Rachel was standing in front of a dozen different types of paints, chewing on her lip as she tried to decide what colors she wanted. It'd been a while since she'd tried painting again, but she felt somewhat reinvigorated thanks to her friendship with Sun, and she felt like maybe now painting wouldn't be attached to pain. As she reached out for a yellow acrylic she heard someone step beside her. She glanced to her side and spotted a woman about her age standing there, also looking at the paints.
"Need help?" Rachel asked, "I'm a professional painter." "Oh, no, I just...my daughters doctor said that painting can be a good outlet for her, as a kind of therapy, so I thought I'd pop in and see what I could get." "What's wrong with her?" Rachel asked, then laughing nervously she scratched her forehead and added, "Sorry, that...that was rude. Um, I mean like, why's she have a therapist?" "Not really a therapist, just a general specialized doctor. She's ASD and so we've been having to learn how to help her cope with things in ways that are healthy for her," the woman said, "...you're a professional painter? What do you think would be a good thing to paint?" "Does she like animals?" "Very much so." "I'd suggest she start with something simple, like an easy animal," Rachel said, "You know what, why don't you and your daughter come to my studio apartment, and I can teach you guys. It's been a while since I painted, and I'd love to have some company, especially if I can help someone else." "I think it'd be better if you came over to our place," the woman said, "It's big, and she doesn't like going to other peoples homes." "Fair enough," Rachel said, "Give me your address." The woman took Rachel's hand, pulled out a pen from her purse and wrote her address down on her hand. Afterwards she stepped back and held her hand out for Rachel to shake, which she did, the both of them smiling warmly. "I'm Rachel," Rachel said. "Scarlett, it's nice to meet you," Scarlett Bloom said. *** Wyatt was sitting in his office, doing paperwork, when he heard the door open. He looked up and spotted Ben entering, with Celia behind him. Wyatt dropped his pen on the table and smiled at them both, even though Ben looked annoyed and somewhat upset. "Sorry, she said it couldn't wait, she said she knew you personally," Ben said. "It's fine Ben, it's alright, she's not lying," Wyatt said, "Shut the door on your way out." Ben nodded, exiting the office and shutting the door. Celia watched him leave, then turned back to the desk and sat down across from Wyatt, putting her purse in her lap. She laughed awkwardly. "Wow, he's high strung," she said. "He really is, it's upsetting considering how young he is. Nobody should be that high strung at that age. So what are you doing here?" Wyatt asked, "I haven't been able to get any of that proof you asked for yet, if that's what you-" "Morgana is about to demolish a beautiful heavily forested park," Celia said, surprising him. "W...what?" he asked. "They've got friends in high places, apparently. Usually you have to wait months, fight tooth and nail for permits, but they're starting construction in just a week or so, right around Halloween. I just felt like you should know that it's not really necessary to get that proof now, because by the time we convince anyone - if we even manage to - it'll be too late." "But that...that's like, illegal," Wyatt said, "This is bullshit." "Well there's not much we can do at this point, so I just thought I'd drop by and let you know you can save yourself some time and energy," Celia said, "I have to get back to work. I'm on my lunch break." "...we could sabotage them," Wyatt said, making Celia stop at the door, hand on the knob. "What?" "You heard me." "Yeah, that's the problem." "They're not playing by the rules, so why should anyone?" Wyatt asked, standing up and approaching Celia, coming around the desk, "I mean, fuck it, right? What's the worst that could happen? I'm not saying we do something awful or endangering, but just...damage a piece of equipment or whatever. Something minor yet major enough to force them to waste more time getting new equipment." "Wyatt, I...I appreciate your attempts at taking what I do seriously, but this is beyond what I think I'm comfortable with and-" "So you're gonna get me invested in saving the planet, making the world a better place for our kids, and then bail at the last minute?" he asked, leaning on the desk now, scoffing, his arms folded, "fuck, and here I thought you were serious." "I...I am, I...I just..." Celia stopped and sighed, "Wyatt, I don't have a husband. I don't have a partner. I have a son to think about. If I'm taken away, god knows what happens to him. I can't risk my freedom. He needs me too much. You're different, you have a wife, you have family." Wyatt nodded. She wasn't wrong, and he couldn't argue