From Sunrise To Sunset

Canvaslore 2

Margaret

The art exhibition was held at Jonathan's father's art gallery. The walls inside were white, which provided an ideal backdrop, that accentuated the vibrant hues in every painting on display. I took in the paintings on the left and the right walls as we made our way to the back of the exhibition. I knew Jonathan was a painter but I wasn't prepared for how good his work was. His paintings weren't just beautiful. They captured emotions and quiet conversations. They were visual narratives, that told stories from his perspective, and trapped you in a world where imagination was limitless.

Jonathan was wearing a black suit and his hair was freshly cut. I didn't like the length at which his hair was cut. All his curls were gone. I liked his curls.

"It's called "The Pearl of the Sunrise," Jonathan said as we made our way through the center of the crowd.

"The Pearl of the Sunrise?" I repeated and looked at him.

"Yes," he answered. We stopped our steps and he gestured toward the painting.

I immediately understood why it was called 'The Pearl of the Sunrise.' It was a painting of me standing at the lighthouse awaiting the sunrise. I released Jonathan's arm slowly and stepped closer to the painting. I became lost in the story that it told. Jonathan had painted it but somehow it's story was from my perspective. He had captured every essence of my being... my pain, my fear, my hope... Looking at it was like staring at my reflection in a mirror. I found myself at the lighthouse again in the moments I spent waiting for the sunrise and tears began to stream from my eyes.

"I can't believe I was right!" Jasmine said excitedly as she stood next to me and looked at the painting. "It really is a painting of you!"

"I...I..." I tried to speak but I was at a loss for words.

"It truly is remarkable, isn't it?" Jasmine continued. "It's a masterpiece!"

"Do you like it?" Jonathan asked.

I looked at him, then at the crowd behind us and I noticed that everyone was now staring at me.

"It's her..." they all whispered. "She's the woman in the painting... the pearl of the sunrise."

"Margaret?" Jonathan said, noticing my tears. "Are you not pleased about this?"

I looked at him and then back at the painting. "Yes," I said softly. "I am. It's... beautiful! I feel honoured.... I just... I didn't realize that you paid such close attention to me."

"Well, now you know that I do..." he smiled and looked at the painting. "I have never painted anything this beautiful or meaningful before he said. This painting comes straight from my heart. I studied you every morning. I paid attention to your actions and reactions. I studied you until I was sure that I could paint you from my memory. Even after you left the lighthouse I stayed and I painted you."

My heart raced as those words fell from his mouth and more tears streamed from my eyes. It was at that moment that I knew, that he loved me. I knew at that moment that he felt the same way for me that I did for him. I knew that we weren't just two people who had met by chance, but that fate had sent him in my path because we were each other's destiny.

He removed his handkerchief from his chest pocket and handed it to me. "It is not my intention to make you cry," he said. "I only want to make you happy."

"These are happy tears," I said, taking the handkerchief. I wiped my tears and handed the handkerchief back to him.

"Are you going to introduce us, Johnny?" I hear an older woman's voice say behind us.

Jonathan and I turned around to acknowledge the voice and found that the crowd was now scattered, and only an older couple was left standing in its place. I could immediately tell that they were Jonathan's parents. The woman had dark-brown skin, dark eyes, and black shoulder-length hair. The man's skin was white, his hair was dark brown and his eyes were the same shade of brown as Jonathan's.