An Artists Lament

“So, are you coming out tonight? There’s a party happening at Theresa’s.” Jaren sat back on Eliana’s bed and fiddled with his phone. He had no doubt she was giving him a look for his off-hand comment, but he didn’t want to see it. Eliana’s gaze finally flitted away and he looked back at her. She was sitting at her desk working on  a sketch.

“I don’t know. I guess I could think about it.”

“It’s okay if you don’t want to. I have other friends that are going. I can always meet up with Toby.”

“Ugh.”

Jaren sat up. “He isn’t that bad. He’s just outgoing.”

“And a cheater.”

“You’re not even the one he cheated on. It was your friend fifth grade who you haven’t talked to since seventh grade.”

“I can still be indignant for all of women kind.”

“You are a very strange person. I’m not always sure why I chose you as my best friend.” 

Eliana looked away from Jaren. “You don’t have to be friends with me.”

Jaren rolled his eyes and rolled off the bed, walking over to Eliana’s side. “I wouldn’t want anyone else. You know that.”

She looked back up at him with a mischievous smirk. “Yeah, I know.”

Jaren shoved her chair then bent over her getting his first look at her paper.

“Wait, were you drawing me? Eliana, this is amazing!!”

She caught his smirk with amazing detail and managed to depict nearly every curl in his medium length hair.

“You should really submit your drawings to an art gallery. There’s no way they could refuse them.”

“There’s plenty of artists out there who are better and more well known than I am. Those are the people they’re going to admit works from.”

“Yeah, but I think it’s what your mom would have—“ Eliana gave Jaren a sharp look. Sufficiently cutting him off.

Jaren shrugged. It was useless arguing. She never listened. After Eliana’s mom passed away three years earlier she stopped doing art all together. Art was their special thing that they’d shared. Her mother had been famous and Eliana had wanted to follow in her footsteps.

It took a year and a half, but finally, Eliana had picked up her pencils again. It was rough getting back into it, and a lot of her first drawings were mediocre at best, but she got back to her previous skill level fairly soon after that.

“It would look better in color.” Eliana said staring at the picture for a moment longer, then opening a drawer in her desk and sliding it in.

“I’ll drop the subject, but only if you go to the party with me.”

“Fine, I’ll go to your stupid party. What time are you picking me up?”

“I’m ready. I figure I’ll just join you, your dad, and Puck for dinner.”

“Not again. Last time all you and my dad talked about was sports. Do you know how tired I am of hearing about sports.”

“I promise. This time there will be no sports.”

“But that’s why soccer is inherently better than football.” Jaren sat back in his seat with a contented sigh and smirked across the table at Eliana’s father. He shook his head on the other side of the table.

Lewis Harkin was a tall strong man. Looking at him you would never want to take him on. He was large built and often wore a beard. He had tattoos left over from time spent in a motorcycle gang, and definitely didn’t look to be the fatherly type.

Underneath all of that was a gentle, loving man. His voice was deep and booming, but he’d never yelled at his children and he was very much a peacemaker. Eliana had only seen him get rough with someone once, and it was a drunk guy hitting on her soon after her mother died. They’d all been high on emotions and when the guy didn’t listen to reason Lewis walloped him in the face. It shut him up real fast.

Now, he smiled across the table at Jaren. The debate wasn’t even a real one, since Lewis agreed, but he’d let it continue nonetheless.

“Alright Jaren. You’ve won me over. But I think my daughter may be tired of the sports talk.”

“That’s just because she’s a girl.” Puck said, sniggering in Eliana’s direction. He was only twelve and quickly taking after their father in features. He was the tallest boy in his grade and they all expected he would just continue growing until he was as massive as their father.

His full name was Patrick, but he’d chosen the nickname Puck because Patrick was an old person name.

“Puck be nice to your sister. On to a different topic. Jaren tells me you’ve agreed to go to a party.” Lewis turned his eyes on his daughter and she shrugged shrinking into herself.

“Don’t make a big deal. I probably won’t stay very long. In fact I’m so certain I won’t be out long that I don’t even need you to assign a curfew because I’ll be home well before it.”

“I expect nothing less. Just try to have some fun.”

“I’ll do my best, but I make no guarantees.” She and Jaren carried their dishes to the kitchen and put them in the dishwasher.

“Before we go I think you should change. I mean we’re going to a party you may as well look nice even if you’re refusing to have fun.” Eliana sighed but nodded her head.

“Fine, stay here. I’ll go do my hair and put on something nice.” Jaren sat down on the bottom step of the stairs.

Ten minutes later he heard Eliana approaching from behind. He smiled. What she wore was simple, but still nice. A black pair of leggings under a dress that hit her mid-thigh. The dress was a deep blue, mottled with hints of gray. She’d even done her hair in a nice updo that allowed small hairs out at the front to frame her face.

“Is this good enough for you?”

“Yes ma’am that will do nicely.”

Eliana rolled her eyes at the fake southern accent and followed Jaren out to his car. They started the drive and Eliana found herself zoned out staring out the window. It was only when it registered that they’d been driving for far too long that she shook herself out of it and glared in Jaren’s direction.

“This isn’t the way to Theresa’s. I’ve third wheeled with you and your girlfriend enough to know how to get to her house.”

“We’re just making a small stop before we go. Don’t stress. Just close your eyes and take a small nap.”

“I shouldn’t be able to fall asleep if this is just a small stop.”

“Just close your eyes doofus.” Jaren’s voice was impatient and Eliana closed her eyes if only to keep them from an argument.

She counted the second in her head as they drove. Her mother used to say that if you just counted in your head, you’d reach three hundered and the five minutes that had just passed would feel like a blur.

She’d only hit two-hundered and forty-five when Jaren’s car rumbled to a stop. She opened her eyes and her face fell, even farther than it already had.

“Why are we here.” They stood in front of the art gallery her mother showed her work at.

“Your dad and I both thought this would be good for you. We knew we’d have to trick you here.”

“So Theresa isn’t having a party?”

“No. She said we can go there after we’re done here.”

“Let’s go then. Because I’m not going in there.” Eliana shook her head and sat back in her seat. She folded her arms tight as Jaren tried to pull her out.

“Please, just come in for two seconds.”

“Why?”

“Because I think it will help.” Jaren leaned against his passenger door. “Your dad agrees. He’s ready at home with ice cream and tissues if you need them when we’re done, but he thinks it’s time and so do I.”

“If I go, will you guys drop it?”

“Yes. Go inside and I’ll drop it.”

Eliana thought for a second then hopped down out of the car. “Fine.”

Jaren could see the tears already brimming in her eyes as they walked up. He held the door open and prepared for the gasp.

Eliana entered and her breathe caught for multiple seconds before a sob tore through her throat. She walked deeper into the gallery and smiled as she let out a soft laugh. Rimming the walls were the paintings she’d done alongside her mother. You could see the progression starting when she was young until her mother passed away.

Then, on the farthest wall, it came to a head focused on her recent drawings.

Eliana walked up to the very first painting. She’d done her version in watercolor while her mother’s was done with professional-grade oil paints.

“I didn’t even know we had my versions still. I thought I threw them away the day of the funeral.”

“You did, but I saw them that day when I left and I pulled them out. I figured you would regret it eventually.”

“I can’t believe I threw them away. I was just so consumed by depression. But seeing them here, next to hers—“

“It feels better doesn’t it.

Eliana smiled again as tears streamed down her face, and hugged Jaren from the side. “It feels like closure.”