The place that stood in front of them was odd looking. It was an old Dutch style house, it was something that Minnie had ever seen before with her eyes. Insignificant to many but to her odd. The walls were painted a bright white. The door was a bright green and so were the window panes. The closed windows didn’t let anything but the inside of the house visible. It was a pale white, Minnie guessed it was lace curtains.
The house was surrounded by lush greenery. The trees grew tall and thick, the grass freshly cut. A clean pavestone route led right up to the front steps of the house, it was lined by different colour flowers. Nic got out of the car, it had stopped raining, but the clouds were still dark overhead.
Before, he could reach her side and open the door for her, she had jumped onto the wet ground. She shut the door behind her. Nic offered her his arm and she took it, smiling.
“I thought you weren’t a prince.” Her left eyebrow quirked with the statement. His steps were slower than on the beach, accommodating her shorter legs.
“Being a pirate doesn’t mean you can’t be a gentle man.” He gave her a sideways grin. It made her heart flutter and she sure she was melting on the inside.
He lead them up the steps and opened the door for her. She thanked him, keeping her eyes a little longer on his. But when she looked around the house, she was even more in awe.
The walls were painted paper white, the floors were wooden and, on the walls, hung beautiful art. Literal art works hung on the walls. She let out a small squeak that he glanced at her sideways for, but she didn’t care. She had found heaven on Earth.
Each artwork was different. Some were charcoal works, others graphite. Some done on wooden boards and others on canvas. Some were oil paints and others were ink and bleach.
“Impressed?”
She didn’t answer, smiling wide, she pulled him towards the first painting. She studied it. It was of a coloured man fishing. His tan skin glowed in the sunlight, on a small fishing boat in a wide blue sea. He was laughing at something. The painting was out of oil paints, mixed directly on the canvas.
“What do you think he’s laughing at?” He asked. She cocked her head to the side. Her hair hovering over his shoulder.
“He caught a really weird fish?” Nic laughed at her, she cracked a smile.
“It’s stunning.” She commented, the brushstrokes were quick and light. She wandered how she could ever paint that well, she was a charcoal and graphite girl. She could do anything with those two, but she couldn’t do much with paint. She admired those who could and did it well. This was an example of such work.
“It is.” He agreed.
They observed it for a while longer before she dragged him onto the next one. The cycle continued for a few artworks, talking about the paintings until they reach one that puzzled her.
It was of a white girl, pale and thin. She lay across a white surface behind her, the outer edges of her body blending with it. It was a drawing, coloured and done on an A1 size art paper. The artist used colouring pencils and effective pencil shading to create the girls body. She was looking up, she had no hair on her head. She had pale grey lips and cream eyes. The life had been removed from her body.
Nic and Minnie studied it for a while. They both couldn’t decide what to sat about it. It looked so life like, so real and she wanted to cry for the girl in the picture.
“Self-portrait?” She whispered. There was no one in the section around them but she felt as if she was disturbing people.
“Someone the artist loves or loved?” He suggested, nodding. Minnie turned her eyes to him. He was engrossed in the art; his green eyes were focused. The mischievous glint was gone, replaced with careful eyes. He didn’t have a smile, but his lips were thin. His eyebrows furrowed. He didn’t seem to notice her study of him. She thought of the best method to capture his face. Paint, lead, charcoal or something else? Pen maybe?
“It could be either one.” A male voice spoke behind them, snapping her out of her daze. “She’s died, and she never answered questions on her art.” The voice had a strong accent. The two turned to find a tall coloured man behind them, he looked to be the same age as Nic. His arms crossed across his chest and his yellowish skin tone bright in the artificial lighting of the gallery. He towered over them, but he had a warm small on his face. His head was shaven bald, and he had a thin face with sharp brown eyes. He was handsome, she couldn’t deny it.
“Michael.” Nic smiled, letting Minnie go. He held out his hand to the man, the man grasped it, shaking it. They pulled into a hug with their hands still shaking.
“Nicholas.” They pulled apart, both grinning wide.
Do hot people attract hot people? Minnie wondered.
“I didn’t think you was coming today.” Michael smiled at his friend. He kept his arms uncrossed by his side. They were covered in black ink tattoos spiraling all across them, some fresh and some old.
“I didn’t that either.” Nic commented, glancing at Minnie.
“Special lady, eh?” Micheal nodded his head towards her, he gave her a warm smile, surving her.
“Minnie, meet my friend Michael.” He introduced the two with a wide smile to each side, watching for responses. “Mike this is Minnie.”
“Hi.” She greeted, the smile of awe she had looking at the paintings, lifted away for a smile of friendlyness.
“Hallo.” He responded, his accent peeking through, but he didn’t try to fix it. “Is he treating you o-kay? You got any complaints, I can fix him up quick...”
“I think he’s okay.” She laughed.
“Michael owns this whole place.” Nic gestured. Minnie nodded in respect.
“That’s wonderful.” She said. “All this work is amazing.”
“I didn’t make any of it, bra. I wish could do what my bra, Nic does.” He told her.
“Your art is here as well?” Minnie glanced up at Nic, surprised.
“You don’t even let the sister see your work, bruh.” Micheal shook his head, “You gotta try harder, my man.”
Minnie chuckled as Michael offered her a hand. She took it, grabbing Nic along with them. She bounced between the two men, studying the art that surrounded them.
“I present…” Micheal annouced to her. “The Tempest.”
In front of Minnie was a painting of a sea storm. The sea was painted a deep blue as the sky swirled grey above. They merged at the horizon and suddenly she couldn’t tell which was which. In the middle of it all, was a small boat. It so small, she had to step closer to see it. It was still sailing, nearly capsizing but sailing.
After a few moments of silence, she spoke.
“It’s beautiful.”
Nic didn’t say anything.
“He doesn’t know how to take a compliment, daai kind.” Michael didn’t cross his arms again but let them hang on his side as he watched Minnie and Nic.
“I’m not a child.” Nic said, ignoring the compliment. She didn’t need to have a huge understanding of the Afrikaans language to know what Mike had said.
“You act like one.” He retorted, smirking. The two boys glared at each other, for a few seconds before they laughed it off. Michael patted Nic’s back.
“Thank you.” Nicholas relented, he looked down at his feet. The tips of his ears had turned pink and he was not meeting her eye.
“You going to Damien se sissie se party?” Michael asked, he shifted his arms again. The thin muscles flexed as he crossed his arms. The ink rippled over the muscle.
“You know she hates me.” Nic replied, he looked away from his feet. He wasn’t looking at anything in particular but the glint in his eyes was back.
“But poor Damien, all alone with all those young girls. Do it for a fellow brother?” He coaxed his friend. The way he was talking, Minnie could imagine teenage girls squealing over their friend’s older brother. She had friends like that in the beginning of high school, she hated it. She couldn’t imagine how her brothers must have felt.
“Okay but you’re buying the gifts.” He gave in the second time. Michael hadn’t really argued him, but she could tell, Nic didn’t want to fight much. He wanted to make it as quick for himself as he could.
Before Michael could protest, Nicholas pulled Minnie away.
“Got any other artworks here?” She questioned, smiling.
“Just the one.” He shook his head, the smirk on his face widened. “You hungry?” He offered his arm to her once again.
“Famished.” She took it, her smile turning to a smirk.
“Well, princess how do you feel about McDonalds?”
****
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