Chapter 14

IT WAS GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME to get everything legally set up. As our lawyer, John MacDonald, said to us, “Nothing about your relationship is covered under Washington State Law. You aren’t married. Therefore, we have to have documents that spell out everything. Your partnership has to be a business partnership as domestic partnerships are limited to two people just like marriage. You’ll have a stated business purpose of owning and investing in businesses and property. For everything else, we need separate papers—power of attorney, medical power of attorney, wills, trusts, child guardianship, and anything else we can think of—all have to be covered and documented.” We were afloat in a sea of paperwork.

One of the documents that had to be modified was my contract with Clarice. I took her the amendment on Thursday.

“So you want all income from your painting paid to the partnership?” she asked.

“That’s right.”

“Tony, do you realize that you could be giving up a sizeable income here? It makes no difference to me because I’m still only representing your works and where the money gets deposited is a moot point. But you stand to have an income of over $50,000 within the next 12 months while going to school full time. Who knows what that could become when you start truly painting as a career? You don’t want to split that income up, do you?”

“Yes, actually I do. In addition to my painting, Melody and Lissa are on the brink of some phenomenal income. The only way we can all work on everything and feel good about it is to share it all equally.”

Clarice signed the addendum and handed my copy back to me.

“Now, let me see what you are working on.”

I showed her photos of the canvas and progress that I’d made on Sharon’s portrait. Each photo was date and time-stamped so there was a continuous record the way she wanted it kept. Even though it currently was only a stretched canvas with a pencil drawing on it, it showed steady progress on the client’s project. She was pleased, both with the project and with the records I kept.

Of course, when there was no client involved, I didn’t need the record, but while we were on our date to the zoo concert, Melody had been snapping photos and captured my initial drawing while I was doing it. She also shot some reference photos of the setting that I didn’t know about until after the fact. I handed Clarice the watercolor pencil drawing/painting that I did and she looked at it critically.

“This has some promising qualities, Tony,” she said. “I like the direction it’s taking. You’ll do a full-size painting of the piece, won’t you? It should be about the same size as the Rhapsody Suite painting. This particular subject could be done in watercolor, but you know I prefer oil or acrylic for a better price. You need more pieces like this. Open up and let them flow. But only one or two of any given subject. If you paint 250 Water Lilies canvasses like Monet, I’ll never be able to sell any of them. Pictures like this, but not the same subject. And don’t paint this instead of figures. Paint it in addition. I want anyone to look at your collection and see at least one painting they could imagine in their home—or museum.”

“It was a unique setting,” I said. “I don’t know that I’ll find any others that have the same feel. I don’t want to be out painting ferries or the Space Needle.”

“I agree. Every Seattle artist has painted the Space Needle or the ferries. What makes this unique is that every Seattle artist has not painted this scene. And that you’ve captured something here that is beyond the setting. You caught the vibe. That’s what you need more of. Up to this time all I’ve seen of your work has been people that you connect to. This is a scene—an urbanscape—that you connected with. Keep connecting.”

“That’s hard,” I said. “It isn’t just that it’s hard to find scenes like that, but that I get so caught up in it that I exhaust myself before I think to even breathe.”

“Well, I’d like to say that will improve, but I doubt that it will. If you want to be a great artist, you are going to have to keep pouring yourself into the connections that bring your work to life.”

Before I left Carmine’s, I stopped to talk to Wendy. She was still looking kind of worn out and I was worried about her.

“Oh, things are getting better,” she said. “I’m just in a rough spot. I thought I had something and it really hit me hard when it all went up in smoke.”

“Hey, I’ve got an idea. Do you work Sunday?”

“Of course. But shift’s over at three o’clock after we clean up from lunch. Carma closes the restaurant at two on Sundays.”

“Why don’t you come over for an afternoon barbecue?” She raised an eyebrow at me. “I promise; no nude posing.”

“Drat! Here I was hoping,” she grinned. She sobered almost immediately. “I don’t need a hand-out, Tony.”

“I wasn’t offering one. I see you almost every week now, but Lissa and Melody only saw you on Lissa’s birthday. You know,” I said in a hushed tone, “we share everything. That means you, too. They’re beginning to think I’m stepping out on them.” This time it was my turn to grin. I hadn’t seen Wendy that flustered since the first night we met.

“Well, okay,” she said. “If I come straight from work, would it be okay for me to grab a shower at your place?”

“Sure, but shower at your own risk. You can never tell how many people will be in there with you at our house.”

She gave me a gentle punch in the arm and said she’d see us Sunday. I rushed home to tell the family.

“I wouldn’t even go to this thing tonight if it weren’t for Kate,” I complained to Lissa as we drove home from the club.

