"Oh my God." Rory said before beginning the steps up to the Met.
"Big isn't it?" Jess glanced sideways at her and smirked. He had been in a good mood since they had begun holding hands. On the train, Jess had been memorizing the way her hand felt and all of the attached implications.
Observation: her wrist was small and the skin was soft. Meaning: she is delicate and skin must be soft everywhere else. Observation: her fingers are slender and her nails are ordinary and without paint. Meaning: she is a slender girl and she is not vain. Observation: when she gets nervous, like when it got really crowded on the train and a homeless guy was standing right next to her, she squeezes hand. Meaning: she is very affectionate and likes to be comforted in situations of duress. Observation: when rubbing circles on wrist, she closes eyes and swallows. Meaning: She likes it...a lot. And maybe would like more touching.
His mind could think or process little else besides the sensation of her skin against his skin.
"We are not going to have enough time to see everything." Rory couldn't get over how huge the museum was. She looked around at the people outside the museum as she ascended the steps. Students reading books on stairs sitting down. A couple kissing while leaning on the handrail. A family taking a picture. A group of students smoking cigarettes and discussing Mondrian's later work.
"You could be here for a whole day and not have enough time to see everything." Jess could tell Rory was excited and he was glad. It felt good making her happy.
"How much time are we going to have?"
"Two hours."
"We will have to make the most of it." Rory paused and looked at Jess for a minute and then asked, "Have you ever been here before?"
"Twice. Once on a field trip when I was a kid so I don't really remember anything and the other was a little over a year ago."
Jess went the second time because a kid he hung out with shot himself for apparently no reason whatsoever and instead of going to the funeral like everyone else did, he told the cab driver to take him to the Met. He still didn't know why. He got into the cab with intentions to go to the funeral but when he said the words they didn't come out. Jess had even worn a suit that he borrowed from his neighbor... only to wear it walking around the museum until it closed.
"If I lived here I would come here all the time."
"You say that, but there is so much in the city to do and see that it kinda gets overwhelming. Plus, I hate tourists and these kinds of places tends to attract them."
"I am a tourist technically, so does that mean that you hate me?"
"No Rory I do not hate you." He looked right at her when he spoke and it caused shivers to shoot up her spine but Rory continued walking as if nothing had happened, ignoring the shivers.
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Jess looked at Rory across the room. Every few seconds he would do that. Make sure she was in his line of vision, that she was okay. He was also making sure she was still there, that he hadn't imagined the day and her coming and their hand-holding. It seemed unreal.
The museum was practically empty due to it being late April, which means it wasn't exactly tourist season, plus it was a weekday and it was almost closing time. The emptiness of this gigantic building full of powerful art created a lonely atmosphere. Both Rory and Jess felt it.
It was as if they were the only two people there...alone together.
They stood at opposite ends in a room of Post-Impressionist Paintings. Jess was standing in front of a painting of a ship on the sea. The sky and the water were painted almost identical, the colors mirroring each other. The ship and smaller ships in the distance were blurry and sailing toward the yellow glow in the clouds. The brush work was rough but also very precise.
Jess liked it...a lot. He liked the how the sun was veiled behind the clouds and not blatantly showing. He liked the orange water that the dark brown ship was sailing on. Jess had never been on a real boat before.
Joseph Turner "The Fighting Temeraire."
Rory was looking at a Van Gough painting. That was what drew her to it. Rory knew only a little about art but she knew that she liked Van Gough. It wasn't just the bright colors and choppy strokes, she also loved the tranquility of it. She recognized the one she was standing in front of as soon as she walked in the room. It was a Paris Café at night. She stood mesmerized in front of the painting. It was so beautiful.
"Pretty." Jess said as he walked up behind Rory. She gasped at the sudden noise. She had gotten used to the silence of the room and of the museum.
"God, Jess you scared me." She instinctively placed her hand over her heart.
"Sorry." They both turned to the painting then. Jess was interested at what had captivated Rory for so long. While he had moved on to other paintings she had stood there staring. Jess had seen it before, on magnets and calendars and postcards and posters bought for $5.
"What do you think?" Rory asked.
"I like it, but it's not my favorite of his."
"What is then?"
"I like the shoes one." Jess pointed to a small painting a few paintings down from the one they were staring at. It was a pair of dirty old shoes, simple. "I like Starry Night of course."
"Of course." Rory nodded her head. Was there anyone who didn't love Starry Night? They had seen it a few rooms before and they both stood staring at it for five minutes..................saying nothing.
"But it's pretty good."
"I think it's amazing. I want to live in that painting. In a world like that." Rory thought of the colors and of the clear stars shining in the café.
"Why?"
"Because it's so beautiful." Rory didn't understand what Jess was getting at. "You don't think it's beautiful?"
"I do it's just that the people have no faces." She looked back at the painting and checked as if questioning Jess' observation. He was right. None of the people painted at faces. They were either looking away or their faces were blurred. "I mean it is a café at night filled with faceless people. And yeah, he uses pretty colors but the faceless people bother me."
"Why? Van Gough paints the scenery not the people."
"Yeah but why he couldn't he paint people? Why all nature and starry skies and Paris streets? He paints what he wants to see. And this world is without real people."
Rory was staring at the painting soaking up Jess' words. He was right, everything he was saying was right.
"And we both know he was pretty messed up in real life."
"Yeah he was." Rory felt stupid. All she cared about were the colors that she had never even thought about the actual meaning.
"My favorite is over here................." Jess took Rory by the hand naturally and without thinking, and led her into the next room and brought her to another painting. "..........................this is my absolute favorite Van Gough."
