Unconventional

Chapter 3

Later that night Charlie and Mike werein bed. Mike was closing his eyes just as Charlie started to rambleagain. "Mike, do you really think I'm too crazy for painting asmuch as I do?"

"Well," Mike said staring into theblackness of their room, "you do tend to think of everything as onebig painting and you're losing touch with life." Mike looked inCharlie's direction. "Do you know what I mean?" Charlie startedfeel a bit sad.

"I'm sorry; it's just that'sbeen all I've ever known. My first present that I ever remembergetting was a drawing pad and pencils. The next present was somepaints. I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry just don't let itget in the way of life. Life is more than just one big paintingwaiting to be put on a canvass —"

"Really?! Because that's what Iseem to always see."

"Yes, I know. I mean I just want tohelp people and to heal them of their ailments, but I can't solveeverything and every injury some times you just have to let the worldtake care of itself at some point and see what happens. Or I guess inyour world, just let nature present itself and enjoy it by taking amental picture or mentally drawing or painting it."

Charlie sighed softly. Clearly he isn'thappy with Mike's challenge. "I may not like your idea, but I'lltry it for one day."

"That's all I ask, Charlie, that'sall I ask."

"Mike?" Mike opens his eyes again.

"Yeah?"

"If I wasn't meant to painteverything then why does it all look so pretty?"

"If it wasn't pretty, we wouldn'tever enjoy anything and that would be a shame. Don't you think?"

Charlie smiles. "Yeah, I guess you'reright."

"Charlie?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you think I'll become a greatdoctor?"

"You'll definitely be one of thebest out there. I believe in you." Mike smiles.

"And you'll become one of the bestartists out there."

"Good night, Mike."

"Good night, Charlie." Charlieturns over and starts doodling with his finger on the bed sheets.

"Lisa?" Mel's voice pierced the otherwise silence in theirdarkened bedroom. "Are you asleep?" Lisa turned over slightly andpeered towards Mel in the bed next to hers.

"Not now."

"Sorry; I was just wondering something." Lisa sighs. It'sapparent that she isn't going to get any sleep tonight.

"What's up?"

"That's just it, Lisa; I'm thinking...have you ever noticed howit seems like there's a ceiling preventing women from advancing toofar up the ranks in a company?"

"What?!" Now Lisa was fully awake and quite intrigued.

"Hear me out. Women enter a company and try to climb its ranks onlyto be stopped just shy of being CEO or head manager." Lisa sat upin bed and looked over at Mel.

"Now that you mention it," Lisa said, "you're on to somethingthere."

"Yeah, it's an invisible ceiling that just can't be broken.It's impenetrable and invisible. I'd say it's made of steel,but you can't see through steel and yet you can clearly see people— men in particular — climbing up the ranks while you're forcedto stay behind." Mel closed her eyes. "Like the men know justwhere to enter the gap and leave the women behind."

Lisa pondered what Mel just said. "It's almost like it's madeof plastic wrap with holes just large enough for the men to sneakthrough. Or like a sieve with flour and you're sifting out theclumps of flour only in this case we're the clumps and theguys get to go on to complete the recipe."

Mel sat up in bed and looked at Lisa. "I think you actually got it!That's a wonderful example. Even though I don't understandcooking, I understand your analogy."

"So are you saying I may never make it as one of the best chefs inthe world?! I'll never make it to be the next Julia Child?!" Lisastarted getting misty eyed.

"No! No! You can do it! If it is indeed plastic wrap, plastic wrapis fragile and can be ripped if too much pressure is appliedunderneath. If enough of us push from below, we can make it to thetop. We just need to find more people like us in our majors — morewomen!"

"Yes!" Lisa wiped her eyes. "We can do it!"

"We can and we will!" Mel smiled. "Well, goodnight, Lisa." Mel snuggled back under her blankets and closed hereyes with a smile on her face.

 "Good night." Lisa nestled back under her blankets and closed hereyes drifting off to sleep with a huge smile on her face.