Our Friday afternoon workouts tended to be the toughest of the week. Today was even tougher because John had located another mixed doubles team to play us. Individually, Sally and Tomas were no competition for either Lissa or me. But together, they had a lot of doubles experience that Lissa and I couldn’t match. We were tripping over each other and constantly forgetting our rotation. Twice, I returned one of Lissa’s serves. We played five games over two hours as Sally and Tomas carefully schooled us in the art of playing as a team. It made me think about teachers and students in general. Especially in the arts. It was a reminder that a person doesn’t have to be as good, skilled, or talented as you are to be able to teach you. I learned a lot from those two and Lissa and I walked out having not won a single game. I’d rushed through my shower so I could get ready for my date with Kate.

“If it weren’t for the date with Kate, we’d all just go home and collapse in bed,” Lissa agreed. “But then, there’s the date with Kate.”

“Yeah,” I chuckled. “I just wish I was taking her someplace fun instead of to a party where I don’t know anyone.”

“Well, you’ll have to work together,” Lissa said. “Come on. You’ll have fun. After all...”

“ ... I’m going to be with Kate,” I finished for her. We both laughed.

“So what are you and our wife going to do?”

“Melody said she was planning the evening. Molly left the boys at Jack’s tonight, so we might just leave the bedroom door open and fill the house with ecstatic screams all night.”

“Not all night!” I said. “Don’t forget I’m bringing Kate home after the party. We don’t want to scare the poor girl.”

“Ooo. I wonder if that means we all get goodnight kisses tonight.”

“Uh-uh. I think it’s only fair that since it’s my date, I get to collect the goodnight kisses and distribute them later.”

“Aww!” Lissa pouted. “I suppose. It is kind of fun to act as the ... What did you call it? Transfer agent?”

“Yeah. Makes it sound like one of Melody’s fabric dyes, doesn’t it?”

“Well, you’ll have fun. And so will we.”

I should have known that I wouldn’t just dress and leave, though. Melody had clothes laid out for me on the big bed and insisted that I take another shower so she could inspect me. She did a very thorough inspection, most of it with her lips and tongue.

“Melody,” I said as I pulled on the short sleeved sport shirt she laid out for me. “Don’t you think that I’m sending mixed messages? I mean wearing a bright green shirt? I don’t want Eric to think he should be hitting on me.”

“You’ll understand later. Just wear the damn shirt.”

“Yes ma’am!” I snapped back. She’d been feeling pretty mellow after we’d both come in the shower. “What’s up?”

“I didn’t mean to snap at you. I’m just jealous. I wish I was going to the party.”

“You should have said something, darling. I offered to take you and Lissa.”

“I don’t mean with you,” she said. Oh.

“I bet you’ll have your one-on-one date with Kate in the next few days. You know we’re not limited to weekend dating—especially this week with the boys at Jack’s,” I soothed.

“Oh, it’s okay. The suspense is killing me, though. I get to hold her hand at the ballgame.”

“I’m sure she’ll be okay with that. What are you and Lissa doing tonight?”

“I’m taking her dancing.”

“What?”

“There’s an over-eighteen club in the U-District and I’m taking her dancing. I’m told there’s lots of same-sex couples who go there.”

“So cool! If the party is a bust can we come and join you?”

“If the party is a bust, find a quiet place and make out with our girlfriend,” Melody answered. “That’s what I’d do.”

I parked and went up to Kate’s room at the dorm to knock on her door. It wasn’t a formal occasion or a fancy party, so I didn’t really have anything to give her—like flowers or candy. But I felt like it was important to call for her at her door and not phone from the car. When she opened the door and smiled at me, I was breathless. She was such a knockout!

She already had flowers that she’d woven into her hair. And she was wearing a ‘Melody Special’ sundress that was deep green with leaf patterns bleached out of the fabric. Instead of having her hair in a ponytail, it was braided around the flowers. She was wearing makeup and looked so sophisticated I could hardly believe it was Kate. Even her nails were repainted and instead of her customary purple polish were a soft pearl.

“Wow! You look incredible!” I said.

“Thanks to Melody. She came over and helped me get ready this afternoon. I took the afternoon off work.”

“And she brought you a new dress? I’m going to have to talk to her about how she spends the family’s money.”

“Don’t be harsh, Tony. It was so sweet of her,” Kate said. She almost looked frightened that I’d really come down hard on Melody.

“Hey,” I said seriously. “If she’s going to spend money like this, I want to encourage her!”

“Oh!” Kate laughed and then leaned in to give me a lovely soft kiss. “Did she help you get ready, too?”

“Yeah. She had this shirt and ... Oh.” Kate was giggling. “You talk about everything, don’t you?”