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“You don’t need to do that.” But Maggie was back with a stuffed starfish her mother had sent her.
The subject was dropped, but I mulled over the different personas she presented. She was an introvert who hid from others, but then filmed herself online. I couldn’t figure her out.
I wanted to see the videos to determine if she was on camera or if it was just her voice. How much did she reveal of herself?
“Do you want me to make you a starfish?” Alice asked Maggie.
“Could you?” Maggie asked.
“You can help me pick out the colors and watch, but you can’t do it until you’re older.”
“You’ll teach me?”
“Absolutely. Want to see a video?” Alice waited for my nod before she pulled a video up on her phone.
I looked over her shoulder. The camera view was of a large table. I wondered if it was the space she’d used at Elle and Gray’s. It was her voice, strong and confident, talking about her process, why she chose the shapes she did and the colors. It was obvious she enjoyed creating things. She seemingly lost herself in the work, forgetting the camera was filming at times. Then she’d realize and answer a question from the chat.
“That’s so cool,” Maggie said when the film ended.
“Can I see it?” I asked Alice.
She handed me her phone while Maggie jumped up to choose colors for her starfish. Alice pulled out the box of uncut tiles from her closet, and they sifted through them.
Returning my attention to the video, I noticed there were numerous comments praising her work and asking how they could buy the mosaics.
When Maggie said she couldn’t choose a color scheme from the box, Alice suggested she color a picture to get an idea. When Maggie ran off to find paper to draw what she wanted, I handed Alice her phone. “They want to buy your work.”
Alice frowned. “I’m not set up for that.”
“And you don’t want to be.”
Her forehead wrinkled. “It’s overwhelming. I wouldn’t even know how to set up a website or figure out shipping and taxes. I already have a job.”
“You could do it in the evenings and on weekends,” I said, knowing I was pushing her when she wasn’t receptive to the idea.
“I’m happy with my life the way it is,” she said, effectively ending my line of questions.
I didn’t want to lose Alice when I’d only just gotten her, but she was clearly talented. This was a possible income stream from doing something she enjoyed, but she had no interest in it. Why? Did she think she couldn’t handle it? That it would be too much?
When she was creating, the happiness in her tone was infectious. It was probably why people asked for her to post video after video. They loved watching her do something she enjoyed.
She loved kids and art. She could teach art classes to kids or sell her creations. There were so many things she could do, but she was holding herself back. It was frustrating, but it was her life.
All I could do was encourage her to follow her dreams. Give her the time and space to do that here. Alice wasn’t mine to worry about.
CHAPTER9
ALICE
“How are things going with Maggie?” Elle asked.
“We have a good system going. I take care of Maggie until Sam gets home, he showers, and then we make dinner. Sometimes we watch a movie, or I go to my room to work.”
“You make dinner together?” Elle asked.
I didn’t miss the look she and Gray exchanged.
“I live there. It only makes sense to make dinner and eat it together. I don’t have my own kitchen.”