with that. He sighed and bit his lip, then shrugged, looking away from her. She approached Wyatt and put her hand on his shoulder, causing him to look at her again. She smiled sweetly. "You're a good man," she said, "You'll find a way to help the environment in your own way, but it won't be this way. I'm just happy to have been able to get you interested in the idea whatsoever. I feel like I accomplished something just by doing that." "You really did," Wyatt said, smiling back. After a moment they hugged and afterwards she excused herself, leaving Wyatt alone in his office. He walked back around behind his desk and seated himself again. He wanted to go back to work, but he found it hard to focus, and instead after a few minutes he got back up, pulled his coat on and headed out of the room and towards the front of the store. As he approached the front door, he passed by Ben at the counter. "Sir? Where are you going?" Ben asked. "I'm going to see my daughter," Wyatt said. *** "So which animal do you like best?" Rachel asked, kneeling down to Mona's eye level as she flipped through a book and then finally stopped and pointed at a tiger. "I wanna paint that," she said, "Is it easy?" "Everything's easy once you learn how to do it," Rachel said, propping the book up on the small table by her easel and saying, "the thing is, you need reference points. You can always look back at your source image, and then change whatever you want to your own version of it. So why don't you start by making a general outline of the tiger, okay?" Mona smiled and nodded, quickly getting to painting, as Rachel walked back to her own easel just as Scarlett entered the room, carrying two beers, handing one to Rachel who thanked her. Scarlett stood by Rachels side and watched her begin to paint. "Do you find painting therapeutic?" she asked, sipping her beer. "Yeah, I guess," Rachel said, "It helps to get out the things I can't get out of myself any other way." "Like what?" Scarlett asked. "I don't know. Stuff you wouldn't tell anyone but an actual therapist," Rachel said, "stuff like how much you love someone but can't tell them because you fear that admittance might cause you to lose them." Scarlett looked over at Mona, then back at Rachel. "I've been married for years now, and I guess I don't really know what that's like," she said, "but I'm sorry if you do." The front door opened, and Scarlett rushed into the foyer only to find Wyatt coming in. He followed her into the living room where the girls were painting, waved at them, then turned and began to head into the kitchen, Scarlett on his heels. As he set his shopping bags down on the kitchen table, Scarlett stopped and watched from the doorway. "What are you doing home?" she asked. "I don't wanna work in my field anymore," Wyatt said, "I wanted to see my family. That was more important than being in the office all day." "What do you mean you don't want to-" "Is Mona busy?" "She's being taught how to paint," Scarlett said, "Remember? Her doctor gave us a list of suggestions and that's the one she chose?" "Yeah," Wyatt said, "Well, that'll have to wait, cause I'm taking her somewhere." He walked back through the foyer, into the room, took Mona by the hand and said he was taking her out for a bit. She didn't hesitate a bit and instead set her brush down and followed her father, leaving Scarlett standing there befuddled. After a moment, she walked into the room and looked at Rachel, who was busy cleaning her brush in her cup of water. "What were you saying about being happily married?" Rachel asked, making Scarlett smirk. "New girl, too soon for the wisecracks," she said, despite appreciating her company in the moment. Scarlett sighed and walked into the room, taking Mona's place and putting a new canvas on the easel, starting her own painting while drinking, "...I've never seen him like that. He didn't even tell me where he was taking her. He was just so direct, that's not like Wyatt." "People are weird and can change in a heartbeat," Rachel said, "One minute you think you're doing everything right, everything that'll make those closest to you happiest, and then you do one little thing for yourself and suddenly you're on everyones shit list." "Speaking from experience?" Scarlett asked. "God if only you knew," Rachel said, "My parents are just...jesus. Your kid is lucky to have you guys, you guys seem cool. I wish my parents were cool. Stuffy stuck up old fashioned sons of bitches." Scarlett thought for a moment while painting, and then nodded. Yeah. Rachel was right. She and Wyatt were in fact good parents, and Mona was in fact lucky to have them as parents. Funny that sometimes it takes a stranger to point out the most obvious things to us, she thought. *** Celia, actually, had a date that night. She just didn't want to announce that to Wyatt. As she walked into the