Isa looked at the bag she brought with her, it was still open. There were many pencils, pens, erasers and a lot of dishevelled papers in it. But one leather binder stood out. “Did you bring your art?” he said surprisingly. Iris groaned, that’s what you get if you fall asleep on a bench. “Yes.”
“Can I take a look at it?” he eagerly asked. Iris hesitated, she was sure he would think of her as a psycho. But maybe it wouldn’t be that bad to make him back off a little bit she thought, so he could see how frantic she actually was.
Iris took out the binder and put it on the table. She pointed at the folder. “This is me, everything inside of it is who I am, how I feel and how I express myself. So before you take a look at it Isa, I want to know something first.”
Isa leaned back in his seat, watching her every move. It was rare to have her call his name, he liked hearing it. “Ask away.” He said, slightly concerned. “It’s only fair I think. So if you no longer want to take a look at the binder, I would understand because the question is rather personal.” Isa was a bit anxious after her words.
“Who are you when no one’s watching?” she said staring into his brown eyes.
He pondered over her words for a moment but a proud smile crossed his face, you can’t mess with this girl. He understood what she wanted to say. Every drawing in there displays how her mind works, if you would take a look at it, it would be like bearing her soul. No one would ever ask you what kind of person you are when you are alone, because it’s simply not something you want others to see without really understanding it.
It’s private, until YOU decide to show it.
Isa took the binder in both hands while smiling pleasantly and handing it back over to her. Iris looked surprised, she thought he was going to reply and take a look at her art. She admitted that she appreciated him giving her privacy. No words were needed when she put the binder away.
Iris took a look at the bookshelves in his room, she hadn’t paid attention to it before. “Why do you like reading?” she asked. “I can go all professional on you and say it’s very educational but the truth is: I read to know I’m not alone.” Iris’s breath hitched, she loved his answers. “You work all the time don’t you? So when do you find the time to read?”
“Time is but a number, at night I have plenty of time on my hands.” Iris agreed with the first part. Isa glanced at his watch. “Time is but a number but sadly enough our time is up for today.” He said , actually looking quite disappointed.
“Alright Isa, have a nice day.”
Iris stood up and slowly left. She liked talking to him, he wasn’t as bad as she had thought.
“Goodbye Miss Hale.” He replied.
Iris looked over her shoulder and gave a small smile before closing the door. Isa released the breath he didn’t knew he was holding. She was incredible, he thought.
Iris went to sit on the bench outside of Melrose, waiting for her aunt. A woman in her mid-forties was already seated there. She had her blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun but had this sophisticated vibe around her. Iris sat next to her and the woman looked up for a second, giving her a smile which Iris returned.
The woman was reading the newspaper while Iris stared at the cars passing by. Iris heard the woman cross out some things furiously while mumbling some profanities.
“What a load of bull, do you see this young lady. Your instead of you’re! In the newspaper nonetheless.”
Iris laughed quietly at the woman’s frustration. “You sound like a writer”, she said. “Close to it, I’m an editor. Although my husband is a writer in his spare time.” Iris nodded, not knowing what to say.
“Are you waiting for someone?” she asked.
“My son will be out in a few. What about you? I don’t want to be nosy but I saw you coming out of that hospital. Were you visiting someone?” she asked chattily.
“I was there for a session.” Iris said swiftly. The woman got a hunch of which wing Iris had been in. “What’s your name.” The woman asked. “Iris.” The woman’s eyes lit up. “Guess your parents liked their classics.” She said smiling.
Iris snorted at the lame joke she heard before. It was Isa who had said that, she remembered. “Guess so.” The woman took out her wallet and showed a picture of a man about the woman’s age. She smiled sadly: ”Oh how I miss him, it has been 3 days now.” Iris felt like she was intruding.
“3 days since what?” she asked uncertain.
“3 days since I’ve seen him, I came to visit my son but he couldn’t leave work.” Iris sighed in relief. “3 days is a long time?” She asked incredulously. The woman nodded knowingly. “We have been married for 27 years now, I can’t go a day without him.” “How do you manage to stay together for 27 years?” Iris asked wanting to know this secret to success in a relationship.
She just smiled. “If a writer falls in love with you, you can never die. So while we met when we were younger I still stay forever young in his books. That’s how you stay in love, you don’t change a thing in your relationship. Do everything like it is the first time you’ve done it together. Like going to the movies, travelling, ...” the woman explained.
Iris sighed, what was it these days with people having an answer for everything. “Do you really like his writing or only because it’s your husband.” Iris said bluntly. The woman laughed melodically, loving Iris’s honesty.
“When he writes, he only expresses a tiny scrap of the surface of the earth, the one inside him. That moment is a moment of eternity, the moment that lights up inside him. So I guess it’s both of them, I love his writing but I also love what it does to him because I know what it means to William.”
Iris took in every word and noticed how she talked so loving about him. She couldn’t help but smile softly at the woman in front of her. “You sound like a writer yourself.” Iris said. “No I sound like someone who is in love.” The woman said laughing. “Because every time I see him I fall in love all over again.”
While the woman finished that sentence, Iris heard her aunt calling her name. “Well I have to go, it was nice talking to you.” The woman took Iris in, she was a lovely young lady.
“You’ll find that one person Iris, maybe you already have. Just open your heart” she said knowingly.
Iris waved at the woman, that wasn’t an encounter she had expected.
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