The Earth Painter

by Melissa Turner Lee

  I sat there thinking about that. My mom was always trying to look better than everyone else, but Mrs. Strickland wanted to see everyone as being just as good as her.

  Working on the information for the house made me think of historic Charleston. Then something else hit me.

  “Mrs. Strickland?”

  “Please call me Martha.”

  I smiled. “Martha…the well under the school, did you know it was the first well dug in Chesnee?

  Back in Charleston, there are pumps in the parks that pull up water from artesian wells. They are free for the public to use. Do you think we could maybe find a way to do that in Chesnee once they take down the old high school?”

  Her face lit up. “That’s a great idea.”

  We worked on the details and looked for grants. I truly liked my new job. I also emailed Dad with my idea. He questioned the fairness, but we both knew it would be the only way to make Mom happy. Dad would take my settlement from The Bantam Chef and buy Mom a newer car and let me take her current car. Handle Mom, that’s what we did in our house.

  It was such a splendid day. When it was time for Anthony to take me home, I had him take me to the school first. He was more inquisitive since he knew there were no rehearsals.

  “I’m meeting a friend. He’ll see me home.”

  I broke into the auditorium like usual and climbed the ladder to the catwalk. I busted in the door shouting, “I’ve found a way to save the well!” I stopped. Theo, Bio and Geo were sitting around the card table each holding a hand full of cards.

  “Sorry. I didn’t know you were having a game.”

  Theo stood and came to me. “You’re fine. I’m not winning any tweaks back tonight anyway.” He pulled me over to the settee and sat with me.

  “Mrs. Strickland and I were working on something to get some grant money to save an old house in Chesnee. Then I remembered the artesian wells in Charleston. She’s going to propose it to be preserved too since it was the first in Chesnee. If it all goes well, the old shaft will be sealed off, and a pipe with a pump will be inserted. The well will be accessible to anyone who wants pure drinking water. People brought their jugs to be filled all the time in Charleston.”

  Theo’s gray-blue eyes lit up and gazed into mine. He grabbed my shoulders and shook me. “You did it. You did it.”

  “And I doubt Fritz will know until it’s too late. They will knock the school down, seal off the old opening before they drill the new pipe. It won’t be brought up again at the school board meetings and all we are doing now will be paper work.”

  Theo pulled me into his arms and held me. “You did it. You beat Fritz.”

  “Will you be in drama, tomorrow?” I asked. “We’re practicing the kiss…finally.” I rolled my eyes.

  “I should be.”

  “I’ve got to get home.” Then I remembered. “I think my mom painted my room today.” I let out a sigh.

  “No, she didn’t, and I don’t think she will.”

  I felt my forehead wrinkle. “Why not?” I looked deep into his eyes. The way they looked at me…there were no words to explain it.

  “Because when she tried, I was there. I whispered to her, ‘Go ahead, but only if you can do better.’ She tried again and again to paint over my mural, but each time she went to touch the brush to the wall, I said it. She finally packed it all up and put it in the basement.”

  “Thank you.”

  “I gave you the room. I’m going to defend it. It’s yours to change. Not hers.”

  I looked at the time on my phone. “I’d better get home.”

  “I’ll see you in drama, tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, I’ll be the girl kissing Wayne Mossburg.”

  Chapter 23

  Wayne had worked it out to skip his fourth-period class to come practice with us. Afternoon practices were to start that Friday, but Ms. Jones wanted to see our chemistry again.

  Wayne was one loud boisterous and extremely skinny knight. And if that wasn’t enough, the play was ridiculous. Theo was there with Bio in the back. I’d spoken to them just before practice started. They were right beside Ms. Jones but she was oblivious to their presence.

  Ms. Jones held up her megaphone. “Places people. Let’s start just as our hero answers the witch’s riddle and takes Lady Oliandra in his arms for the true love kiss. Places! Cut the lights.”

  Regardless of the fact that I hated the play, I did my best to portray the damsel in distress. I was moving from one tape mark on the stage to another, glancing at Theo and then over at Wayne. I was about to have my first kiss, and it was with the wrong guy.

