Chloe & Chleo

Chapter 13: Kiss of Liquor

KISS OF LIQUOR

Ink on Canvas (24in x 30in)

This monochrome painting depicts a man and woman kissing each other in front of two glasses and a long neck bottle of liquor.

Second semester ended. Here came the summer vacation.

  Most of the tenants in the dormitory were starting to leave to go back to their homes and families, while Clayton and I stayed throughout the season. My family would always spend a vacation in a province, but I doubt if they would still do it this year without me. I knew my sister would be against it.

  Staying in the dorm for the whole day with nothing to do, I had never felt this kind of boredom before. I stopped drawing for a while because there were few sheets left in my sketchpad. I had no spare money to buy a new one.

  The money I was expecting would come in two weeks when the ‘Genesis’ exhibit of The Gallery of Aesthetic Arts would begin. But the money would only materialize if someone would buy my work. However, if it was still unsold until the end of the exhibit, the gallery would return it back to me. That what was written in the consignment agreement I had signed. It would be excruciating if that would happen.

  I somehow managed to kill this boredom by meeting with Colleen at the Seaside Road once in a while. I realized that we’d never had a real date, since both of us had no excess money to even have an unforgettable romantic date. Thank God, my girlfriend wasn’t a type of girl who frequently asked her boyfriend to buy her something.

  Clayton had his own way of battling boredom. For some serious reason, he got interested to build some muscles. I never gave a damn whenever he did exercises in the quarters like push-up and sit-up. Also, he regularly visited a gym to attend his fitness sessions. He invited me once to join him and said that he would be the one to pay for my registration fee.

  But hell no! I really had no desire to develop some abs.

One day, Clayton went out to jog around the campus. I was left alone in our quarters, lying in my bed.

  An hour later, someone knocked on the door. I didn’t know whether he had already covered the campus or he decided to come back. But for what reason he was knocking? I didn’t know. He had his own key to our room. Maybe, he had lost it while jogging.

  The knocking grew louder and I immediately got on my feet. But when I opened the door, I didn’t find Clayton but a couple in their fifties. I didn’t recognize them at first, but eventually I realized who they were… and what they were doing here.

  I invited them to our room. As they set their foot inside, their eyes surveyed the area as if asking themselves how Clayton could live in such house. I thought they were disgusted by our quarters, but I realized they were more of merciful of our condition – especially for their son. They sat in monobloc chairs, while I sat on the foot of the bed across them.

  “We always thought our son lived alone. But he has companion after all,” said Mr. Delaper, Clayton’s father. “Thank you for being here with him, when we’re no there for him.”

  “So where is my son? I want to see him,” asked Mrs. Delaper, provoking to cry.

  “He went out jogging. I don’t know when he’s going to come back,” I answered.

  Mr. Delaper stroked his wife’s back, pulled her closer to him, and said to her, “Don’t worry. He’s coming soon.” He turned to me and said, “You must be from the neighborhood. You’re the doctor’s son, right?”

  I nodded.

  “I’m really sorry that my son involved you in this,” he said.

  “No, Mr. Delaper. It’s really my personal decision,” I retorted. “But I’m not gonna deny that your son served as my instigator.”