There's a blank canvas, several buckets and small containers of paint and a basket full of different brushes all around me in my large and empty white studio. I could've just poured all of the paint onto the canvas and it would be art but remembering what my mentor had said while I was still in art school: "If you're going to pour it all at once, at least pour it out properly." I never really understood those words. She was rather obscure.
I figured since I was expected to paint (or perhaps wanted to paint but just forgot eventually that I wanted to), I picked up a palette knife and dipped it in an open container of yellow ochre acrylic paint. I tapped some of the paint in one corner of my clean metal palette, dipped my liner brush in some water then in the paint. Each brush stroke I made, I saw something take form. A lonely woman sitting in a diner, appearing to be stood up. Just as I got the feel of it... Ugh, I am going to
kill Andrei for calling at this time. He has 'good' timing.
"Irynna!" he boomed from the other side of the line. I pulled my cell phone away from my left ear immediately and put it back as soon as I was sure he wouldn't yell again.
"Get out of that studio!" he said in Russian in a gleeful tone of voice. "Let's go to Elaine's! My treat."
"What? I'm busy!" I replied in English. We're just so bilingual.
"Come on, Sashaaa." he moaned over the phone in English. "Please... For your older brother..."
"I'm working on my next piece for my exhibit! I can't just stop now!"
"But Sashaaaa."
He was just so immature sometimes. I mean, even if he
is 2 years older than me. My relationship with me and Andrei just goes to show that the eldest wasn't always the most mature.
"Fine then. I'm picking you up whether you like it or not. You need something. I think you've been holed up in that studio for a month."
"I am not holed up here! Come on, I have my own apartment to call my own, you can't just tell me I'm holed up here!"
"Alright, calm down." he said in a really sly voice that I hated so much. "But I'm still coming over. See ya!"
He immediately hung up before I could complain. What is up with him?
Andrei.
"And that was Music My Rock...
Music My Rock by Bedouin Soundclash. Awesome, don't you think? That's it for D-Drei's Lazy Sunday Radio, catch me on Wednesday. Before I go, time check is 3 minutes before nine o'clock. And now for
Big D And The Kids Table's Describing The Sky. D-Drei signing off."
That's pretty much what I do. I'm a DJ on Beat FM. I play on Sundays from 7:50 to 9 am and on Wednesdays from 8 to 10 pm. And I love whatever I do. Blaine Westley's program's up next on Beat after my song. And as I think about him, he actually comes in. Speak of the devil, or rather, think of the devil.
"Hey, Drei." Blaine said in his usual smooth and low tone of voice. "How's Irynna?"
"Fine as usual." I said. Blaine always seems to ask about Irynna. Maybe he likes her, but it couldn't be possible. He's got a girlfriend. Can't let Sasha be the second woman now, can I? I stand up and let Blaine take the chair so I could finally pull my cell phone out of my pocket. I decided to call Sasha. Maybe disturb her. Her number was on speed dial and I put the reciever to my ear. Once she had picked up, I immediately yelled:
"Irynna! Get out of that studio!" I said in Russian. Whenever I always speak to her as my little sister, I
always speak Russian. It's something that gets me by, and hopefully her as well. "Let's go to Elaine's! My treat."
"What? I'm busy!" she replied harshly. Jesus, what was with her today? Did she have PMS?
"Come on, Sashaaa. Please... For your older brother..." I said in English.
"I'm working on my next piece for my exhibit! I can't just stop now!"
"But Sashaaaa."
She didn't speak for a whole five seconds.
"Fine then. I'm picking you up whether you like it or not. You need something. I think you've been holed up in that studio for a month."
"I am not holed up here! Come on, I have my own apartment to call my own, you can't just tell me I'm holed up here!"
"Alright, calm down. But I'm still coming over. See ya!"
I hung up, grabbed my jacket and my keys (about the only few things I really brought to the studio) and left the building. I started the engine of my black Ducati and drove off to Irynna's studio which wasn't too far from the station, actually.