The Earth Painter (16 page)

Theo’s eyes widened. “You saw the ocean? A real ocean while we painted?” The excitement made his eyes sparkle. “Has anything like that ever happened when you’ve painted before?”

“Yes! That time we painted the backdrop. I could see animals hopping about and birds. I could smell the pine.”

Theo pulled me from my chair and led me back to the wall.
“Paint.”

I did as instructed. I tried to follow the patterns that were already started. They didn’t look the same though, and I didn’t see or hear or smell anything. Then, Theo opened some pastel paints. He pulled me to another wall and took my hand again.

He held me close as we painted, connecting rectangles of different colors. It felt nice being tucked into his arms. I didn’t know what the rectangles meant until suddenly I was in Charleston, on rainbow row—a street where colorful houses all close together kept watch over the river. The giant, colorful homes loomed over me. I could smell the magnolia and hear the river behind me. My sweat even felt different. It was the constant humidity of the low country of South Carolina. Again, I pulled away from Theo. I turned and looked at him. “Charleston! You’re giving me Charleston.”

He smiled and ran his fingers through his sandy blond hair. As if the eyes were not enough, the dimples had to show up too. “You could see that?
Already?”
He seemed to think for a minute as he looked at the walls and then at me. “You miss your home. I can hear it when you talked about Charleston that first day in class. I thought this would make you feel more at home here.”

I couldn’t help myself. I threw my arms around him and held him so tight it might have hurt him if that were possible. Tears streamed down my face. “You know me so well. No one knows me like this.” I pulled back to look into his gray-blue eyes. The color of the ocean during a
storm—when sky and sea become
one,
and it’s impossible to distinguish the two. I used to drive to the beach during storms back in Charleston just to see that color. Now the gray-blue
was  here
watching me.

I turned back to the wall to look at the beginning of basic shapes painted on the wall. The shapes hardly looked like houses yet. “How did I see it and smell it and taste it when all that’s here is this?”

Theo shook his head, but he still smiled. “I don’t know. But it sounds like what I see when I paint. How does it feel when you do it?”

My face beamed.
“Exhilarating!”

“Isn’t it? But that’s nothing compared to divine inspiration.” The he stopped and looked at me like he’d just had an idea. “My creativity must be flowing through you as we paint. That’s what happens to me when I get divine inspiration. I’d compare it to possession or being drunk. Only I can’t smell it or taste it when it happens.” He looked at me. “Let’s try this again, and you tell me what you’re seeing and smelling at any given moment.”

I tried to explain the clean smell of the ocean and the taste that gets in your mouth even if you don’t go into the water. And tried to describe the buttery sweet smell of pralines being made at the sweet shop down by the old market—the way they lure you in to buy them when you weren’t planning on it. I could almost feel the jostle of riding over cobblestone streets under canopies of Spanish moss, hanging like gray witches hair from the trees.

We painted into the night until I was so tired Theo was literally holding me up. At that point, he led me to my bed and tucked me in to watch from my pillow while he finished. I resisted sleep at first, but finally relented when I couldn’t hold my eyes open. I willed my eyes open to
watch until I was closing one eye at a time, using one and resting the other. I liked being in his arms—the way they made me feel. Not just the sensation of painting, though that was awesome, but the safety that came with them and the comfort of him holding me when I didn’t have the strength to stand any longer.

I drifted off peacefully, my mind far from the fight with my mom. I was with Theo in my dreams, painting all sorts of beauty, and it was good.

When I woke up I was in Charleston. Theo was gone, and
Khai-Ree
was sitting in my chair.

“Where’s Theo?” I sprang from my bed and ran to the wall to rub my fingers over it.

“He’s at home getting ready for a card game. Walden’s coming and bringing Physics and Astronomy with her. They were coming to consult with
Chem
anyway, so their joining the game. The current table and room will not suffice such a number of sciences, an extra painter and her
Khai-Ree
. Theo is painting a new venue.”

“And you can’t make up a new design on your own.”

The man rolled his eyes in apparent disgust. “I am a
Khai-Ree
. I see what is…only. Not what could be… the world of make believe.”

We remained silent. It wasn’t awkward because I was busy looking at everything. Theo had even propped my throw pillows against the wall with matching flowers he’d painted in front of a house. It gave it a 3D effect. My window topper was now hung under my window. It had been made part of a house to look like a window box of flowers.

“This is amazing. I love it.” I ran my fingers over the painting of the market. The ancient bricks looked so real, I half expected to feel them. The sweet grass baskets lined the doorway of the market, woven by an African-American woman who’d learned the craft from her mother,
who’d learned it from her mother going all the way back to some poor woman who’d survived a trip comparable only to hell itself.

I loved watching the women weave while they manned their booths. But there were no women, or shoppers or any people. I looked at
Khai-Ree
. “Do you think he’ll add people later? I’ve never seen Charleston so abandoned.”

No, Theo doesn’t paint people” He shook his head, “out of respect for the Sculptor.” He looked at the room and back at me. “I’m glad Theo has something to paint besides me.”
Khai-Ree
stood and flattened out his white suit. “Thank…um…thank… you for….” He looked around the room trying to avoid eye contact.
“…talking to Theo.”

“Thank you for guarding me while your painter is away. I know this isn’t where you want to be.”

The little man bowed. “I am
Khai
-
Ree
-
Hloa
-Theo. I assist my painter. That is what I do. Now that you are up and aware, I am permitted to leave now.” And he backed away and was gone.

I made my bed with the flowers showing. I’d painted my entire room. Well, Theo and I had, so I might as well give Mom the comforter today. Like that would be enough to compensate for what I’d done.

