Like Father Like Daughter

Chapter 12

They went to a pottery studio first.

It was in between other shops in a mall strip. From the inside the glass Giselle could see an assortment of pottery that was yet to be painted. Decretive tiles where transfixed into the floor and ceiling. Alek opened the door for Giselle and as she stepped in she was greeted with the smell of clay and scented oils. In the back of the shop were shelves that held the painted pottery. To the right of the shop was a section where people made the pottery on tables that spin. On the other side of the shop was a section was where people where painting their pottery shapes.

"We're making a mug?" Asked Giselle with a snarky attitude

"Very good." Smiled Alek "You're a lot smarter than Chris. He would stand in front of the door like 'what is this place?'" Alek mimicked an expression of Chris as if he was lost and confused.

Giselle laughed and looked around unimpressed. Alek headed toward the front desk.

"It's a lot more fun than it looks. You'll see."

Alek signed them in and paid the fee. A woman led them to an open table where she placed the amount of clay that Alek ordered onto the pottery wheel. The woman handed them aprons which they put on. Giselle sat across the lump of clay while Alek sat on the other side.

"Do you guys know how to work the wheel?" The woman asked with a sweet smile

"We got it, thanks." Alek said winking at the woman

She nodded and left the two alone. Giselle turned to her uncle.

"You've done this before?" She inquired

"Several times." He answered with a smirk "It's easy once you get the hang of it."

Alek spun the wheel and the clay went around and around, it made Giselle dizzy for a moment. Alek's skilled hands came on the clay as he began to mold it into a shape.

"Look at how I do it."

Alek's once lazy stares and smirked turned into a focus stare that seemed hypnotized by the clay. Alek's hands moves gently up and down and Giselle could see the lumps in the clay begin to smooth out. Alek's pupils dilated and he tilted his head and suddenly Giselle could see the clay begin to have a round, elongated shape. There was no way she was going to be as good as he was.

"Alright, you try." Alek's eyes seemed to glaze over as he tore them from the clay

Giselle moved to the edge of her seat and cautiously moved to touch the spinning clay. The moment her finger came in contact with the wet clay she jerked her hands away.

"Come on, don't be shy." Alek encouraged "Look,"

He gently grabbed her wrist and moved her hand to touch the clay. The smooth material spun under her touch and Giselle smiled. She placed both hands on the clay and tried to mimic the motions Alek had done. The clay wasn't keeping the shape Alek had created and it started to morph into a skinny tube. Alek laughed at Giselle's attempt. Giselle shyly moved her hands away.

"It's alright," Alek smiled "It took me a couple of times to get the hang of it."

Alek put her hands back on the clay and helped her get the motions right, to where the clay morphed back into the shape that Alek had first created.

"Your so perfect at this." Giselle commented

Alek looked at her gently and then winked "I know,"

When they had gotten the clay to the perfect shape, the woman who had helped them before took the clay where it would cooked. And the front desk they were handed a ticket that gave them the date when their vase would be ready for painted.