Grimmett felt it. He felt the judgesā words like a hot mandrel pressing against the back of his neck. He looked at the case next to his, the desire to tip it over bubbling inside him. āHow do you feel now?ā he would roar as the headpiece hit the ground. He imagined the display case shattering, phallic-shaped beads scattering, rolling across the polished cement floor.
āHi Grimmett,ā a hand touched his elbow and he jerked. āOh, sorry,ā the woman pulled her gloved hand away.
āJade,ā he faked a smile, āHow nice of you to come.ā
She peered in the display case, her neck taking on the elegant bend of blown glass, āItās rather tacky, isnāt it?ā
āHow do you know thatās not mine?ā
āAs someone who has only taken one lampwork course ever . . . I donāt know. Your work just feels different,ā she scooted over to his case, āThis looks like yours.ā
āHow does it feel?ā
āUh,ā Jade stared at the necklace, āPristine? Like glaciers or ice caves, or the sea under a steel sky.ā
āIāve gone stale,ā he blinked, then wiped his face with the bottom of his grey tee shirt. The frustration beat inside him, hotter than any torch, and he found himself storming towards the exhibit room exit, Jade fidgeting in his wake.
āHey!ā A voice stopped him, āDonāt think you can walk by me without saying hello.ā It was Brian Frederickson, his arm linked through a tall man wearing a derby cap.
āSorry,ā Grimmett forced a smile, āI was being dramatic.ā
āI want you to meet Chris.ā
Chris offered his free hand, āBrian talks about you all the time, and how amazing your beads are.ā
āBrianās turning into quite the lampworker himself,ā Grimmett squeezed his hand, āItās been a pleasure watching him grow.ā Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Jade. She lingered behind the men, her brow furrowed.
āWell, weāll let you get back to being dramatic. Whereās your piece, so we can check it out?ā
Grimmett pointed, āThe one that looks like ice caves.ā
āIce caves,ā Chris giggled as he turned away, āNo wonder you love this guy.ā
Grimmett closed his eyes. He could almost imagine he was in the studio. The voices of the crowd and the echoes of the room faded into the clangs and hisses of metal and gas. The chill meant he had just started the day, and soon the heat would rise from the bench burners until sweat was trickling down his chest in a river.
āDo you really think Iāll go away if you close your eyes?ā Jadeās fingers pinched his elbow, āI meant to apologize, but Iām still not sure what I said wrong. Your work is perfect as always. You probably donāt even know what criticism feels like.ā
He opened his eyes, glared, āItās art, Jade. Not everyone likes the same thing.ā
āYeah, I guess youāre right. Not everyone would put up with an angsty blond man sweating over them and yelling either, but thatās how artists are,ā her mouth twitched into a smile, āI didnāt mean that in a dirty way.ā She giggled.
āAre you done?ā
āNo, are you?ā
āYeah. Iām ditching. I need to get back to the studio.ā
āDid you leave something in the annealer?ā
Grimmett snorted. āIām going to start using that as an excuse. Anyway,ā he locked eyes with her, āyou want to come?ā
āYes! I mean, I guess I could squeeze it in,ā Jade pulled out her phone, āWe are talking about the collegeās glass studio, right?ā
āNo, this is my own space.ā
āReally?ā she took off her right glove. Angry welts covered the tips of her fingers.
āLet me punch it in for you,ā he offered.
āTyping doesnāt hurt if thatās what youāre thinking. Itās only things like plastic shopping bags when they twist real tight, but you canāt do anything about it. So you walk faster and youāre practically running, just so you can put them down. Itās not that bad, really. Some people get it on their face.ā
āI donāt care about your hands, itās just easier if I type it in,ā he lied.
She handed him her phone, āItās not contagious.ā
āI know,ā he plugged in the address. āThe studio is in an old factory. If you get lost, call me,ā he paused, āYou do still have my number?ā
āPretty sure I never had your number.ā
āIt was in the syllabus.ā
āI . . . donāt have that with me right now.ā
āRight. Iāll put that in too,ā he switched to her contacts, opening a blank entry. It was strange how obsessed he used to be with her, and yet she didnāt even think enough of him to put his number in her phone. āGrimm,ā he typed. That was the situation, grim. Steel skies, ice caves, and an amber sun that was unreachable.
He handed back her phone, āSee you there.ā Pushing through the door, he strode across the parking lot. It was his custom to park in the rear, not because the car was nice, but because it wasnāt. It coughed to a start, wheezed to the entrance, then died at the first intersection. Cursing, he slammed on the brakes and tried to restart it. There was a honk, and again he yelled.
By the time he reached the studio, he felt disconnected from the city around him. Somehow he had never learned how to be content, and it weighed on his chest like a block of granite. He would work harder, he would take on more students. They were life-giving, the way their faces lit when they wound their first bead, their pride when they held their first piece cupped in their hands like a child.
A hand tapped on his window. He cranked it down, watching Jadeās expression shift to amusement. āYou have actual window cranks,ā she peered in the car, āHow old is this thing?ā
āI donāt know, fifteen years or so. Do you want to go somewhere else?ā
āWhere? What could compare to famed Grimmettās private studio?ā she leaned into his car, tweaking the tip of his nose.
He swatted her hand away, āIām not who you think I am.ā
āQuit playing hard to get,ā she leaned further inside the car, āItās a Saturday, weāre alone, and behind that door, thereās a rod of glass just waiting to be heated.ā
āI got second,ā the words burst from him in rush, āThat piece with the dicks, the one you said was tacky, thatās the one that won.ā
āYouāre kidding,ā Jadeās face tightened, āThose judges better hope they never run into me in a dark alley. I have a bone to pick and I donāt leave fingerprints.ā
āWhat if theyāre right? What if all my work is missing soul?ā
āThen Iād rather be wrong. Your lampwork, the way you put it all together, it transports me. I donāt love it because everyone else does. I love it because it rips me thirty-thousand feet into the air. I canāt breathe, I canāt speak, itās . . . awe.ā
Grimmett unlocked his car door, āLetās go make some ice caves.ā
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Cross Posted to Deadlines for Writers
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This is the continuation of my Blown Away inspired short story, Excuses. As much as I enjoyed writing it, I still for the life of me cannot think of a plot. I recently read a novella by Haruki Murakami that somehow managed on the tiniest scrap of a plot, but I don't think I can pull that off. Murakami has that talent where he can write about absolutely nothing and it still makes one turn the page. I have the exact opposite tendency, where I cram as much as possible into the smallest word count.
Which reminds me, Save Desdemona (link below) is still free through March 31. It's evil twin, Do Not Reuse, is also free and will continue to be so.