Ecstasy

benign

Stephanie passed me the final painting, which was done by both of us of course. It was her favorite one ever. She looked at it with pride beaming through her eyes before handling it to me finally. Deep down, she was actually sad about letting it go but I assured her that we would paint more of these.

It was just simply a black and white painting of our hands. At first glance, you would think it was just messy work of small white hand prints and large black hand prints, but then when you stand approximately on your left at maybe twenty four degrees, you would see a face of an old man.

I handed the painting over to be hang on the wall, which was added in a minute. Up against the wall with the rest of my paintings. It sent a weird kind of warm glee in me, pride was not enough to describe it. Yet I felt privileged.

"Please place that one at eye level, I think it's too high up", I instructed one of the workers as I pointed to one of my paintings across the hall to which he quickly ran to adjust.

I combed my fingers through my hair anxiously, hoping that the exhibit would go perfectly the next day. This would be the first time letting strangers see my works. It was common knowledge that not everyone understood every type of painting, some found them weird, confusing, dirty or even just useless and lacking inimitability. I could not help but wonder what each would think.

"Are you excited daddy?" Stephanie spoke just right beneath me. I lowered my head to face her as she tilted up at me with as much enthusiasm.

"Yeah, a little nervous too", I admitted.

"Let's go get ice cream. Mommy eats ice cream every time she's nervous", she grinned. No, she did not eat ice cream. But I knew this was her way of trying to make me buy her some. She had been a good girl lately and I didn't see any harm in doing so, so I played along.

"Really now? Maybe we should go get some too", I groaned happily before carrying her into my arms, saying our good byes to everyone else busy preparing for the big exhibit tomorrow. Of course this was a new museum, and it so happened we were asked if we wanted to exhibit some of our paintings. I however did not know what painting of mine was best, so I brought everything out.

The ice cream store was not far from where we were so we just walked a block further before finding ourselves at the store. Stephanie's eyes bulged with excitement as she rolled back and forth on her toes. I feared she would have run around the whole store if I was not there holding her little hand.

I placed our orders, two ice cream cups for each and as well as a sundae which had majority of the flavors, except from mint of course because when I asked for mint, Stephanie cringed and begged for it to not be added. Thus causing me to only have the flavor in my own cup.

We took a seat near the entrance as we waited for our treats, Stephanie then telling me about the dream she had about being on a plane. It so happened she had never been on one.

"Really? Well you're lucky because I'll make sure to fly you over and around the world. We'll go to every single place", I pointed out with a grin.

"Really?" She said happily. I nodded my head quickly, trying not to ruin the surprise that her, Ashley, my parents and I would all go to Asia in practically two days, which would also be her birthday.

This would be the first time I would finally be with Stephanie on her birthday and not watch from afar.

"I wanna go to Gotham too! I see Batman lives there", she whispered the last part as though it was a secret. I bit my bottom lip, wondering if I was supposed to break it to her that Gotham was just New York City.