I dressed, not wanting to have to open my door too soon and have Mom see it. I wasn’t looking forward to the fight that would follow once she knew, but I wasn’t sorry either. Even if she ran in and repainted the whole thing, I wouldn’t trade the feeling of being in Theo’s arms and painting Charleston with him. Experiencing his painting with him was like nothing else in the world.

I pulled my door closed behind me and went to the kitchen to eat. Mom had made breakfast for her and Dad, but no place was made for me at all. I’d expected the silent treatment.

“Please tell your daughter if she wants to be treated like an adult she can start by fixing her own meals.”

“That’s fine with me.” I answered without waiting for Dad to say something. This was ridiculous.

I poured myself cereal, only getting out a bowl and spoon, not setting all the flatware on the table like Mom did. I cleaned up after and went to the bathroom to brush my teeth. In the middle of flossing, I heard Mom scream my name. I shrugged my shoulders at myself. Well, at least she’s speaking to me again. I didn’t rush to my room. I finished brushing, flossing, and rinsing. I felt no need to rush to my death so I took my time. I even put on makeup. One should look their best when facing Madame le Guillotine. Mom would be proud.

Chapter 17

Mom ended up in her room with the door shut while I got ready for work. Dad looked in to see what all the fuss was about and suddenly remembered that he needed to go in a little early to set up for the Labor Day sale.

Being Labor Day, it was slow at the Bantam Chef. People were home making their own burgers and hot dogs in the back yard. Most of the customers were coming through the drive-thru to pick up pulled pork barbeque to take to the lake. I packed cups of it until three o’clock and then they decided I could go home, but Shelby had to stay at work. I told her I was fine and would walk down the street to the high school because some kids from drama would be in the auditorium.

I broke into the auditorium same as before and climbed the catwalk only to hear the soft chiming giggle of a woman coming from Theo’s place. Then, he laughed. I crept around and looked in. The room was dark as night. Twinkling stars glittered and sparkled above a vast desert plain that made the sky look bigger than I’d ever seen. Streaks of lightning flashed in the onyx and diamond sky like camera flashes. The lightning flashed out into many branches glowing in pink, lavender and electric blue.

I heard the giggles again off to the side. It was then I noticed the scaffolding. Two figures were sitting on it and dangling their feet off.

“I love it here. I’d forgotten how much fun you are, Theo,” she said with a soft sigh.

“This was nice. I’ve missed you too. You always think bigger than I do. It’s going to drive the sciences crazy, which makes it all the better.” Theo answered her as he put his arm around her. “We used to have so much fun. Why don’t you move back in with me?”

“Just like old times,” said the woman I could now make out when the lightning flashed, leaning her head on Theo’s shoulder.

I needed to swallow but couldn’t. My throat was too dry. My face suddenly felt flushed. My stomach heaved as my heart seemed to sink into it. I turned to try to get out of there before I was sick all over the place.

When I got out onto the catwalk tears stung my eyes as rage rose up inside me. My tunnel vision had me focusing on my quick retreat and kept me from hearing the two of them right behind me.

“Hey, Holly!
What are you doing here?”

I turned around and wiped my eyes as inconspicuously as possible and swallowed. “I got off of work early and came to hang out.”

Theo half smiled: his forehead wrinkled over his eyes. “Why did you run off then? I didn’t even know you were here until you ran out.”

I looked at the sculpted Mediterranean goddess next to him and back at Theo. “I saw you had company and didn’t want to interrupt.”

“You’re not interrupting. This is Walden. She came in early for the card game and helped me get the place ready.” He pushed her forward.

Walden was not the right name for her.
Venus, Aphrodite—something that made you picture curves and legs and perfect cheekbones.
Walden sounded like somebody’s grandpa they went to visit on Sundays.

I extended my hand, but refused to smile.
“Nice to meet you.”

She looked at my hand, up at my face and then at Theo. “I’ve never shaken hands with a human before.
How surreal!”
Then she took my hand and shook it.

Theo put his arm around me and pulled me into his place. “You’ve got to see what Walden came up with for the card game tonight. This will make the sciences cringe.”

I walked back into the desert. The twinkling stars and flashing lightning made it feel like a dance club. “Why? Are they scared of lightning?”

Theo shook his head at me. “Tsk…No. Look! I mean seriously look at the sky. Then think about what you know of the sciences and what they do.

I looked at it and tried to figure out the puzzle, but my eyes kept wandering over to Walden and my mind kept replaying Theo’s invitation to Walden to move back in with him.

“I give up. What am I not seeing?”

“Clouds.
You don’t have lightning and a cloudless night together. It is impossible in their logical, scientific, predictable world. But, as Walden reminded me, this is my domain, and I can paint what I please.”

Walden had walked off a bit from us and was pouring gray paint into a pan. Then she knelt and started painting the floor. I watched as a patio took form over the sand.

Theo interrupted my staring. “Walden showed up while I was enlarging the parlor and painting a bigger table and more chairs. Then she asked me why it needed to be a room at all. She’s always been into open space. Guess it’s her sky painter DNA, if we even have DNA.”

A giant glass table was now taking shape on the patio. The glass reflected the colorful flashes above it. The whole scene was breathtaking as she added crystal torches around the table for light. I couldn’t look at it without thinking of how it felt to paint with Theo and all that
awesome, creative power flowing through me. Unspeakable, unthinkable beauty was conceived of in the minds of the painters. I couldn’t help wondering what the whole world would look like if it had stayed just as the painters had planned—without all the tweaking. I finally understood the painters’ resentment towards the sciences.

“Wow,” was all I could say when Walden had finished. I looked at my watch. Shelby would be getting off soon. I told them I had to leave, but Theo insisted I come back later for the card game. I half smiled and agreed while trying to think of an excuse not to return.