365 New Days

Chapter 15

"JACOB?" Mr. García called. "WHERE ARE YOU!"

" I'M IN THE GARAGE!"

"Again?" He walked down the stairs to find his son in a paint-splattered apron working on a painting he started a few days ago. It wasn't a big space. There was a homemade wall, made out of cork, that separated the car from the "Art Room". It was a room that Jacob's mom had wanted and received one day on her birthday. Since her passing, Jacob had completely taken over the room. He would spend hours sitting on a wooden stool in front of his paint-splattered easel surrounded by tarps and canvases. The tarps were plain white and they covered the floor to keep the paint from getting everywhere. (Why Jacob decided to add these in a garage Mr. García had no idea.) Drying paintings that were created on regular paper hung from the ceiling on a clothesline. This was hung by two nails; one was placed on the garage door and the other was right above the basement door which was across from it. His canvas creations were stationed on a drying rack in the corner due to them being too thick and heavy to put on the clothesline.

Mr. García walked into one of the hanging masterpieces when he stepped into his son's side of the garage. He was lucky it was dry. "How long have you been down here?" he asked.

Jacob put his brush down and rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand. A stripe of red appeared where his hand was. "Dunno, a few hours maybe. I don't bring my phone down here so I can't check."

His Dad shivered. "It's freezing down here! Why do you have the windows open?"

Jacob shrugged. "I didn't want to breathe in the paint and it's not that cold to me. Anyway did you need something?"

"Yes actually. Wash your face. We're going out to get lunch."

Jacob blinked at his father. "Y-you actually want to? I mean..."

"Yes, I'm sure. Now get ready."

"Ok?" He put his brushes down on his easel and followed his dad to the third floor.

The car ride was incredibly awkward. Mr. García tried his best to make small talk, but his son would just give short answers.

"So, how's school?" Mr. García asked.

"It's ok," Jacob answered.

"How are you're friends doing?"

"Good."

"Any tests coming up?"

"No."

Mr. García's grip on the steering wheel tightened as frustration started to take over. He forced it down and reminded himself that he couldn't afford to lose control again. "Is there any place you wanted to eat at? I hear there's a great Italian place that opened a while ago."

"N-not really. I mean, I don't really...nevermind its dumb."

"It's not dumb." Mr. García said gently. "What's going on?"

Jacob had to think of the best way to explain his shyness. He wasn't expecting a conversation like this to come up. Especially not with his Dad. "I just kind of, I don't know, I freeze when I talk to people? So I don't really like restaurants.A-and I know it's stupid. I'm working on it."

His father stopped at a red light. "I don't think that's stupid at all! I was expecting it actually. You never were the type to put yourself out there. I'm glad you're working on it though."

Jacob's eyes widened at the conversation. It was so natural. So calm. He kept talking. "Uh, my friends are actually helping me with this so...yeah."