  Apparently, I got distracted and was told to walk again with more prance, flapping my imaginary skirt as I go. So I did it again, grateful that it put off the kiss if only by a few seconds.

  I glanced up at Theo again, noticing what looked like Bio lecturing him. But Theo was looking at me and ignoring him.

  I pranced and flounced from my mark behind Nikki, the girl playing the other witch, up to my mark next to Wayne. I bowed to the ground in a deep curtsy and looked at him and said, “I am forever in your debt for removing my binding to the witch. But my lord, there is still one more binding keeping me here in this tower till my death unless it too is broken.” I batted my eyes as directed—and held back the vomit.

  Wayne grabbed me in his arms, only he lost balance, and we hit the floor in a loud thud. Wow the—chemistry.

  We stood and brushed off the dust bunnies and got in position again.

  This time he grabbed me a little more gently, and I moved into position, careful not to lose balance again. I looked into his mossy eyes. They were the wrong eyes staring at me. The wrong lips coming towards me. But, this was acting. Not real. I was not myself, but the grateful lady Oliandra and Wayne was my knight. I closed my eyes tight. Not the way a woman might close her eyes when kissed so that she can feel every bit of it without distraction. I closed my eyes to think of another face. To shut this one out.

  I braced myself when I felt Wayne lean in and whispered a quick prayer that his braces didn’t shred my lips to bits.

  “CUT!”

  I opened my eyes. Wayne was looking out at Ms. Jones now. I leaned up, and we both looked at her in confusion.

  “I’ve had a brilliant idea. It just came to me out of nowhere. Let’s save the kiss for opening night. That way all the passion is as hot then as it is now.”

  Wayne frowned. “But how do we practice the scene without kissing?”

  Ms. Jones was now on stage with us and had pulled Wayne aside to talk with him. That’s when I looked out into the dark auditorium and saw Theo and Bio arguing. They were too far away for me to hear what they were saying. But it was obviously heated. Arms were flailing, and fingers were pointing. Bio’s hand brushed his jacket back to place his balled fist on his hips, then turned away, paced and came back with a finger jab at Theo.

  We walked through the scene a couple more times before the bell rang. By then, Theo and Bio were no longer in the auditorium. I really wanted to talk to Theo and certainly didn’t want to sit with Wayne and discuss Ms. Jones’ decision to put off the kiss.

  I ran up to Anthony on his way to his locker.

  “Hey Anthony, What did your mom pack you for lunch?”

  “Almond butter mixed with agave, fresh fruit, celery and a water bottle.”

  “Will you sell it to me today?” I reached into my bag. “I’ll give you a five for it.”

  Anthony grabbed the money from my hands. “Deal.”

  He gave me his bag, and I ran back to the auditorium, almost bumping into Wayne as he was coming out after changing.

  “Did you forget something? I’ll wait on you and we can walk to lunch together.”

  “No. I’ve got a lunch meeting with… with…?” I didn’t want to hurt his feeling by calling out another guy’s name. “…the guy who works up in the catwalk. You know up where they hang the scenery?”

  He frowned a bit. “Oh. OK. I was hoping to talk with
you over lunch about Ms. Jones’s strange last minute decision.”

  “Maybe later.”

  I entered the auditorium and ran down the aisle, up the steps, then put the paper bag in my mouth to climb the ladder. I walked into Theo’s place to see Bio and Theo still going at it. Neither of them saw me at first.

  “For the life of me, I don’t get why you felt the need to interfere? You’ve never crossed lines like you have lately. Is it too much idleness? It makes the humans nuts. We all know Fritz is nuts now. Is that what’s happening to you? You know better.” Bio paced with his arms flailing.

  Theo sat in a chair not bothering to look at Bio. “I’m not sure. It just didn’t look right or feel right. Like the pandas. I had to do something.”

  Bio was in Theo’s face again. “I don’t like your ideas for the pandas, but the pandas were yours first so you might get a say but…” Bio noticed me standing in the doorway and stopped.

  Theo looked up and jumped up to greet me. “Holly! Hey. Glad you came. Good work today.”

