Unexpected

Too close of a call.

Klara sat on the back porch with a blank canvas. Not aiming to paint anything in particular, it was just cathartic. It had been so long since she had enough time to even think about painting. Ethan surprised her earlier that afternoon with a blank canvas and a handful of colors he thought she would like.

He had worried she would wallow when Ville left but he was doing his best to keep her mind busy. She seemed fine but he knew how Klara bottled her emotions. She didn't say more than a handful of words when she got back from dropping Ville at the airport the week before so he and Lina tried to come up with a game plan.

Klara loved to paint growing up. It was never more than a hobby but she was very good and both of her parents  knew it. She loved surrealism especially and even had a few paintings of hers hanging around their house.

Their favorite was the self portrait she painted for them when she was 19. Ville admired it when he was staying with them and Ethan had even thought about giving it to him but he decided to keep it because they didn't have many pictures of Klara. She was the one always behind the camera, even at a young age.

Klara decided on what she wanted to do and began working with the colors she had. She started painting the marina back in Helsinki from memory. The water and moonlight swirling together in grays and blues.

Her phone began to ring. She looked down and saw it was Ville and her mood immediately improved.

"Hey you." Klara answered.

"Hello, my love." Ville chimed.

"It's so good to hear your voice. I've been missing you." Klara pouted.

"I miss you too, love. It's good to hear yours too." Ville responded.

"How is your night going?" Klara asked.

"I've had better. I had a bit of an accident earlier and broke my phone. Mige's letting me use a spare one of his until I can buy a new one." Ville sighed.

"Oh, well that's nice of him. I'm sorry to hear about it breaking though. They definitely aren't cheap to replace." Klara replied.

"It's alright. Shit happens as they say. I'll let you go, love. I just wanted to hear your voice." Ville cooed.

"Alright, Mr. Valo. I love you." Klara giggled.

"I love you too, Klara. I'll text you in a little while when I've managed to figure out this phone." Ville laughed.

"Sounds good." Klara laughed.

After they hung up Klara dove back into her painting. Trying to mimic the movement of water was more complicated than she remembered. She figured she could get a way with a more whimsical look if it didn't turn out quite like she wanted.

"That's coming along beautiful, Klara." Lina complimented from the doorway.

"Thank you, it needs a lot of work though." Klara frowned.

"You underestimate yourself, darling daughter." Lina responded.

"It's just not quite right." Klara whispered.

"Is this somewhere you have been?" Lina asked.

"It's the bay where me and Ville walked on our first date." Klara responded.

"Well, it's very beautiful. A happy memory." Lina commented.

"One of my favorite memories." Klara muttered.

"And you two will have many more." Lina stated, kissing her daughter on the forehead and walked back into the house.

Klara sat and worked on the painting for a couple of hours more until the natural light faded from the porch. She wasn't sure she liked how it was turning out but she knew she was just being over critical of herself. She'd finish it tomorrow.