Petrichor ~ Lewis Hamilton

23

October 2, 2021, Monaco

Elaine's POV

I didn't manage to finish the painting in time. And I really wanted to acomplish it but it just wasn't right and I wasn't going to get the result I wanted. There wasn't enough time, so I simply chose one of the ones that hadn't made the cut for the definitive collection and that I don't care much about parting ways with.

I hadn't included it from the beginning because it seemed very simple to me, neither too big nor too small, calm and warm, just easy going. But it wasn't bad, or at least not enough to rule it out. I named it and put it together with the pile of those in the collection before leaving the studio.

That was yesterday, Gina had forced me to go buy some clothes for the inauguration that I didn't even feel like going to now.

"I don't know whether to go." I confess once she called me. She was already going there to make sure everything was in order and that there was no problem.

"Are you kidding me? You have never missed an inauguration" And she was right, I liked to see the reactions from afar, I was always late but not late enough for people to have left. I walked around there, admiring how the paintings hung, giving them their own space, their own focus. Sometimes someone would come up and talk to me, oblivious to the fact that they were mine but still wanting to talk about it.

"I don't feel my best" Nothing was going to change if I went or not, the paintings were going to sell the same, the reaction was going to be the same, and Gina could always tell me later if something interesting happened.

"Elaine, you've been locked in the studio all week, you bought a pretty dress, you're going to shower, comb your hair and come see how all these people love your work" I shift the phone from one ear to the other while I go to look at the dress I had chosen.

It was a beautiful dress, it ended right in the middle of my shins, thin straps and a square neckline, it fit my body perfectly up to my waist. From there it took off, letting it fall alone elegantly, finishing the end in a kind of ruffle that looked almost like flowers.

"Did you take the paintings yesterday from the studio?" She hummed on the other end of the phonecall.

"Yes, everything is carried out. The gallery is delighted. The owner called me this morning, he wanted to pass on his congratulations"

"I'm glad" It's always a good feeling, the anxiety of time running against you finally ending, but not even that raises my spirits.

"Ela honey, you can't go on like this"

"It's just that I was so stupid. If only I had talked to him sooner" And even more stupid was that it affected me so much. I had been working on this for months, I deserved to at least feel good while the results of my work came in.

"You can't change the past, only work on the future. So dress up and come, it's an important day" I take one last look at the dress before hanging up the call. I guess we'll have to do this.

There were still a couple of hours left until the doors opened but I wasn't going until later so I had plenty of time to prepare.

I took my time, trying to attract a more positive mindset. I had finished the collection, even though I had not been able to complete the last painting I wanted. And I had even managed to make more paintings than the original contract. I was living in a new city that didn't seem so bad now and I was relatively happy, at times at least.