DELICATE | H.S

1

Autumn
September 25

I was sitting in my mother's studio throwing a vase for my Sunflowers I had been growing in the garden as she was in the middle of moonlighting an afternoon beginners ceramics class before going back to her weekday job of teaching the year 5 youths at the primary school just across town. I was in the just doing my own thing when I saw someone walk into the room out of the corner of my eye.. "Harry, hello. I was wondering if you'd be joining us today." Mum spoke. "I would've been here earlier, traffic bites." He replied. It was him. I paused for a moment as I looked over towards Harry, his eyes found mine as he gave me a smile and brought his hand up giving a small wave. I gave his a small smile as I waved back before he came over to set his satchel down by the empty stool next to mine. He grabbed an apron off the hook putting it on and tying the it around his waist before pushing up his sleeves then sat down. "Hi." He whispered. "Hi.." I whispered back as I caught him gazing at me. I turned my head towards his, "What?" I asked as I held the carving tool in my hand. "Oh, nothing. Your vase looks amazing!" He told me. "Oh thank you! It's nothing really though. Just something I've been working on this week. I have some Sunflowers in my garden I've been wanting to vessel." I explained to him as I finished up carving out the vase. "Alright, time to set this in the kiln." I said getting up and gently lifting my vase and walking over to the kiln and placing it down on the table before walking out and closing the door. I walked back to my station to see Harry beginning to pull and pinch at the clay on the turntable.

The class had carried on for another half hour as I finished glazing a piece of mine and cleaned my station. "Okay everyone, that's time. I will see you guys next weekend." My mum said as the rest of her students began to clean up. "Crap.." Harry muttered. "Everything alright dear?" My mother asked. "It's nothing, I'd hoped I would've got a further a start on this." He said. "I could stay, mum. I can clean up a bit around the studio." I spoke. "Sure. I'll be in the house." She said before walking out of the studio. "Thank you..I hope I'm not taking up too much of your time love." He spoke. "It's okay, really. I usually clean the studio every week but I had put it off for a later day because I had to take on an extra shift. So I'm making up for my 'procrastination', is what she called it. My mum hates procrastination. She says, 'Procrastination is just a fancy term for laziness. Laziness gets you nowhere Matilda..you know I hate lazy'." I spoke doing my best impersonation. I rolled my eyes scoffed in irritation of my mother's words. Harry softly chuckled. At least found it funny I guess.

Harry was making his attempts to narrow the top of his vase a few times but seemed to be having a bit of trouble. "Here, let me help.." I said getting up, Harry kept his foot on the pedal while stuck my hand in slip before I slightly pulled and pinched the clay, drawing it in almost closing the pot. "And if you want it a little wider you could just gently pinch the sides and slowly pulling it outward." I said as I demonstrated. "Wow, you're quite good at this." He said. "Well, I've had some practice over the years." I gave a short chuckle. "Have you ever thought about teaching, you know like your mum?" He asked. "Um..I've had put some thought to it, but my mum she's kinda just..." I cut myself short. "What?" He asked. I sighed. "Would you mind if I vented a bit.." I asked. "Sure! I'm all ears." He replied. "Well, um...okay, my mother isn't the easiest living with. Same as my father. I'm 25, still living with my parents. And it's not because I wanted to. I was just the child who always had a hard time telling my parents 'no'. And I still am, I hate that I still am." I spoke becoming a bit frustrated tossing my dirtied hand towel into the bin. "I was always afraid to face their wrath, so I came home after graduating and helped my mother teach her classes when she couldn't and help my dad detail cars in the garage. I've always let my parents control everything I do and I tried to do everything that they wanted me to do. I went to school, got good grades, made honors, passed my GCSES, was a sports scholar, graduated, I went to college, graduated. But they still always wanted me to do more or do better. It started with my parents and my brothers picked up on it. They've controlled my life for as long as I've been alive. They have this image of who they think I am and what they want me to be, something I could never be actually. You know, perfect.." I admitted. "But that's pretty much all of it..I appreciate you for listening if I haven't chewed your ear off already. I just haven't had anyone to really I could talk to about this. My mother's already convinced our family that I'm delusional, both on her side and my father's. I mean don't have any living grandparents and I never really had any friends growing up because my parents thought that I'd 'be corrupted' into trying to prove them wrong. So I've kind of just been the lone wolf dealing with it on my own, believing that maybe they're right..maybe I am just crazy." I shrugged my shoulders as I began to clean up my station. He was quiet. Dammit, I freaked him out and he probably thinks I'm insane. "That was a lot I'm sorry, I tend to over share a bit and talk too much.." I apologized. Harry had the look of shock on his face. "Well, now that I've embarrassed myself airing out my dirty laundry onto you, you must think I'm neurotic too.." I sighed picking up some of the excess pieces of clay as I began to walk away. "I-no...um, I'm sorry. I don't think you're crazy at all. It's just..wow. I'm so sorry you've had to go through that."  He apologized, I wasn't really expecting that response. More-so of a response that he would have to leave and I'd never see him again. "I mean it's okay. I'm used to it I guess." I replied. "But that's not normal.." He said looking up at me, giving me that look. And by that look, I mean the look that people give you when they pity you. "No, don't give me that look. I'm fine. Really." I said as I got up to clean my hands. "How about you tell me something about you?" I asked him. "I mean there's not much to tell." He said. "I mean other than the fact that my parents are divorced, my mum remarried but then my stepfather died. But that's all there is to me. I can't imagine what you're going through, I'm sorry Matilda.." He spoke. "I'm so sorry for your loss.." I said. He thanked me in reply. "Can I ask you something? And you can oppose if you like." He asked. "Ask away." I replied. "I know we've only just met but you seem like someone who could use an outing. Could I take you out sometime?" He asked. An outing. It sounds good but when you put my situation and 'going out' together, it sounds like I've been locked up in a tower for 18 years like Rapunzel. But it's not as bad as that. I just never usually get out much because there wasn't really much to do other than to go ride my bicycle around town. But I did really need time out of the house, just to feel free for a moment. He's asking me to go out, with him? I never thought I'd meet someone who listened and cared enough to do something like this. It was completely out of the norm for me, but I gave him an answer. "Yes, I'd really like that." I lightly smiled. He smiled back at me before wiping his hands clean on an old rag. "I work on Tuesdays and Thursdays but I have nothing to do on Wednesday." I told him. "I should be available then. Does 4:00 work for you?" He asked. "That sounds good yea." I replied. "One second.." I spoke before I walked over to the desktop table to grab a marker pen and removed the cap sticking it onto the end before walked back towards Harry. "Give me your arm.." I said holding out my hand. He placed his forearm in my grip as I began to write down my phone number. "Sorry I didn't have any paper." I lightly chuckled. He smirked observing the neatly written digits as he stood from his stool. "I'll be sure to call you..or message, Matilda." He said looking up with a kind smile. "Whatever works for you, and please..call me Dove." I smiled back. He softly chuckled apologizing.