The Earth Painter (21 page)

At least Mom was back to speaking to me and Dad. We sat at the breakfast table, me in my pajamas instead of school clothes. The doctor wanted me to take it easy and stay home.

“Mom, you should call Maggie and check on her. She’s going through so much. I bet it would mean the world to her right now.”

Mom dropped her fork in her plate with a loud clank. “Are you serious? After what her daughter did? Shelby could have killed you.”

“It wasn’t Maggie’s fault.”

Mom got up and started cleaning the kitchen. “Children are a reflection on their parents.” Mom waved the yellow rubber glove in my direction before she put it on to wash dishes. “If Shelby is like that, it’s due to something Maggie failed at.”

“Children are separate people from their parents, Mom.”

Mom let it go and got busy working to make the house perfect. Better it, than me.

***

I was at my computer catching up on homework that afternoon when I heard the doorbell ring. Soon, my mom was knocking on my door. Wayne, Anthony, and his mom were with her. Wayne was holding flowers.

“Sweetie, you’ve got visitors.”

“Hey, you guys.” I turned around in my swivel chair. Then I looked at Anthony’s mom.
“Nice to see you again Mrs. Strickland.”

“And it’s very, very nice to see you again, dear.” Mrs. Strickland looked at my mom, and then me. And I didn’t realize until I got here that Heather and Randall were your parents. I was a freshman the year they were seniors, but I still remember them.”

Mom looked at Anthony’s mom and smiled the way she did when someone knew her, but she didn’t have a clue
who
they were. “Well aren’t you sweet. Holly, why don’t you move to sit on your bed and let Mrs. Strickland have your
chair.
I’ll bring refreshments.”

Anthony’s mom stepped toward me with a folder. “No, please don’t move. We’re not staying that long. The guys and I just wanted to check on you, and I wanted to let you know Holly, that I am so impressed with your research for the board meeting. You have an excellent mind for research and speech writing. Your words were truly compelling. I’m glad you emailed me a copy.

I sat up and smiled. “Thanks. I enjoyed it. I learned a lot about water treatment and health. I was pretty nervous, at first, but now I’m actually excited about it.”

It was true. I actually wanted to have my say at the meeting – finally, to do something for Theo.

Mrs. Strickland let out a loud sigh. “That’s also why I’m here. You can still deliver your speech if you wish, but unfortunately, there’s no need for it now.”

I stood up,
Khai-Ree
, who was leaning against the wall, placed there by Theo’s orders, sat up to listen.

“But, why not?
What’s happened to change things?”

“Mr. Ezell has secured a grant to build a new high school. It will be clean of asbestos, energy efficient and too far from the well to make keeping it feasible. I have to vote yes for it. It’s the best thing for the students. They’re starting construction on the empty lot beside the current school building in about a month. It’s going to have a state-of-the-art auditorium.
Plus solar lighting to cut the energy use.”

I plopped back in my chair, looking at the floor. I could feel my cheeks flush. I’d lost. The one thing I could do for Theo was gone. Mrs. Strickland must have noticed my disappointment because she quickly added some happy news.

“But I am so impressed with your research
skills,
I’ve come to offer you a job working as a runner and general assistant at my tiny law office I run from my home.”

My mom who was still standing in the doorway lit up. “Oh, sweetie, what a
fantastic  opportunity
for you.
And so much nicer than flipping burgers at the Bantam Chef.”

Mrs. Strickland turned to leave, “She’s a smart girl. I know you must be proud.”

Mom smiled as she walked her out.
“Of course.
What mother wouldn’t be proud?”

Anthony and Wayne stayed behind for a few minutes. Anthony walked along my walls touching the mural. “Your room is awesome. Did you do this? I remember your backdrop was fantastic.”

I smiled thinking about painting both with Theo. “No, not really. A friend helped me.”

Anthony looked out the door to our moms in the kitchen. “Your mom’s getting out cookies.” Then he walked on out to join them. But Wayne stood staring at me like usual before a cloudburst of words came pouring out of his mouth.

“These are for you.” He handed me the flowers.

“Thanks. They’re lovely.”

He sat and looked at me. His eyes were so wide I was sure he was about to tell me some new thing he’d learned about the universe. “I was thinking that I could come and rehearse for the play with you…after track practice. That way some of the more… intimate scenes can be perfected in private.”

Oh
my gosh
, NO! I almost shouted. I’m glad I only thought it. Wayne was a sweet guy. There was nothing wrong with him, except he wasn’t the guy. As that thought came to me, I genuinely felt for him. We both had the same problem—the one each of us wanted didn’t return the feelings for us.

“We’ll see. I don’t know how late I’ll be working for Mrs. Strickland. Besides, I’d hate to rehearse something one way only to find out it’s not the way Ms. Jones wants it. It’s probably best just to practice together at school.” With lots of people around, I wanted to add.

His head hung just a little. Not in an overly dramatic way, but enough that my heart felt heavy when I saw his shoulders slump. But what could I do? I wasn’t looking forward to our kissing scenes the way he was.

I turned around in my little desk chair, about to tell
Khai-Ree
there was no point in staying with me. I was no threat to Fritz’s plans. He had won. But
Khai-Ree
wasn’t there. I assumed he’d already left for the same reason.

I stood and began pacing back and forth in my little room. My flip-flops smacked against the hardwood floor. All that work was for nothing. I sat back down, but the nervous energy had my legs bouncing so I got up and paced again. What a waste all that time had been. All that work.
All the research.
I got locked in a freezer and almost died over the stupid well, for crying out loud.
All for nothing—for no purpose.

