Through Thick and Thin (Anthony Rizzo)

Creating

Anthony

With the stay at home order being extended, again, I've started to become accustomed to this life I find inside the apartment. Its been a little over a month since the stay at home order took effect and I'm running out of things to do. It's been a lot of working out, a little bit of Jazz trying to teach me how to cook, a lot of zoom calls with my family, and very little baseball.

It's trying times here in the United States. Other countries are combating the virus, but it seems like they got it under control and are reopening, while we watch life pass us by through the window. And it's not even like I want to go outside right now, I watch other states try to reopen just to shut down again. It seems like a endless vacation you never wanted to take in the first place. I had been begging for a break and this is not what I meant.

I sit in my apartment doing a little cleaning. I've been a bit of a slob lately so I figured I should clean up. I feel my phone buzz in my pocket and take it out to look at it. I see the group chat with the baseball guys start to blow up again. We were all so anxious to get started and play together but I don't know what to expect. The Olympics were postponed, hell, they even postponed nascar and those guys don't even get close to each other. It feels like we're going in the wrong direction and none of us knew what to do or say.

After the apartment was cleaned I go to the floor to ceiling windows and I look out of them. It was absolutely dead and it was kind of scary. Before when you looked out the windows of these tall buildings there was nothing but people walking around and loud sounds. Now it was eerily silent and I felt kind of empty. I was the type of guy who always had to be doing something to keep my mind busy. Now all I can do is think.

I decide to stop moping and go to the one place I know I will always be happy. I let myself into Jazzies place and I find her in the living room. She had a big canvas in front of her as she sat on one of her stools from the kitchen. She had a smirk on her face and was covered in paint.

"This is why you haven't talked to me all day" I shun.

"I honestly started this last night after you left" she claims.

"You didn't sleep" I sigh. I swear this girl is going to make herself sick with her sleep schedule.

"The nightmares can't come if I don't sleep" she defends. I hate that she had a point.

"How can you even paint on no sleep" I question.

"I can disarm a grenade on no sleep, I think I can handle this" she chuckles.

I walk around the canvas to see what she was doing. But I wasn't prepared for what I saw on the other side.

She had painted what she saw when she looked out these windows. But not what we see now with our eyes, but what it looked like when life was normal and we were free this time of year. She had been able to capture the city at its best on the canvas. And the details were incredible. She got every window and every stoplight and every person correct. I have never seen such a talent, to be able to put what exactly they imagine on a canvas like this. It wasn't even bright outside when she started painting this but she captured the sunrise perfectly.

"Holy shit Jazz" I gasp. "This is insane!"

"It turns out besides writing, painting is the greatest release I have. So since I can't sleep I figured I might as well create something while I'm up" she shrugs.

"I can't believe this. You could be a famous artist" I insist.

"I create because I can. To show I can do more than destroy things with my hands. And it lets my mind relax without it going to a dark place. I can use bright colors and ideas to create something better than what I know" she says.

"I'm serious, there isn't anything you can't do" I shake my head. How is she even real?

"There's a lot I'm not good at. But I'm not going to sit here and do it knowing I'm not any good at it" she laughs.

"What are you planning on doing with this" I wonder.

"I'm not sure" she shrugs. "I'll probably put it in storage or something. Like I said I only paint because I want to not because I have to."

"Do you think I can hang it up in my place" I question.

She stops painting as she slowly turns towards me. "You want my painting" she questions softly.

"I do" I smile. "This is really beautiful. The city through your eyes is something better than anyone in this city could hope to be. And knowing that you painted this makes it special. I think it would look really good above the tv in my room" I insist.

"You think so" she smiles.

"I do" I nod.

"Let me finish it then I'll let you take it. I want it to be perfect now" she says.

"It already is" I insist.

"It's not. There's always more out there that we can do. And there's more colors I want on here" she claims.

"Then I can have it" I ask.

"Then you can have it" she promises.

So I lay out on her couch and listen to music with her as she continues to paint. She says the music keeps her mind cleared and helps with her anxiety. She had a pretty good playlist if you asked me, a little bit of everything. I always loved her music she played.

"How did you find out you could paint like this" I question just wanting to hear the sound of her voice.

"It was on leave one day back at home. My mom said she painted for fun and that it could help me. It did and I try to paint as much as I could. But this is the first time I've been able to sit down and put my mind to it" she explains.

"I still think you could be a famous artist" I admit.

"Well thank you Tony" she says.

After about a hour and half of me distracting her she was done. I'll leave it here over night to dry but I couldn't wait to have this masterpiece in my place.