The Painter

Chapter 4
Part 4

Chapter Description: Fourth Customer

The old painter pulled the large canvas out of the box that it came in. It was the biggest he’ll ever work on. He set it against the wall. On the table next to it was the picture of him as a child and several expensive oil paints. If he wanted this to go right, he needed to not make a single mistake. He stood up as he heard another customer walk through the door.

A young red haired woman burst into studio. She was carrying a cardboard cutout of someone. She was Jane.

“I’m here!” she announced. The artist set the picture on a nearby table and closed the box. He stood up and approached the young lady.

“You must be Jane,” the painter greeted.

She flipped the cutout around. “And this is Andre Ethier! And I am Jane Ethier yes!”

The painter nodded, knowing that this girl was obviously delusional. He already knew what he should do.

“Alright then Mrs. Ethier, go pose with your husband near that wall.”

She picked up the cutout and walked over to the wall. Jane struck a seductive pose with the cutout. The artist paid no mind and began to paint.

He started with Jane. He outlined her form and colored in her ginger hair and her white skin. He dotted the eyes with green. He then started on the cutout of Andre Ethier. Instead of painting it flat, he fleshed out his form. He made him three dimensional and added certain details that weren’t in the cutout. He finally finished the details on the face. He smiled and signed his name at the bottom.

“It is finished!” the painter announced. Jane walked over. Her eyes lit up.

“It’s beautiful!” she exclaimed. She turned around. “Come take a look honey!”

Andre Ethier walked over and examined the painting. “It’s amazing; A perfect likeness of us.”

“I thank you for your kind words,” the painter said. “I hope you enjoy it.”

“We will. Your payment of five grand will be transferred immediately upon delivery,” Andre conversed. He wrapped his arm around Jane Ethier and walked her out. She looked happy. The painter smiled.

This smile quickly faded as the painter’s left leg gave out.

The painter fell hard. His brush skidded away. The painter moaned and tasted blood. How long could he go on?