"Shh... it's o.k. Bry-Boy." I felt Dante's warm hands everywhere as he comforted me. In an awkward gesture of thanks, I twisted behind me to face him. A small spot of light hit his perfect face and as he smiled at me I leaned forward and kissed him, still holding a burgundy oil pastel in my hand. The moment our mouths made contact, the pastel melted in my hand...
Angelica appeared kneeling at our side looking quite ordinary again. I turned to her smiling face...
"Thank you." I said to her.
Kissing her was like getting out of the hot tub for some cool air after kissing Dante.
Both tasted like chocolate cake...
* * * * *
A few hours later, I stood outside the shop window guiding Dante as he placed my large, riotous oil painting of two nudes in the center of the display along with the others. When he was satisfied with its placement, he smiled and waved a final good bye. I was still in a daze as I turned towards my car, colliding with a handsome young blonde man in the process. I gently untangled him as he apologized.
"No problem." I said as I headed towards the driver�s side of my car and unlocked the door. He continued looking at me suspiciously and as I drove off I gave him one last look and a grin...
* * * * *
On my way to the airport the next day, I drove by the shop to see my painting just one more time. I realized that I had gone too far and turned around. After this happened a second, then a third time, I finally figured out that the store itself was gone. I parked quickly in front of where it should have been but the storefront stood as empty as its neighbors, no evidence whatsoever of it ever having been inhabited. I wandered around to the back of the store looking for trash in the dumpster, fixtures being thrown out, but there was nothing at all. There were no other shopkeepers around to question. I walked around to the front again, shielded my eyes, and tried to peek into the whited out window of the front door. Just as before, the door silently opened and I suddenly found myself inside...
My painting was leaning against the wall where the counter would have been and was now in an exquisite ornate frame. I picked it up and walked out the door, shutting it firmly behind me.
As I carefully placed the painting in the trunk of my car, I felt a small parcel taped to the back of the painting. I gently removed a small rectangular package wrapped in newsprint that had been water colored in a million different hues and carefully unwrapped it. It was a homemade cassette tape. I placed it into the tape deck. A familiar voice emanated from my JBL speakers and surrounded me like a warm fog.
I have lived for art...
I have lived for love...
THE END
