Love Story – I’VE NEWS FOR YOU!
Katherine was humming a new song she has just now heard over her radio and watering the pots with a can. Katherine Tessa was a famous painter whose paintings get sold out in millions of dollars. No painting of her would last more than the night of the first day of her exhibition. She told in many interviews that some random images pop up in her mind when she is asleep as if she was dreaming something and those images get printed on her memory. She wakes up the next day and starts painting what she had seen in the previous night.
What wonders everyone is that each one would comprehend a different meaning from her paintings and all seem true if one looks through their eyes. She started painting since her childhood through encouragement of her parents who never pressed about her poor grades at studies. After graduation, she discontinued her studies and settled down as full time artist. She never took interest in boys, nor even took care to at least look at them. Painting was her world.
She used to observe nature, animals, birds, insects, other than humans. These observations seem to fuel the creativity in her dreams and her dexterity in pictures. Her parents finally thought that she should exhibit her paintings and that the world should know what her daughter is capable of. The first exhibition was when she was 18 and it went well, second good, third better, fourth best and then she never turned back. She became a celebrity within a year. Money flew like an unending river, but she never moved out the house where she started painting. Of all her exhibitions, the tenth one was so special, not that she turned major, not that President of America attended it, but it turned her life. It changed everything.
The show was over, almost all her painting were bought, she was collecting the remaining amount after paying the managers who arranged the event, she went to collect remaining one or two paintings that were left. Someone was standing before one of two paintings unsold. He was staring at it with his hands folded. He was six feet tall wearing jeans and a t-shirt. She could only see him from the back. She moved towards him slowly and silently lest she should disturb him and stood beside him. That was the last painting she has made before the exhibit. He sensed the arrival of a person beside him.
“How can anyone create a masterpiece like this?” he said without turning to his side.
“But it was not bought by anyone”
“May be they don’t have a taste to worship this beauty”
“Do you?”
“Yes”
“What is it so beautiful in there; I don’t see anything except a random mosaic of colours”
“You should see through my eyes”
“Should I?”
“Yes, let me explain it to you”
“Yes please”
“The green area is the garden or may be a park, the green patch that seem to be in the middle of the air is the canopy of a tree, the slender blue area is the image of a girl, the white areas here and there are the benches or the chairs to sit like in a park, the white area above is the sky and the brown area beside the image of the girl is may be her horse or mule. The picture depicts the scene where a girl is waiting desperately in a garden for her love since he is going to meet her after a long time.”
“Wow!! Fantastic” How can he think exactly the same way as I do?
“Thank you”, he turned to his side and felt shocked to see Katherine at his side.
“Hello, I’m Katherine Tessa”
“You…you…My god! I’m a big fan of you. Hu..ha man I finally met you”
“What is your name you have just said?”
“Sorry…sorry. My name is James…James Butler”
“You are not related to the actor, what is his name, the 300 guy, are you?”
“Gerald Butler, no…definitely not…hope I was”
“The show is over; they were closing, so we should be going”
“Right Yes…I was leaving actually, but this painting caught my attention”
“Do you like it?”
“More than anything”
“Peter!!!” She cried out. A slender looking boy came running towards her.
“Here, pack this painting”
“But I don’t have enough money to pay for this”
“Don’t worry about it; it is a gift to you from me”
“No…no…I can’t take it free…at least save it for me…I’ll pay you later”
“I said never mind…if you don’t accept it, I consider it an insult, so please take it”
“Ok…if you say…thank you very much”, something about him attracted her.
“Actually, my mom and dad were out of station and I’ve to dine alone at home. If you don’t mind can I have dinner with you?”
“You are joking”
“Nope, I’m utterly serious about it”
“Wow…this would the most memorable day of my life…I’m going to have dinner with the famous artist Katherine Tessa.”
“James…Stop treating me like a celebrity…I’m just a normal person like you…everybody has their own talents…mine is painting…that is it…”
“Humble of you to say that…but you are my star”
“Ok…whatever you think…are you coming or not?”
“Yes…where shall we go?”
“Anywhere of your favourite”
“Hmm…ok then…we’ll go to Crazy Diners on the fifth avenue…you will like it”
“Ok…let’s go”
They went to the restaurant in her car as he doesn’t own any vehicle. Crazy Diners was a simple and small restaurant and it was unoccupied when they reached there. The manager was surprised and thrilled to see Katherine and gave them a warm welcome and seated them at the best table in the restaurant. He gave them the menu card and left them to decide upon what they order. Katherine took the menu card and started reading the contents. Both of them decided the dishes and gave the order.
“I’m beginning to notice that you are as beautiful as your paintings”
“Thanks for the complement…you too are not that bad” In fact you are so hot.
“Thank you…I’m flattered”
“So tell me James, what do you do apart from attending my exhibitions?”
“I’m an architect in Fortune Constructions”
“Nice…that is a one of the famous construction company right?”
“Yes…nearly one fourth of the New York was built by our company”
And they talked like that, trying to know each other, minutes passed by, that was the most beautiful and romantic night for both of them.
After that day they met at various places accidentally and deliberately. One year passed and finally the day has come when John proposed Katherine and obviously she accepted immediately. They were married at a local church in a simple manner in the presence of only few close friends. Their married life was as simple as their marriage. They were made for each other by god.
Katherine felt a sudden uneasy in her stomach, soon it is followed by a vomiting sensation. She kept the can beside the pot she was watering and ran to the bathroom. She puked in the wash basin and washed her face. She drank a glass of water and took a pregnancy test strip and rushed to the bathroom again and found that she was pregnant. Tears rolled in her eyes; joy filled her heart and she stormed out of the bathroom to her living room to call James, but stopped. I should surprise him, she thought.
