FIVE AND ONE HALF - Chapter 8

Josh delivered the Portrait to her Dad !

I helped her load up her photos and said, “I will drop off your painting in three days from now and perhaps we will see each other again sometime.”

I didn’t feel like working the rest of the day though I had a lot of work to do so I went to the gym and sparred with some of the boxing pro’s that were training there.

I just felt like getting hit physically for I felt I had been hit emotionally and needed something to bring me to my senses.

As promised I finished her portrait and I delivered it to her father’s office. I didn’t want to see Lesley so I did it that way. He looked at it and was more than pleased.

I had ordered a special frame and it was gorgeous. He wanted to know how much he owed me. I told him it was a gift to Lesley and there was no charge.  

He tried to insist on paying me for it but I told him if he paid me what it was worth it would be a large sum and if he paid me less than it was worth; it would devalue it disgracefully so I’m constrained just to make it a gift.  

He said he was going to hang it in his private office as long as his wife would allow him to and then it would hang in the den at home. As I left I had an empty feeling inside for I had put so much of myself in that portrait.

The images of her were beginning to fade as memory is apt to do and I have no negatives, pictures or nothing, all are gone.

Tomorrow I will catch up on work because I’m quite behind.

This episode has taken up too much of my time and I need to put it behind me.

Time has passed and school is starting again and I don’t know if I’m ready for this last year. It’s not that the classes are so hard but this is it.

I need to get ready for the future and what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Almost immediately upon my return there were several classmates wanting me to do photo shoots for them. Some girls and even guys wanted a portfolio to send to agents hoping to get jobs either modeling or in pictures.

I agreed to help them for I knew they were scared about what was going to happen after graduation.

If they couldn’t get a job they would have to try to get into college. As for me I had already sent a letter to the college of choice and the answered was that if there were no unforeseen circumstances I was in.

What a busy life I had, School then work at my little business; up early for studying and very little time for social events.

I tried to make as many of the senior events as possible but some were a waste of time.

The guy who had the contract for the senior year book wanted me to help with the picture taking so for a couple of days I was involved with that.

There was a senior picnic and that was a fun thing to do with games and swimming.

Some of the girls were showing more than they should have but that is the way of the day.

 

As the year was winding down the senior prom was coming up and I planned to go alone.

But this girl asked me if I would I would go with her.

I said, "Sure why not."

 

To be Continued