Julia heard her son coming home from his college class. A little too early, she thought. She was an art professor by trade, but at the moment, she was focusing on her other love-- painting. There was a nude female model in the workroom, which had become common in their suburban home.
The session had just ended and Julia stood up while the model got dressed. They made small talk about how the session went and the model saw the nude portrait for the first time, marveling at the artistry.
The model left through the living room at the same time Zack was there. They exchanged a friendly 'hello' and 'nice meeting you' while Julia opened the door so the model could leave.
When Julia closed the door, she gave her son a playfully stern look.
"Don't get any funny ideas," she said in her motherly tone. "She's a new model I'm working with. I don't want you chasing her away."
"Me? Why would I do that?"
"Because that's the kind of guy you are," she joked.
He shrugged. "As long as you're going to keep bringing hot women to our house, I can't complain."
"I'm glad you're okay with it because there will probably be a few more models stopping by."
"You're busier than usual."
"I found out this morning that my role in the upcoming art exhibition is going to be
much
bigger than before," she proudly. "I'll be given extra space to showcase my work. I already have plenty of abstract paintings, but I need more portraits. Those are usually my best sellers."
"That's great, mom. That means more money, and more women coming here?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Is that all you think about? Money and women?"
"It was a joke. I'm really happy for you."
She smiled, "Thanks. This art exhibition is the biggest I've ever been featured in. A number of prominent figures in the art community are going to attend. That's why I called that sexy young model here at the last minute."
"I've noticed. You usually don't paint women my age. You usually paint older women, no offense. So that was kind of surprising to me when I saw her."
She nodded. "With all the space I'm getting for this year's art exhibit, I've decided to expand my boundaries. I want to explore diversity. I'll be painting everyone from college students, to senior citizens, and people from different ethnic backgrounds. I'm very excited about it."
"I can tell. You look excited. It's great seeing you like this. I know you'll get the recognition you deserve."
Julia's heart warmed and she gave him a big hug, even with all the paint on her clothes.
"You're too cute for words," she said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to wash up."
***
It was a Saturday morning. As usual for the weekends, she relied on her son to arrange the paint and art supplies for her. It was the final nude painting she planned on doing before the art exhibition, which was only a week away.
As things were being prepared, she received an unexpected phone call; the kind that would always ruin her day.
Everything was set in her art room, and Julia had no choice but to break the news to her son.
"He's not coming," she said. "Apparently he's having second thoughts, which is understandable, but the timing couldn't be worse."
"Aren't there tons of male models?"
"I need a
young
adult. Most of the young male models who live nearby are university students. I wouldn't feel comfortable asking someone from campus to come to my house to be nude. That wouldn't exactly be great for my reputation."
"Good point," he replied. "Why don't you just get another model that's an older age? You've never had problems with that before."
"The whole point of my collection is that I'm featuring a wide array of age groups. I already have several portraits of older men."
"Does it matter? I don't think people would notice if you used an older man and painted him to look younger."
She flashed a stern look. "Yes, it does matter. Artistic integrity is important to me. My collection has a theme to it. Without the final portrait, the collection would look incomplete."
"If it's that important, then I'm sure you'll find someone soon enough."
"I hope so," she sighed. "Thank you for your help setting up my supplies. I really appreciate it."
"Don't mention it."
She smiled, "We'll leave everything here. I'll make a few phone calls and hopefully I can find someone by tomorrow."
"What's the rush? The exhibit isn't until next weekend."
"I know. But it's important for me to set everything up in the gallery as early as possible. I'll have more time to prepare my oral presentations that way. Plus I don't like rushing at the last minute. My work is better when I'm relaxed and my head is clear."
He nodded. "That makes sense."
"Thank you again for spending your Saturday morning with me. I know you could have done so many other things instead. I really appreciate it."
With that said, Julia gave him a kiss on the cheek to show her gratitude. It was a nice kiss. Her kisses were always special because they were loving. And she knew he liked them.
Seeing the smile on his face gave Julia an epiphany. Something had to be done, and since she probably couldn't get a proper replacement in time, a plan had to be devised.
In her desperate hour, she decided to go for it. What was there to lose? So she proceeded with a newfound contingency plan and prayed that it would work, no matter how crazy she knew it was.
"You see the beauty in what I'm doing, right?" she asked with an incredible degree of politeness.
"Of course I do. I think your art is great."
"Good," she smiled. "I'm glad you think so. I started painting when I was around your age. It changed my life in a wonderful way because it gave me direction. It gave me a way to express myself creatively and I fell in love with it."
"Why do I get the feeling that something is about to get weird?"
"I want
you
to pose for me," she replied sincerely.
Julia flashed the most heartfelt look she could possibly manage.
"You can't be serious, can you? You want me to pose for you?"
She nodded. "That's what I said."
"Nude?"
She nodded again. "All of the portraits have to be nude. I also realize that you don't want anyone seeing your nude portrait, so you can simply turn your head away while I paint. I'll focus mainly on your body. No one will recognize you. I promise"
"No way," he replied. "I'm sorry mom, but that's never going to happen. Why don't you just paint an imaginary person? Make it up. No one would know the difference."