  Bio pointed at Theo. “I’m looking forward to Fritz getting his, but you…watch yourself. The Sculptor will defend what is his even more than you do.”

  I looked over at him, then up at Theo. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to interrupt.”

  Theo pulled me in with him. “Non-sense. Bio and I are done here.”

  Bio’s hands fell defeated to his side, and he walked out the back door.

  I looked after him. “What was all that?”

  Theo waved it off. “Just a difference of opinion. So what did you want to talk about?”

  “Well…” I sat down at the table and spread out my lunch. “I was thinking that a good way to throw Fritz off would be to attend a school board meeting and have the board dismiss me. You know, like I didn’t know. Make a big show like I’ve actually been defeated and like I believe it and have given up. That way maybe he will be less likely to snoop around and find out about the plans with the city council for after they knock the school down.”

  Theo sat down across from me. “Sounds like a great idea. When’s the next meeting?”

  “Saturday,” I answered around bites of apple.

  “I’ll go with you. Just in case you don’t notice Fritz.”

  We sat in silence for a few minutes before he spoke again. “If there is ever anything I can do for you, let me know. Paint a sunset. Paint a room.” He looked off with a strange look on his face. “As long as it’s painting, I can do it. If you need something else, I’m pretty useless.”

  I dipped a piece of celery into the nut butter and took a bite. “Maybe you could help me with something.”

  Theo perked up to listen.

  “Nahh. Never mind.” I took another bite.

  “Well, at least ask.”

  I bit my lip. I suddenly felt like I might choke. Like something large was caught in my throat. “Well, what if you gave me my first kiss? I mean you’ve seen plenty of them in the halls here. You’ve copied eating and other human things.”

  Theo just stared at me at first. “Kiss you?”

  I heard a loud tapping. It took me a minute to realize it was my foot tapping nervously against the floor. “I’ve never kissed anyone before. I’m afraid I’ll get it wrong on opening night. This way, my real first kiss can be in private and not in front of a crowd.” And so my first kiss can be with you.

  Theo looked past me for a few seconds. His forehead wrinkled. “Hmmm. I don’t see why not. Do you want to do it now?”

  I felt my eyes pop open super wide. I wasn’t ready. “No. Not right now.” I wanted it to be different. In a better setting. Maybe at sunset, with candlelight and soft music, or some other cheesy place first kisses were supposed to happen.

  Theo only shrugged. “Ok. Whenever. Just let me know.”

  And that was it. I finished my lunch and went to class planning my first kiss thinking it still wasn’t quite what I’d dreamed of since childhood. The guy was supposed to want to kiss me not just be willing to.

  Chapter 24

  When I got to work that afternoon, my thoughts were not there with me. I closed my eyes to lick an envelope and thought of Theo’s stormy eyes inches from mine looking at me the way he did. I felt extraordinary when he looked at me—special, important. Everything I’d never felt until he looked at me. I paused after licking the envelope and imagined what his lips would taste like and sighed. “Holly, are you alright?” Martha’s voice got my attention.

  “Yes,” I answered too quickly. “Why do you ask?” I licked another envelope and placed a stamp on it.

  “Well you look a bit flushed, and you’ve sealed and stamped a stack of empty envelopes.”

  I looked down to see I had not only sealed and stamped the mail, but most of the box of empty envelopes. “Oh my gosh. I’m so sorry.” I tried to peel off the stamps, but couldn’t. The envelopes were sealed too so they couldn’t be saved for the next mailing.

  “Just cut off the stamps and we’ll glue them to the next envelopes.”

  I grabbed the scissors and started cutting them stamps out. “I’m so sorry. I’ll pick up another box of envelopes when I run to the post office—on me.”

  Martha laughed and sat down at her desk. “Don’t worry about it. How did you like the almond butter and fruits and veggies I packed today?”

  I looked up at her, eyes wide open. “Ma’am?”

  She laughed again. “Girl, I know everything. Wayne’s mom and I go way back. She told me about Wayne’s arrangement with Anthony for lunch a long time ago.”

  I stared at her. “Does Anthony know?”

