More Than That

Collaborative Creations

Hey I'm meeting your mom at the art studio. You coming?

I send a quick text to Chris. We've been talking to each other for a few weeks now. He's really nice, I find it funny that not too long ago I couldn't even talk to him without babbling, and stuttering like an idiot. Now I'm over here texting him, hanging out with him outside of school, and sitting at practice with him.

Chris: Yeah. You need a ride back home?

My car is still in the shop, so I've been taking the bus everywhere I need to go. It doesn't really bother me, I like interacting with some of the people at the bus stops.

Sure, if you want to.

I don't want him to feel like he has to take me home just because we're friends now.

Chris: Yes or no Mama 😑

Mama is his nickname for me. I'm not exactly sure why he chose that particular name, but I think it's cute.

Yes please 😳

Chris: I gotchu 😘

He loves sending me this kissy face emoji whenever I say yes to one of his questions. Before going to the bus stop close to my house I double check my bag making sure I have all of my art supplies.

I board the bus after a ten to fifteen minute wait. Maybe forty minutes later I'm exiting the bus just a few blocks away from my destination. My phone rings in my pocket, as Mike Stud's Swish plays loudly.

"Hello?"

"How you let me beat you to the studio?" Chris ask laughing as well.

"I missed my first bus trying to make sure I had everything, so I had to catch the second bus. Unlike my usual bus, this one doesn't stop down the street from the studio." I explained trekking up a large inclined sidewalk.

"Where did this one stop?"

"Meh, three maybe four blocks away." I shrugged.

"That's too damn far for you to be walking."

"Chris, it's not that bad," I attempted to protest.

"I'm on my way, don't move."

I knew not to love from where I was because he would be here before I knew it. Chris drives like a maniac sometimes. I could have easily walked the not so little ways to the studio it wouldn't have bothered me.

Chris' car pulled up in front of me. He smiled before getting out. When he reached me he pulled me in for a small hug.

"Why didn't you wait inside one of the convenient stores over here. It's dangerous for you to be out here."

"You told me to wait on you dumb, dumb." I retorted smartly.

"Yeah, but that didn't mean wait outside in the open like that."

I knew why he was lecturing me about being outside while I waited for him. Even though I was three blocks away from the art studio those few blocks made a big difference. Currently this is the bad part of town; drug dealers, addicts, prostitutes, pimps, gangs, you name it.

"Wonderful," Clarissa exclaimed. "now both of my babies are here!"

Chris and I had just walked in the studio. Miss Clarissa really wanted a collaboration piece from me and Chris. This is gonna be a bit difficult with our art being so different from each other. We stood in front of the large blank canvas both of our faces holding a look of curiosity.

I looked at our various choices of color, as well as our coloring utensils. Stepping back I leaned my head to the side, I could feel Chris staring at me wondering what the hell I was doing. I took one more step back repeating my previous motion. Ah, I got it! I grabbed a respirator mask, and two bottles of spray paint. Chris still didn't see where I was going with my idea, but he put his mask on too.

I took the black spray paint, and put a diagonal zig zag line through the blank page.

"Yo, Jay, the fuck are you doing?" Chris' muffled voice asked.

I said nothing continuing to outline the zig zag until it began to resemble a crack. After putting the black spray paint down I switched to the red, it helped define the crack I was going for. I tossed the can of red along with a can of brown spray paint to Chris while grabbed my traditional paint. When he saw me grab the same colors he finally picked up on where I was going with this. I started at the very edge of the crack I had painted, and continued on from there. For about two to three hours nothing could be heard except the stroke of my paint brush, the hissing of Chris' spray paint can, and the paper under our feet whenever we switched sides. I stepped away from my completed portion of the canvas as Chris added the finishing touches to this.

"It's beautiful." We both breathed out looking at the other's work.

Our collaboration was amazing, it was literally about the relationship between day and night. My half was night, while Chris' half was day. At the edge of the crack I painted a setting sun turning into night, the stars danced in an array of twinkles watching the dark grounds. At the very corner of Chris' half he painted the moon slowly fading into the sun, the birds flew over the busy cartoon like streets, animated people paraded sidewalks. The best part of the whole painting was the middle, the crack. Hands of day and night were forming grasping each other, day's hand was animated in a Mickey Mouse glove, while night's hand was human like with a ripped glove. They needed each other, one couldn't survive without the other. It wasn't a love story, but it could definitely be viewed that way.

The peaceful silence between Chris and I was interrupted by a rapid clapping of hands. Clarissa stood between the two of us taking in the work before her.

"This is absolutely breathtaking." She sighed bringing us in closer to her.

"If I knew you two would create something like this I would have asked you to work together a long time ago."

Chris and I have always put our art in Clarissa's exhibits, but we were never in the art studio together until a few weeks ago. We would never see what the other's work looked like until we saw it at one of her exhibits, and those were usually so busy that we never interacted with one another.

Clarissa left us for another two hours to work on our individual projects. Later on she told us we'd come back next week with some of her other proteges to finish up everything.

"Alright now, Chris, you get my Precious home safe." I watched as Chris hugged her tightly assuring her that we would be fine.

"Ma, I'm a big boy I promise she's in good hands."

I moved from my place of leaning against Chris' car to open my door, but he stopped me.

"Girl you trying to get me knocked up side the head? My mama watching me." He joked referring to me opening my own door.

"Then open my door Big Head."

"Ohhh, I'm Big Head now? Alright Chump." He buckled me in like I was a kid.

"Nopeeee, my name is Mama, not Chump." I argued back when he sat in the car.

I like my nickname being Mama, he is not about to call me Chump.

"It is Chump, you my Chump, so ya name is Chump." He ended his statement by picking my hand up, and kissing it.

"O-oo-okay." I stuttered stunned at his action.

I hid the blush creeping up in my cheeks. At least I tried to hide it, I'm not sure what's making me blush more, him kissing my hand or the fact that he's still holding my hand. What's happening here? Maybe our art isn't the only thing working together?