living room, freshly showered and well dressed, she spotted her son and his babysitter sitting together on the couch, reading a storybook. She waved at them, said she'd be back late, then kissed her sons head and exited the house. Her date, a man she'd been seeing on and off for a while lately named Arnold, was sitting in his car in the driveway. Upon seeing her, he climbed out of the car, ran around to the other side and opened the door for her. She thanked him as she got in, and he went back around to the drivers side, then started the car and backed out. "You look beautiful," he said. "Thanks," Celia said, being somewhat quiet, looking out the window. "You alright?" he asked. "...I've had a weird day," Celia said, "but it's alright. Where are we eating?" *** "Wyatt and I have been together for so long that I think at this point I'll have spent more of my life with him than without him, and it's weird to think about," Scarlett said. "I'd kill to have something like that," Rachel said, "but I'm too scared to get close to anyone." "It's hard," Scarlett said, "but it's worth it. He's the best thing in my life besides my kids, even if his mom is a pain in the ass to deal with. He's a good man, todays example notwithstanding. He's not selfish, he's supportive, and he's romantic. Any woman would be happy to have him as their husband." "And you're not?" "I'm happy to have him as my husband. I just wish I knew why that isn't enough sometimes," Scarlett said, "I mean, have I just accepted what every woman before us thought was good enough? Get married, have kids, love your husband, etc. Is it wrong to want something more? Not something different, because I'm happy with those aspects, but...something more...worthwhile? That sounds wrong. Um, something more seemingly important? I don't know how to word this." "You wanna leave behind some kind of legacy beyond just being a brood mare," Rachel said, making Scarlett cackle. "Precisely!" she said, looking at her canvas, "I mean...I like being a mom, and a wife, but at the same time...a few weeks ago his mom stopped by and said that women wind up being nothing more than extensions of their husbands and their children. That by becoming wives and mothers they lose all their interests, hobbies, identity, and...and while I wanted to argue with her, it seems she might have been right." "She's not right, you just haven't proven her wrong yet," Rachel said, "if she was right, then that means my mother was right and I'm..." She stopped, causing Scarlett to become curious. "You're what?" "Nothing. Forget it." "What are you painting?" Scarlett asked, peering over at her canvas. "Just a woman I know," Rachel said, getting back to her portrait of Sun. *** Celia wanted to forget her meeting with Wyatt, but something about it was bothering her. She wanted to put it out of her mind, have a good evening, enjoy her time with Arnold, but she was finding it difficult. All that rattled around inside her head were the things Wyatt had said to her, and she was starting to feel guilty after all...getting him so invested and then letting him down at the last minute. Seemed like he was more committed to the cause than she was at this point. "Are you okay?" Arnold asked, breaking through her barriers, bringing her back to the moment. "Uh, yeah, I'm sorry, I had a meeting today that didn't go the way I wanted it to," Celia said, "You know how it goes. It's just been on my mind since then." "You gotta learn to leave the work at work, girl," Arnold said, "I mean, you do whatever you want, I'm not trying to tell you what to do, I just know that my mother was a lawyer and she brought her work home and she suffered greatly cause of it. Don't wanna see that happen to you." "Usually I do leave it at work," Celia said, smiling, appreciating his thoughtfulness as she added, "but something about this meeting rubbed me the wrong way and it's made me feel like maybe I don't care enough about what I do. I mean, if you're invested in a cause, wouldn't you do anything to uphold your beliefs, your ideals?" "Depends on the cause and who it affects," Arnold said, shrugging, undoing his napkin and putting it on his lap as their plates were set on the table; he continued, "I think ultimately the amount of effort one puts into something directly correlates to how important it is to the world at large." "...this is pretty important to the world," Celia mumbled, feeling even worse now, but that wasn't Arnold's fault. He was right, after all. Just then she heard someone stop at their table and looked up to see a young woman standing there, looking at her nervously; Celia smiled politely and asked, "Can I help you?" "You don't remember me," the woman said, "I'm Anna. I was in the meeting you had with the Morgana execs a few months back. Um, I just...I wanted to give this to you, but you cannot tell anyone