waved me in, smiling, and I sat down to wait for her to get off the phone.
When she hung up, I waved my hand toward her desk and grinned. “It looks like you’re feeling better this morning!”
“Oh, Macy, I slept so well last night. I feel much better today. You know, you were right. I think all I needed was some rest. I have been working too hard lately.”
“Well,” I cautioned her, “it’s easy to overdo it. Please take it slowly.”
“I will, dear. I promise.” She winked.
I had been trying to decide on the best way to broach the subject of my presence, and I had finally concluded that I should just come right out and ask her what I needed to know.
“Do you have a minute to talk?”
She looked at me with concern and laid her papers aside. “Of course, Macy. What is it?”
“I’ve been wondering whether my presence here is helping you or making things harder.”
“Macy! How could you say such a thing? Now that you’re here, I can’t imagine what I did without you. You have been a great help and comfort to me; you must know that.”
“Thank you, Alex. I was just wondering; that’s all.”
She looked at me suspiciously. “What made you ask such a question?”
“I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to make sure that you feel I’m doing my job.” I didn’t want to tell her about my conversation with Will or about the rock-throwing incident last night. Apparently she knew nothing about it or she would have mentioned it to me by now.
“Macy, please don’t think that. I love having you here. I know that Vali and Leland can be a little rough around the edges, but try to ignore them. They feel a little territorial about me and Summerplace.”
Vali and Leland weren’t the ones I was concerned about at the moment, but I let that go. I got up and thanked her, promising to return to do exercises with her later.
Before I left the office, Alex called me back. “Macy, why don’t you go up to the turret today and try your hand at some painting? Isn’t that something you’d enjoy?”
My face must have betrayed my excitement, because Alex laughed and added, “I’ll bet you’ve been dying to get your hands on a paintbrush again.” She once again handed me the key to the turret door. “You enjoy yourself, and I’ll see you later.”
I was thrilled to be able to go up into that marvelous turret room and paint. It had been so long since I had created anything with my hands; I was anxious to get started. Upstairs I was welcomed into the turret room again by the clear blue sky and an enveloping sunshine that brightened everything it touched.
The first thing I did was to turn on a large space heater I had seen on my previous visit. I would need extra heat so that my hands would stay warm. Cold, stiff fingers were the bane of a painter’s existence.
The heater worked well and soon the room was cozy and comfortable. I looked around for a sketchbook and found one in a large drawer in the artist’s table. As I walked slowly around the perimeter of the room, I tried to empty my mind and let the gorgeous scenery inspire me. Then, sketchbook in hand, I sat down on the sofa with several pencils and closed my eyes, breathing deeply. I began to feel myself relaxing and I opened the sketchbook.
I started drawing the first thing that came into my mind: a small pinecone hanging from a bough. I wasn’t satisfied with it, and I drew the same pinecone several times on the same piece of paper. Finally, after a number of tries, I finished one that I liked, so I picked up some chalk pastels and experimented for a bit with different hues. Then, holding the sketch pad away from me to look at the picture, I decided I needed watercolors to bring it alive, but I could do that later. Right now, I wanted to draw something else. I began with a picture of a rowboat. It wasn’t in the water, since I had always had trouble with outdoor scenes; the light playing off the water was difficult for me to catch on paper. So
When she hung up, I waved my hand toward her desk and grinned. “It looks like you’re feeling better this morning!”
“Oh, Macy, I slept so well last night. I feel much better today. You know, you were right. I think all I needed was some rest. I have been working too hard lately.”
“Well,” I cautioned her, “it’s easy to overdo it. Please take it slowly.”
“I will, dear. I promise.” She winked.
I had been trying to decide on the best way to broach the subject of my presence, and I had finally concluded that I should just come right out and ask her what I needed to know.
“Do you have a minute to talk?”
She looked at me with concern and laid her papers aside. “Of course, Macy. What is it?”
“I’ve been wondering whether my presence here is helping you or making things harder.”
“Macy! How could you say such a thing? Now that you’re here, I can’t imagine what I did without you. You have been a great help and comfort to me; you must know that.”
“Thank you, Alex. I was just wondering; that’s all.”
She looked at me suspiciously. “What made you ask such a question?”
“I don’t know. I guess I just wanted to make sure that you feel I’m doing my job.” I didn’t want to tell her about my conversation with Will or about the rock-throwing incident last night. Apparently she knew nothing about it or she would have mentioned it to me by now.
“Macy, please don’t think that. I love having you here. I know that Vali and Leland can be a little rough around the edges, but try to ignore them. They feel a little territorial about me and Summerplace.”
Vali and Leland weren’t the ones I was concerned about at the moment, but I let that go. I got up and thanked her, promising to return to do exercises with her later.
Before I left the office, Alex called me back. “Macy, why don’t you go up to the turret today and try your hand at some painting? Isn’t that something you’d enjoy?”
My face must have betrayed my excitement, because Alex laughed and added, “I’ll bet you’ve been dying to get your hands on a paintbrush again.” She once again handed me the key to the turret door. “You enjoy yourself, and I’ll see you later.”
I was thrilled to be able to go up into that marvelous turret room and paint. It had been so long since I had created anything with my hands; I was anxious to get started. Upstairs I was welcomed into the turret room again by the clear blue sky and an enveloping sunshine that brightened everything it touched.
The first thing I did was to turn on a large space heater I had seen on my previous visit. I would need extra heat so that my hands would stay warm. Cold, stiff fingers were the bane of a painter’s existence.
The heater worked well and soon the room was cozy and comfortable. I looked around for a sketchbook and found one in a large drawer in the artist’s table. As I walked slowly around the perimeter of the room, I tried to empty my mind and let the gorgeous scenery inspire me. Then, sketchbook in hand, I sat down on the sofa with several pencils and closed my eyes, breathing deeply. I began to feel myself relaxing and I opened the sketchbook.
I started drawing the first thing that came into my mind: a small pinecone hanging from a bough. I wasn’t satisfied with it, and I drew the same pinecone several times on the same piece of paper. Finally, after a number of tries, I finished one that I liked, so I picked up some chalk pastels and experimented for a bit with different hues. Then, holding the sketch pad away from me to look at the picture, I decided I needed watercolors to bring it alive, but I could do that later. Right now, I wanted to draw something else. I began with a picture of a rowboat. It wasn’t in the water, since I had always had trouble with outdoor scenes; the light playing off the water was difficult for me to catch on paper. So
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