  “No. I thought it was a smart tactic on his part. I told him if he wanted to eat school lunch he had to pay for it himself. He earns his lunch money and avoids an argument with me. But Wayne had nothing to feed his mice today. He’s kind of upset about how it will affect his research.” She laughed and shook her head as she sat down.

  Nothing got past this woman. “What else do you know?”

  Mrs. Strickland got up and walked to her fax machine. “I know whatever has your head someplace else has something to do with a boy.”

  I put down the scissors and glared at her. She did know everything “Who told you that?”

  “I’m a woman, and I used to be young. No one has to tell me some things.”

  I sat back in my chair and let out a sigh. “I’m crazy about this guy, but he…he…” I swallowed and looked down. “He likes me as a friend—not the way I like him.”

  “Do I know this boy?”

  The conversation I had with Anthony about his mom shot through my head. “No ma’am. He’s the guy who paints the fish camp. I met him in drama class. He’s a great guy. But he says he can’t feel that way about anyone.”

  She nodded an “Oh. He’s got baggage closing him off to love. Believe me, I get that.”

  I guess that was as close as I could explain. “Yeah, something like that. But he makes me feel smart and pretty.”

  I thought about who I had become since meeting Theo. Drama. My new job. Standing up to my mom. “He brings out the best in me and wants the best for me. He’s…being with him is so different from anything I’ve ever known in my life. And with all his inability to love, he makes me feel more loved than my parents ever have. I’ve tried not to feel this way about him, but I can’t help it. Just the way he looks at me makes me love him. I can’t control it.” Tears were dripping down my cheek by then.

  Martha stood, took a tissue from the box on her desk and brought it to me. “You’ve got it bad, don’t you?”

  I nodded as I wiped my tears.

  “You know—my husband was in love with me for two years before I ever gave him a romantic thought. I had baggage too. Thought I was too smart for love. To me, it was for the weak. I was sure I didn’t need anybody. But I was wrong. Everybody needs somebody. We’re just wired that way. You just hold on. If it’s meant to be—it will be.”

  She took the envelopes from me. “Why don’t you go by t
he Bantam Chef, get you a nice big hot fudge sundae?”

  I looked at her, feeling my forehead scrunch. Was she encouraging me to eat junk food?

  “Yes, I’m encouraging you to eat junk food. You had a very healthy lunch so it will be ok. Sometimes chocolate is needed.” She said the last part with a big smile.

  She spun my desk chair around and handed me my purse. “Go. And I’ll see you Saturday at the meeting. Are you sure you still want the well brought up? I was going to let them know it was dead before the meeting started.”

  I smiled as I stood. “No, I want to give my speech. Even if it accomplishes nothing. Just to show that I can.”

  “Alright then. Now go.”

  I did as she said. I even got extra fudge. I sat in the back near the restrooms and enjoyed the hot, gooey fudge and the cold, creamy ice cream.

  When I closed my eyes, my thoughts of kissing Theo returned. The fudge and ice cream and the alone time got my brain going. I had the perfect plan. Candles. Alone with Theo. Charleston.

  But there were other thoughts. Unpleasant ones. Ones I refused to think about because they took me off my high. What would happen after the kiss? When I’d put my heart out there, grabbed hold of Theo and kissed him and then… He’d still be the earth painter with his limited emotions. My lips on his would feel like lips touching lips. Not soul touching soul.

  I pushed the thought back. What ever happened after would happen. I would think about the kiss. Dream about the kiss. Plan it to the very last detail to make it perfect. Even if the perfection vanished into nothing the moment it was over. I wanted this. And I didn’t really care about the aftermath, at the moment.

  ***

  At the afternoon rehearsal, I asked Theo to drop by my house around six thirty. My dad was taking my mom to Bella Rose for dinner over in Cooley Springs. We would have the house to ourselves. And then I asked him, “Are you sure you don’t mind doing this?”

  Theo shrugged. “It’s not a big deal. It’s just a kiss. I’ve seen them done here a million times. I think I’ve got the mechanics of it down.”

  Bio was nearby. His eyes grew wide as he glared at the two of us. I didn’t stick around to hear his disapproval.