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The reception area was full. Artists were working with people from the clinic, who’d come in to help. Sonya was deep in conversation with one of the film crew who were packing up in one corner. From her paint-spattered hands, and the marks on her designer jeans, she’d obviously been tempted into ruining her manicure by picking up a paint brush.
Zack had obviously torn himself away from painting duties and was working his way round with a large tray, distributing cups of tea. A sudden warmth at his side told him that Marie had seen him and come over to greet him.
No kiss. However much it would have made the moment complete. But Marie was grinning from ear to ear, and that was a very good second-best. She had a smudge of paint on her nose and wore a baggy T-shirt and a pair of frayed jeans. Diamonds couldn’t have outshone her.
‘What do you think?’
Alex tore his eyes away from her, scanning the mural. A black-and-white line-drawn representation of the clinic building was in the middle, surrounded by colour. There was a blue sky, a sparkling rainbow and, at the bottom in freehand writing, the words Living well at our clinic, followed by a list of all the clinic’s services. When he looked more closely, the cloud that floated across the otherwise clear sky was made up of the word Welcome in many different languages.
‘It’s fantastic. Way beyond anything I could have dreamed of.’
The mural brought life and colour into the otherwise bland reception space.
‘Those are mine...’ Marie pointed to a group of people depicted outside the clinic doors. ‘I didn’t draw them; Cori did the outlines and I filled them in. I like people best...’
Of course she did. And Marie was right—the people made the picture. Doctors and nurses, a fitness instructor in gym wear, mothers with babies, old people, young people, people of different colours, sizes and cultures, talking together in groups or walking past. There were animals as well. A family of foxes trekked in a line at one side of the building, and birds flew in the sky, eyed by a lazy cat curled up on the roof of one of the clinic’s cars.
‘It’s breathtaking. It’ll take me a few hours just to look at it all. I think your people are the best, though.’
She gave a little snort of laughter, but was obviously pleased. ‘Cori suggested that we have some extra seating over there, all in different colours.’ She waved her hand towards the space opposite the mural. ‘Just to balance things up a bit.’
‘Good idea. And were you talking about painting in some of the other areas, as well?’
‘We were, and Cori’s offered to do something for the children’s areas. But she’s got some stencils and pictures to work from, so I said we could give that a go ourselves. I said that we were looking for paintings from local artists to hang in the café and communal areas, and she’s given me the names of a few people.’
‘That’s perfect.’
‘You’re happy with it all?’
His opinion seemed to mean a lot to Marie.
‘More than I can say. It’s fabulous.’
He’d planned and built this place, but it had been bland and devoid of any personality. Marie had brought life to it in a way he never could have done alone. She’d made him b
ring a little of himself as well, and now he felt at home here.
‘There’s still lots to do. Would you like to help?’
He’d resolved to step back and let Marie see this through on her own, but that was all forgotten now.
‘Try and stop me...’
CHAPTER NINE
LAST WEEK HAD been all about getting paint in his hair and under his fingernails. After work every day Alex had donned a pair of overalls and laboriously filled one of the walls in the children’s playroom, using the stencils Cori had given them. Zack had been allowed to help too, on account of being on time each day, and doing every job that Sofia gave him cheerfully and well. He was showing real artistic flair, bringing life to Alex’s rather flat representations with a just a few extra brushstrokes.
This weekend was entirely different. Alex had picked up his evening suit from the tailor and gone to the bank to open his safety deposit box. He’d scrubbed every trace of paint off under the shower, and while he towelled himself dry he regarded the suit that was hanging on the door of the wardrobe.
He sat down on the bed. He’d actually rather go naked tonight than pull that dark jacket on over a crisp white shirt. And the bow tie? He had a step-by-step diagram, downloaded from the internet, but he’d never tied a bow tie himself. His mother had always done that for him, brushing specks of dust from his jacket and telling him he looked every inch a prince.
Suddenly he missed her very much. Planting the flowers that spelt out her name and switching on the water feature in the garden had felt like his own very personal goodbye. It had awakened feelings that Alex had tried hard to repress.
Would his mother have loved the clinic the way he did, and allowed it to bring some colour into her life? Or would she have stubbornly clung to his father, fading into his shadow?
But thinking about that now would only make it harder to put the suit on, and there was no way he could answer the door to Marie in this state of undress. Alex pulled the white shirt across his shoulders, looking at the full-length mirror in the corner of the room as he did so. He’d lost all the extra weight he’d put on and felt better for it.
He picked up the pair of striped socks Marie had added to his ensemble and smiled. He was ready for anything now.
