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D E C E M B E R , 2 3 , 1 9 7 4
Tana Rose Thompson watched in awe as people milled around, gawking at her paintings. The paintings, done up over several years of hard work, were part of an exhibit she'd titled, Ready to Runand were all done with oil paint.
The first painting was one she'd done a long time ago but had reworked. It included a car she once owned and an old friend whom she missed dearly. The dog sat happily in the front seat of the baby blue Corvette, his tongue flopping out and the top of the convertible rolled down. You couldn't tell in the painting, but there'd been a breeze that day. Sunny had sat so obediently. He was a very good dog.
The second in the collection was a painting she'd done from memory. It was of a young man she hadn't seen in a few years now, a man she had to leave behind because the court had ordered him a minimum of three years in jail. Three years too long for Tana to leave Tulsa. The man, Dallas, would have wanted her to leave.
In the painting, Dallas was looking out the window, the early evening sun beaming down on him and casting red and gold light across his face and hair, which was never greased. His eyes were shrouded by sunglasses and he had a ghost of a smirk on his face. He was handsome.
The last painting was of a man she'd met named Tony. This particular painting had started off as a drawing in her sketchbook, but she'd since transformed it into a larger work of art. Tony was playing his guitar, his lips slightly parted as he sang the words to a Bob Dylan song that only Tana could hear. Tony's hair was long and his beard was wiry and took up most of his face.
Photographs of her trip were strung up from the ceiling, all the ones she'd taken except for the one of her getting married. Tana let that photo private.
The young woman toyed with the ring on her finger. She'd never taken it off.
Throughout the years she'd spent in Chicago, she'd had several fine young men ask her out, but she said no every time. Nathan and Elise usually stepped in if they could to save her from persistent guys.
Tana wandered through the crowds of people, taking in their words with pride.
"These paintings are so well done..."
"Ready to Run, what does it mean?"
"I've seen lots of travel paintings, but none this personal. It's like I'm escaping, too."
"I heard the dog was an important part of the artist's life..."
"Tana Winston has a really nice style..."
On and on they talked about her, but it was all good things; it was definitely something she wasn't quite used to, but very much appreciated.
Tana finally found who she was looking for: a young couple her age who were looking around proudly. Elise was dressed in a gorgeous silver and baby blue ball gown while Nathan was looking quite dapper in a tuxedo.
"Thank you so much for coming tonight," Tana told them.
"We wouldn't have missed it," Nathan assured her, smiling brightly as he looked around. The couple had already seen the paintings, but they were definitely in awe over the presentation of the opening of Tana's exhibit. She'd picked out the color scheme and the lighting herself and had even gotten special permission to hang all those polaroids from the ceiling.
"This whole thing is amazing," Elise commented, grinning madly. "We're so proud of you, Tana. Your talent has only gotten better."
"I only have you guys to thank. You've been my biggest supporters the whole time I've been here. I don't think I would have kept at it if I didn't have you."
"That's what family is for," Nathan said, beaming.
Tana smiles widely at him. "I'm going to walk around some more. Help yourself to the dessert table. My friend June catered all the sweet stuff. I'm going to go and walk around some more."
"Come see us before the night's over!" said Elise. Tana gave each of them a hug before slipping away and dancing through the crowd, shaking hands with a few of her professors and taking a few names of art critics who seemed pleased with the whole thing.
Tana was quickly growing tired, but she refused to slow down, worried she'd miss out on anything from tonight.
She'd invited her parents, but they remained absent. Not that she was too surprised. Joy and David has cut off most contact with their only daughter after she'd packed her things and left for Chicago.
The young woman, now twenty-six and just kicking off her career, was more successful doing what she loved than she'd have ever been if she'd taken over her parents' company. She was happy, she was renting her own place not too far from Nathan and Elise and she was having the time of her life painting scenes from the one summer that truly changed her for the better.
A voice calling her name shook her from her thoughts. Tana turned, expecting it to be someone coming to ask her about the painting of Tony. When Tana turned, she caught sight of a man in black slacks and a white t-shirt— which showed off the rose tattoo on his arm. His hair was cut short and his eyes were still as grey and wild and dangerous as the night they'd met.
"Tana Rose, I knew you'd make it out," Dallas said, a wide smirk on his face and a toothpick jutting out from between his lips.
"Holy—" Tana began, but she cut herself off. Dallas sauntered up to her, a slight limp in his step. He definitely looked older, but he still looked good.
"How you been, doll?"
Tana didn't say a word as she wrapped her arms around the man. He was a lot skinnier. Not that he was fat or anything the last time she'd seen him, but he looked almost like he barely ate.
Dallas, never wanting contact with anyone unless it was sex, wrapped his arms tightly around the smaller woman. This, he had missed. He'd missed his girl so much.
"I did all this," Tana said, smiling up at him.
"I know you did. I saw they had an article in a magazine and I didn't waste my time to get a plane ticket up here to see it for myself."
"Where you been?" Tana asked, wiping the tears away, not even caring about her makeup.
"Marines," was all Dallas said, but it was enough to make Tana's heart sink into her stomach.
The war had been rough on everyone. She couldn't imagine what all these soldiers were going through. And to think that Dallas had served and she would have never known if he'd died made her feel nauseous.
"I'm glad you're okay."
"I'm even better now that I'm here," Dallas shrugged. It was then that Tana noticed the glint in Dally's ears. As she looked closer, she saw that they were little diamond studs.
"Dallas," said Tana, teaching up to examine his ears.
"Found them in my jacket pocket a few years ago. Had no idea I'd held onto them."
"I'd forgotten all about them," Tana admitted, grinning widely at him.
"Let's go check out this exhibit, huh?"
"We could... or we can meet up with some people that have missed the hell out of you." The woman smiled up at Dallas.