where you got it." With that, she reached into her coat, pulled out a manila envelope and pushed it into Celia's hands, then walked away briskly. Arnold looked at Celia, who looked up at him from the envelope. He leaned forward, furrowed his brow and whispered. "Are you a secret agent?" he asked, making her giggle. She really did appreciate the way he could cut the tension. Celia picked up the envelope and opened it, pulling out a few papers, and quickly skimming them, becoming more and more horrified at what she was reading. Arnold cut into his steak and asked, "Everything okay?" "...I need you drop me off at a friends after we're done," she said coldly. *** Rachel stepped back from her canvas, admiring her work, as Scarlett came to her side and looked as well. "Wow," Scarlett said, "That's wonderful. You say it's someone you know?" "Yeah, just a friend," Rachel said, "Maybe I'll give it to her for her birthday or something." "Someone you wish wasn't just a friend?" Scarlett asked, worrying Rachel who looked at her now; Scarlett shrugged and smirked, "I could tell by the way you said 'just a friend'. It's cool, I don't care. I'm just curious why you're tiptoeing around something you so badly want." Rachel sighed and flopped down onto the couch, Scarlett seating herself beside her. "I don't know," Rachel said, "I'm scared. My parents still don't know, and I'm worried what they'll think if they do, but then I think how stupid it is to even care about what they think because I'm a grown ass woman and I'm allowed to be whoever I am, right? Allowed to love whoever I love? At least you're supposed to be able to. And yet, I'm just...terrified. Also I'm scared she won't feel the same way." "You'll never know if you don't do anything about it," Scarlett said, "Though I know what you mean; you don't wanna run the risk of ruining a solid friendship. I got lucky cause Wyatt and I fell for one another pretty instantly after meeting. I can't imagine what it would've been like if it'd had been difficult or whatever. But I think you should say something. Better to live with certainty, even if it's a certainty you didn't want, than uncertainty, right?" "Yeah but with uncertainty I can always lie to myself, fantasize it could be," Rachel said, "I don't know." Rachel checked her watch and sighed. "It's late, I should get going." "Do you wanna do this again?" Scarlett asked, "I think it's been actually more beneficial for me than my daughter, surprisingly." "Sure," Rachel said, laughing as she stood up to gather her equipment. Scarlett helped Rachel get her things together, carried them out to the car and got it all packed in. They made a date for another painting and drinking session, then Rachel drove home. Scarlett cleaned up the house a little, and was happy to see Wyatt and Mona when they came in. Mona gave her mom a hug and then rushed upstairs to take a bath. Scarlett looked at Wyatt, both standing in the dining room. "Sorry about being so brisk earlier," Wyatt said, "I just wanted to take her out and show her the world isn't so bad if she just has the right people with her and-" Scarlett didn't let him finish. Instead she kissed him, then told him to follow her upstairs. He agreed, but first he had to get something from the car. He rushed outside, and got to his car, digging around inside for the box of candy he'd bought for her while out. It wasn't until he pulled himself out of the car again that he noticed someone standing in the driveway with him, scaring him and making him shout a little. "Christ!" he yelled, putting his hand to his chest, "Celia, what the hell are you-" "Read this," she said, approaching him, shoving the envelope into his hands. Wyatt looked at her, confused, then pulled the papers out of the envelope and started reading them, thumbing through them, his eyes widening at each new page. After he was done he looked back at Celia, who was now leaning against his car, arms folded. "Where did you get this?" he asked. "An assistant from Morgana came up to me tonight at dinner. She had been in a meeting we'd taken a few months ago and she wanted to give me it then but she couldn't. She was too scared. Turns out she's braver than I am after all," Celia said. "...why...why are showing me this? I mean, after what we talked about today, you made it sound like you-" "Yeah, I take it back," Celia said, surprising Wyatt as she stared him down and said coldly, "let's sabotage the sons of bitches."
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A group of former high school classmates reunite at their 10 year reunion, and discover they each want something different, many with someone else there. What ensues is a labyrinthian relationship amongst them involving crime, murder, romance and, in one particular case, terrorism. Archives
May 2024
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