Later on that day she went to nearby market to purchase items for the special dinner she planned to prepare tonight. She later visited a gynecologist to further confirm her finding. The tests turned out positive and the doctor prescribed some medicines and some ‘things to do’. She later spent the rest of the day thinking about the child, surfing the internet regarding the care and diet to be taken during pregnancy, about the child’s future and guessing the reaction on the face of James when he hears this news.
There was a knock on the door and Katherine ran towards it. She opened it to usher James inside. He looked tired and exhausted.
“How was your day?”
“Good and heavy and what about yours”
“Fantastic”
“What happened honey? You look horrible. Your eyes are red. Are you alright?”
“Yep, nothing, I was just tired.”
“Is that it? Or are you hiding something from me?”
“Nothing dear, I’m exhausted, there was a sudden visit of the higher officials, I couldn’t have lunch and I’m starving.”
“Oh dear, please don’t burden yourself with the work. There is a delicious dinner ready. Take a shower while I set the table.”
Katherine occupied herself arranging the table. James took a shower and came to the dining table dressed in night wear.
“Wow! The dinner smells good”
“It will taste good also. Sit down”
They sat and started eating.
“Wow, this is awesome, your best dinner ever”
“Thank you. There is going to be one more person who will share dinner with us in future”
“Pardon”
“James, I’m pregnant”
“Huh…ha…really…wow…I don’t know what to say”
“Yes, I got it confirmed from gynecologist this morning”
“Oh Katherine dear, this is a wonderful news…I’m so happy for you…thank god”, he dropped the spoon on the plate and hugged her tightly crying.
“Honey what is it? Why are you crying? Don’t you want the baby?”
“Yes, I absolutely do” replied James now sobbing violently.
“James, you are freaking me out. What is it? Why are crying?”
He let go of her and sat on the floor. She turned the chair towards him.
“Honey I’m sorry that I hid it from you. I’ve been sick since one month. I thought it was some minor illness so I neglected it. But it persisted and recently I’ve consulted a doctor and he suspected some dreadful disease. He recommended me to consult an oncologist. I’ve consulted him and they ran various tests on me. The results came today and they confirmed that I’m suffering from acute leukaemia.”
Katherine felt as if her heart has stopped, the world has collapsed upon her and the ground shattered beneath her. Her brain is refusing to understand what she was hearing.
“It is in the final stage. I’ve only one year. I cursed god for taking me away from you. But now I realised that he is not as dick as I thought. You are pregnant and there will be someone to take care of you after me.”
Katherine doesn’t move as if she is dead. Only clue of life is the tears running out of her eyes.
“Katherine say something honey”, said James shaking her violently. She suddenly came to this world and stood up.
“Hhhuhh…ya as I was saying I’m a frigging pregnant James, can’t you hear that?”
“Ya, I hear you, did you hear what I said?”
“What the hell did you say ha? I’m a frigging pregnant James, I’m pregnant…”she started crying trying to pour the grief that is building in her heart. He hugged her trying to console her.
“Control yourself Katherine”
“How can god do this to us? To you?”
“I’m so sorry”
“How can this even be possible? You are healthy as a damn bull. This is not correct. We’ll show to another doctor. There might be a mistake. I’m pregnant James” His shirt is being drenched in her tears.
“They will run the test in replicate before confirming such a dreadful disease dear. There is no need to show to another. It is over.”
“How can you leave me like this James? I’ll be in absolute need of you from now on.”
“I’m so sorry Katherine. I shouldn’t have married you. I shouldn’t have met you. I’ve ruined your life.”
“Please don’t say that James. I love you so much.”
“I love you too Katherine.”
They cried like that for what looked like many hours trying to console each other. They forgot about the dinner and slept in a couch cuddling each other. James tried to be normal, but couldn’t heal the hole in Katherine’s heart. Katherine stopped painting. It is terrible to know beforehand that our most beloved ones are going to die. Katherine gave birth to a baby boy after six months. Happiness and sorrow competed to fill their hearts, but finally grief won.
James spent his last six months entirely with Katherine and his son whom they named Jonathan and died a silent death in the lap of Katherine one night. Katherine didn’t cry, she doesn’t want to digest the fact of James death. She wanted to keep him alive in her paintings. She moved on, as she had promised James, channelling her grief to her paintings. She produced masterpieces and earned hearts of the entire world. She spent most of her time with Jonathan, played with him, cooked for him, accompanied him to school, helped him in his homework and while he is asleep went to James office, which she had transformed into her painting room and put her grief and love for James on the cushion.
One day when Jonathan was twenty years old, he saw him standing before a painting she has hidden from everyone in her room after James’s death.
“Mom this is beautiful, what does this painting mean?”
“The green area is the garden or may be a park, the green patch that seem to be in the middle of the air is the canopy of a tree, the slender blue area is the image of a girl, the white areas here and there are the benches or the chairs to sit like in a park, the white area above is the sky and the brown area beside the image of the girl is may be her horse or mule. The picture depicts the scene where a girl is waiting desperately in a garden for her love since he is going to meet her after a long time.”
“Wow fantastic, why didn’t you sell it?”
“This is very special to me John”
“Why is it mom?”
“This is the painting I gifted to your dad and which lead to our meeting, dinner, love, marriage and you”, Katherine replied tears in her eyes. He hugged her closely.
“I love you mom”
“I love you too John”
He released her and said, “Come let’s go to a movie” and dragged her from the painting.
“Let me finish the one which I’m almost done baby”
“Absolutely not, you can do it later”
“Ok…ok…at least let me dress well”
“Ok hurry up then”
__END__