I picked up the first thing I could get my hands on. Unfortunately, it was Wayne’s little bouquet. I grabbed the tissue wrapped stems and started beating my desk with the flowers. Bits of pink and purple petals flew everywhere.

“All for nothing!
NOTHING! I should have just kept my mouth shut at that stupid board meeting for all the good it’s done.”

Finally, I slung the bare stems wrapped in shredded tissue across the room with a grunt.

“Do you feel better?”

I spun around to see Theo, standing in the corner watching me. I stood there panting, still too angry to calm down.

“Is this what it’s like when the humans go and ruin all your hard work? Like it was all just wasting time? You paint a cute little furry thing only to have a science decide
it’s
food for a bigger thing.”

Tears were in my eyes, but I wasn’t crying. They were angry tears. “You paint a forest, and humans go cut it down.” I turned from him and walked to the wall with the ocean painted on it. “Or you paint a girl’s bedroom only to have her mom paint over it.” I slammed my fist against the wall so hard, I immediately drew it back and shook it in pain.

T
heo came to me and looked at my hand. The skin on my knuckles was broken and bloody. I looked at him and pulled away. “I know that was stupid.” I stomped to my bed and sat down. “But I don’t care.”

Theo watched me from where we had been together, his arms crossed in front of him. “I paint a furry creature who feeds another. That’s pretty important to the hungry animal. And the people who cut down a tree to build a home or to keep their children warm with a fire or cook a furry creature to eat, they appreciate that tree. It wasn’t a waste. It just wasn’t what I had planned.”

Theo walked along my walls, tracing the paintings with his fingers.
“And painting a beautiful girl’s room to make her feel better about living in a different house, in a town that doesn’t feel like home…” he came and sat down beside me. “That made the beautiful girl feel
special—I hope and was not a waste of time.” Then he put his arms around me and held me.

Beautiful girl.
I leaned my head on his shoulder and let the words echo in my mind.

Theo smiled at me. It had been a while since I had seen the dimples.

“I’ve had an idea, and I want to try it.”

“OK. What?”

Theo walked over to me, bent down, grabbed me by the legs and tossed me over his shoulder.

“What are you doing?” I gasped, and he lifted me.

Within half a second, we weren’t in my room but in a bamboo jungle. Theo put me down, and I stood looking around. “What is this?” I looked at Theo, realizing what had happened.
“How?
I thought I couldn’t enter the door?”

Theo grinned back. “You couldn’t, but I could and it occurred to me that if I could carry my paints and things with me that I might be able to carry you through it.” Theo shrugged, “Too bad
I didn’t think of it when you were locked in the freezer. I could have gotten you out sooner and with less hoopla.”

I looked around at the tall bamboo. “Where are we?”

“China. I wanted you to see something.” Theo took my hand and led me to a clearing. Giant pandas were there pulling down stalks of bamboo and chewing them. Suddenly, the bears looked up at us alarmed.”

Theo stopped. “That’s strange. They don’t usually…” Then he looked at me. “It’s because you’re human. Go stand over there and be quiet.”

I walked over to a tree and hid behind it to watch. Theo walked into the middle of the family of pandas. One by one, they came to him. Theo scratched their heads and rubbed their bellies. They were enormous. They had to weigh a ton each. But they all noticed him. Not only noticed him, they frolicked with him, nudging closer to him, knocking each other out of the way to be the next petted.

I’m not sure how long I watched it. It was like nothing I’d ever seen in a zoo. When Theo and the pandas were finished playing, Theo came over to me. “You ready?”

I nodded, and he picked me up like a sack of potatoes again, and we were back in my room.

Theo put me down and smiled. “What’d you think?”

I felt like jumping up and down. “That was amazing. And you tell Bio I agree with you. The pandas are perfect just the way they are. They wouldn’t be nearly as adorable ripping and tearing at other creatures to eat.”

Theo grinned. “I will tell him you said so.”

I took a seat in my chair, and Theo plopped on my bed and started twirling a throw pillow by the tassel.

“So how come the pandas notice you?”

Theo shrugged, “Because they’re my design. All the land creatures notice me…except for humans.”

“Why is it exactly that you are fond of humans when Fritz disliked us from the start?”

“I find humans amazing. They are so much more than the animals I made.
So much more than painters or sciences.
Painting is flat.
One dimensional.
Painted things have limited emotions. But sculpting is three dimensional. It’s full and thick, there’s something all the way through. People are sculpted like painters and sciences but still they are more. I think it was the breath from the Sculptor. It gave them something of the fullness of the Sculptor. His creativity makes mine look like human art” He looked at me apologetic, “Sorry, no offense.”

I shook my head that I wasn’t offended. Theo finally left, and I looked at my script.
Somewhere in all that an idea started to form.

Chapter 21

I got up and got dressed for school. I stopped and looked in the mirror and thought of Theo. The way he made me feel—it was too much—it overwhelmed me. I smiled without at the thought of seeing him at school.

I looked over at the packet Mrs. Strickland had given me the day before and thought about the well. I had to find some way to save it. It was too important to Theo. I owed him so much. I couldn’t give up yet. But I would keep it a secret. That way he wouldn’t get his hopes up only to have me fail him again. Also, the less Fritz knew about it, the better. Let him think he’d won.

In the car, on the way to school, I brought up the need for a car of my own to my dad.

“Sweetie, I’m doing pretty decent at selling cars, but we just aren’t to a place where I can take on another payment. I don’t want what happened in Charleston to happen here.”

“No, Dad. It would be my payment. I have a job and those diamond earrings you and mom gave me for my sweet sixteen. I could use a car more than those earrings.”

“Maybe.”

“I can wait a few months, but I’ll have to have one by the time I start college.”