“How about you?”
He keeps looking straight ahead as we make our way to the next stand. “Just your average family, I guess.”
I wave him on, but he’s not offering anything else. He shares his life in crumbs. That’s it. “You have to give me more than that, my guy.”
He sighs. “I’m close with my sister and her kids. My brother-in-law is pretty cool, too.”
“Oh, yeah! That picture you got. That’s so sweet. Part of me wishes I had siblings so I could have nephews and nieces. Though maybe I’ll have kids one day. Who knows?”
I slide my palm into his and thread our fingers together. Jett tenses for a moment, but soon relaxes. “Is this okay?” I ask.
“Yeah, it’s… fine.”
“If you haven’t noticed, I tend to dive in headfirst.”
Jett laughs lightly. “I noticed.”
“You only live once, amirite?”
“I guess,” he says. Finally, we come across a stand that sells paintings. “Here we go.”
I drop Jett’s hand and hold up a print of a curled-up deer with long horns threaded with flowers and birds. It’s pretty, but her art is a little too whimsical for me, so I thank her, and we move on, holding hands again.
The next artist features some abstract art and some animals. All are mostly black, white, and gray. While the art is gorgeous, I need color.
I like this. Jett and I aren’t at each other’s throats, he’s letting me hold his hand, and he’s said more than five words to me. I call that an accomplishment. Part of me wants to ask what happened to him, but I’m not sure he’s ready for that. Getting him to open up is like trying to open a can of vegetables with your fingernails.
We’re more than halfway through exploring the stands, and I haven’t found any art that I like enough to put on my walls. I’m almost about to give up when something catches my eye. Dragging Jett with me, we stop at one artist’s stall, and I’m instantly drawn to his work.
I look through all his prints and pull out two that resemble an abstract form beneath the ocean. Yes, it’s kind of whimsical, but it’s stunning. The colors are vibrant, and there are all sorts of shapes representing coral, anemones, and jellyfish. The art is actually intricate. Lots of detail in something so abstract. “Wow, Dennis would love these.”
I end up buying the two ocean-like matted prints for Dennis, and two similar ones for my walls. I’ll have to get them framed.
“How much for the original of this?” I ask the artist, holding up the print with the large jellyfish in the center.
“That’s selling for four thousand, but it’s currently in a gallery.”
“Bummer. Maybe if I were rich,” I chuckle. “I’ll take these.”
He processes my order as I watch Jett finger through some of the prints. He pulls out one that’s geometric, abstract, and vibrant with a mix of colors, set against a deep yellow background. “What do you think?”
“I think that’s gorgeous. For you?”
“Yeah. The colors remind me of the Ivory Coast.” I smile at that as he goes on. “My dad’s parents are from there.”
“That’s cool. And your mom?”
“Her parents are originally from Trinidad.”
“You ever go?”
“To Trinidad?”
“Yeah. Or Africa.”
He shakes his head, looking wistful. “No, never.” He hesitates. “But I’d love to one day.”
“Until you do, you’ll have this to remind you of your family and your dreams. And we’re supporting the local artists. Cool!”
