POSITIVE SPACE (standard:drama, 1791 words)
Author: Jennifer Green	Added: Dec 17 2001	Views/Reads: 3511/2330	Story vote: 0.00 (0 votes)
Divorced woman discovers a new life for herself.

Click here to read the first 75 lines of the story

"Oh, I just want to take a break right now." 

"Suit yourself." 

They changed the subject and finished lunch soon afterward. 

After the initial shock wore off, she decided she would have to make the
best of things.   She cleaned the house, and gathered up all his things 
for him to pick up.  She rearranged the furniture.  She watched what 
she ate, and starting exercising.   She walked several times a week, 
long walks that left her tired but  refreshed.  She signed up for a 
Yoga class.  She lost some weight, and looked and felt better. 

Passing the mirror one day, she hardly recognized herself.  She had a
nice shape, and green eyes and a nice smile.  She was never a stunning 
beauty, with her fine, shoulder length reddish gray hair, but she was 
still attractive, even at 45. 

Her art class helped a lot.  One day in class her teacher Gary asked to
speak to her after the class was over. 

"I've noticed your work has fallen off somewhat.  You were making real
progress, but lately..." 

"Oh, I'm sorry.  My husband left, and I've been..." 

"Oh, forgive me.  How long were you married?" 

"Eighteen years." 

"Oh.  Well, just do the best you can.  And try to look at things as a
new beginning.   For every door that closes, a new one opens." 

"Well, thank you, I'll try that." 

"You're welcome."  He looked at her warmly. 

"And try to use it in your artwork.  Sometimes you can get a lot of
emotion out that way.  You don't have to show anyone if you don't want 
to." 

"O.K., thanks." 

They smiled at each other and she left.  She found herself humming as
she got into her car. 

On the last day of class, Gary asked to see her afterwards.  He asked
her if she was continuing on in the Extension art program, and she said 
she was.  She would be talking oil painting next.  He said great, 
that's a good idea.  He wanted to know if she would like to go out for 
coffee or lunch sometime.  She said yes, that would be nice.  She gave 
him her number and he got in touch a week later. 

She never really thought of him that way, but he was a very nice, warm,
friendly looking man.  A few years older than she was.  Greyish brown 
hair, crinkly, warm green eyes.  He was divorced, it seems everyone she 
ran into these days was. 

They went out for coffee and talked for over an hour.  She laughed with
him, the first time she really laughed for a long time.   She told him 
all about her life, her husband.   Her son was getting older and would 
move away to school next year.  She was worried about being alone when 
he left,  neither she or Danny seemed to want to get back together 
again. 

Gary told her his wife had remarried.  They were married very young, and
had no kids.  He had a few relationships, but he really liked living on 
his own.  He had a lot of friends in the art community, and there was 
his job and the students.  Also, his art took up a lot of his free 
time.  It really was like another job to him, he had exhibited here and 
there, and sold some work.  He wasn't concerned about financial success 
though, he just needed to follow his ideas wherever it might take him. 

Before they left, he asked if he could see her again.  She said of
course.   He called in a few days and told her he wanted to take her to 
an art museum, and afterwards they could get some lunch.  She said that 
sounded great. 

The next Saturday he picked her up and took her to a modern art museum.
Gary showed her what he liked about the artwork, taught her how to see. 
He told her about technique, the artists' backgrounds.  He told her 
Picasso believed that all children are artists, it's the adults who 
have to relearn how to create.   He said art is just what you like, 
what you can do, for the joy of it.  It can be sad or disturbing, 
beautiful or tranquil, but it's all good.  You have to see differently, 
live differently, to be an artist; with the joy and excitement of a 
child.  She felt a whole new way of thinking opening up to her. 

After that weekend she and Gary spent more and more time together. They
laughed, and talked, and cooked dinner and drank some wine.   One night 
they made love.  He touched her, very gently at first, then with more 
urgency. His touch felt electric.  When at last he entered her, it felt 
wonderful.  She had a full, intense orgasm, the best in her life. 
Afterwards they just laid there, completely at peace.  It was the best 
it had ever been for her, and when she could find the words to tell him 
so, she did.  He held her gently.  So that's what it's all about, she 
thought. 

Somehow she made it through the weeks, waiting impatiently for the
weekends again to see Gary.  The oil painting classes helped a lot. 

One afternoon she was working on some homework, she had to do an
abstract oil portrait.  She started working, and really got into it, 
throwing lots of color on the canvas, working feverishly.  When she was 
done she looked at it after taking a break.  She studied it, it looked 
like a DeKooning portrait of her ex-husband.  Full of anger, 
complexity, beauty.  Very powerful.  She burst out into tears, 
exhausted; and realized it was very good work. 

She showed it to her art teacher soon afterward, and she said, "This is
great!  You've found your way.  Keep working along the same lines." She 
said she would.   Her teacher arranged to exhibit the painting in a 
student show.  It was her first exhibit of any kind, and she was 
thrilled. 

One afternoon, working on her painting a few weeks later, she got a call
out of the blue from Danny.  He was upset, said he needed to see her. 
Could he come over? 

"Sure, I'm here." 

He got there a few minutes later.  He said he had been very lonely, it
was hell living without her.  He wanted to move back in, start over 
again.  He missed her terribly. 

She looked at him, she could see he looked tired.  She told him she was
seeing someone now.  She felt free, felt different, more alive than 
when she was married.  She was sorry it had been difficult for him 
though. 

"When you left I though I would die.  I didn't know how I was going to
survive, but I did.  And now, even if there were no one else, I would 
always wonder, would you leave again?  So, no, I'm sorry." 

He looked at her, shocked; and then, without a word, walked out of the
house. 

She sat quietly for a few minutes, thinking, and then went back to her
painting. 


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