, but if it’s good enough for Bob Ross, it’s good enough for me.
I leave that to dry for a bit, and I walk over to the doors to contemplate the view I’m going to replicate. It’s a beautiful landscape, actually an artist's dream view. Too bad it’ll be covered in condos soon. I shake my head. It may be too bad for the artist in me, but my bank account will be more than pleased.
Then, I just go for it. Once I get going, it’s like a spark has been ignited in me.
***
“How’s it coming?” Mae asks.
I’m in such a calm and meditative state that I don’t even hear or see her at first.
But when I hear her voice, it startles me a little.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” she says.
“It’s okay,” I say, putting down my brush, “I just wasn’t expecting you.”
“Well? Can I see what you have so far?” she asks.
She walks over, but I turn it out of her view.
“What—what are you doing?” She sounds so petulant it makes me laugh.
“I don’t typically like for people to see what I’m working on until after it’s done. It’s a weird superstition I have.”
She stops walking, turns her back to the painting and covers her eyes. “Ah, okay. Well, that’s fine.”
From this angle, I can see the nape of her neck and the fine dark hairs brushing her skin. It's the perfect place for someone to leave a bruising kiss.
I step toward Mae.
A loud crash and frightened scream interrupt us.
Mae and I glance at each other and then run from the house. Mae and Dylan are screeching around the yard. We rush out and see them running around like headless chickens, both thankfully unharmed.
“The goats!” Mina yells, and runs to her mom.
“What happened?” Mae asks.
“They just broke through the siding. It happened in a second.”
Mae and I jump into action. We work together to wrangle them back into a different part of the barn. We’ve only known each other for a month now, but our movements are in sync, weaving around each other as we corral the animals. After it’s all done, and Mae has counted and recounted to ensure we have all seven of them corralled, we stand in the yard breathless, looking at each other in disbelief.
“Well, that was exciting,” I comment.
“I’m just so glad we got all of them. Dopey, Sleepy, Sneezy, Bashful, Grumpy, Happy, and Doc.” Mina gasps.
“The seven dwarves?” I laugh. It’s such a Mae thing to do. “Classic.”
“I couldn’t resist.” She grins up at me, pleased with herself and still panting from the exercise.
I pick a piece of straw from her hair and say, “You know that makes Mina Snow White. So, you must be the Evil Queen!”
She tickles my side. “Oh, shut it!”
Chapter twelve