The painting was of a man and a woman lying next to each other sleeping on a haystack. Rory took a step forward to inspect the painting closely not letting go of Jess' hand. First thing she noticed were the colors. The landscape was of a rich golden yellow that contrasted to the light blue color of the sky and the sleeping lover's clothes. They were faceless too, but it wasn't strange. You could feel the peace and tranquility of the painting just looking at it. She smiled. She loved it too.
"The Afternoon Siesta. Good title." Rory read from the label next to the painting. "I like it." She looked back at Jess smiling.
"Good." At that moment Jess felt a longing that he thought would cut out his heart. Here was the girl, a girl he dreamed about and wanted for so long, holding his hand smiling a sweet smile for him and at him only. Jess pushed his desire down rationalizing if he acted on want, if he scared her or did anything too soon, he would lose her forever.
He took a few steps back pulling Rory with him. His look sent a heat through her that burned slowly. Like an electricity that was never operating before. She knew she had to say something.....................
"Do you want to go to one of the other wings and see some other stuff?" It was all she could think of.
"Sure." Jess said wishing he could kiss her.
"Big isn't it?" Jess glanced sideways at her and smirked. He had been in a good mood since they had begun holding hands. On the train, Jess had been memorizing the way her hand felt and all of the attached implications.
Observation: her wrist was small and the skin was soft. Meaning: she is delicate and skin must be soft everywhere else. Observation: her fingers are slender and her nails are ordinary and without paint. Meaning: she is a slender girl and she is not vain. Observation: when she gets nervous, like when it got really crowded on the train and a homeless guy was standing right next to her, she squeezes hand. Meaning: she is very affectionate and likes to be comforted in situations of duress. Observation: when rubbing circles on wrist, she closes eyes and swallows. Meaning: She likes it...a lot. And maybe would like more touching.
His mind could think or process little else besides the sensation of her skin against his skin.
"We are not going to have enough time to see everything." Rory couldn't get over how huge the museum was. She looked around at the people outside the museum as she ascended the steps. Students reading books on stairs sitting down. A couple kissing while leaning on the handrail. A family taking a picture. A group of students smoking cigarettes and discussing Mondrian's later work.
"You could be here for a whole day and not have enough time to see everything." Jess could tell Rory was excited and he was glad. It felt good making her happy.
"How much time are we going to have?"
"Two hours."
"We will have to make the most of it." Rory paused and looked at Jess for a minute and then asked, "Have you ever been here before?"
"Twice. Once on a field trip when I was a kid so I don't really remember anything and the other was a little over a year ago."
Jess went the second time because a kid he hung out with shot himself for apparently no reason whatsoever and instead of going to the funeral like everyone else did, he told the cab driver to take him to the Met. He still didn't know why. He got into the cab with intentions to go to the funeral but when he said the words they didn't come out. Jess had even worn a suit that he borrowed from his neighbor... only to wear it walking around the museum until it closed.
"If I lived here I would come here all the time."
"You say that, but there is so much in the city to do and see that it kinda gets overwhelming. Plus, I hate tourists and these kinds of places tends to attract them."
"I am a tourist technically, so does that mean that you hate me?"
"No Rory I do not hate you." He looked right at her when he spoke and it caused shivers to shoot up her spine but Rory continued walking as if nothing had happened, ignoring the shivers.
9999999999999999
Jess looked at Rory across the room. Every few seconds he would do that. Make sure she was in his line of vision, that she was okay. He was also making sure she was still there, that he hadn't imagined the day and her coming and their hand-holding. It seemed unreal.
The museum was practically empty due to it being late April, which means it wasn't exactly tourist season, plus it was a weekday and it was almost closing time. The emptiness of this gigantic building full of powerful art created a lonely atmosphere. Both Rory and Jess felt it.
It was as if they were the only two people there...alone together.
They stood at opposite ends in a room of Post-Impressionist Paintings. Jess was standing in front of a painting of a ship on the sea. The sky and the water were painted almost identical, the colors mirroring each other. The ship and smaller ships in the distance were blurry and sailing toward the yellow glow in the clouds. The brush work was rough but also very precise.
Jess liked it...a lot. He liked the how the sun was veiled behind the clouds and not blatantly showing. He liked the orange water that the dark brown ship was sailing on. Jess had never been on a real boat before.
Joseph Turner "The Fighting Temeraire."
Rory was looking at a Van Gough painting. That was what drew her to it. Rory knew only a little about art but she knew that she liked Van Gough. It wasn't just the bright colors and choppy strokes, she also loved the tranquility of it. She recognized the one she was standing in front of as soon as she walked in the room. It was a Paris Café at night. She stood mesmerized in front of the painting. It was so beautiful.
"Pretty." Jess said as he walked up behind Rory. She gasped at the sudden noise. She had gotten used to the silence of the room and of the museum.
"God, Jess you scared me." She instinctively placed her hand over her heart.
"Sorry." They both turned to the painting then. Jess was interested at what had captivated Rory for so long. While he had moved on to other paintings she had stood there staring. Jess had seen it before, on magnets and calendars and postcards and posters bought for $5.
"What do you think?" Rory asked.
"I like it, but it's not my favorite of his."
"What is then?"
"I like the shoes one." Jess pointed to a small painting a few paintings down from the one they were staring at. It was a pair of dirty old shoes, simple. "I like Starry Night of course."
"Of course." Rory nodded her head. Was there anyone who didn't love Starry Night? They had seen it a few rooms before and they both stood staring at it for five minutes..................saying nothing.
"But it's pretty good."
"I think it's amazing. I want to live in that painting. In a world like that." Rory thought of the colors and of the clear stars shining in the café.
"Why?"
"Because it's so beautiful." Rory didn't understand what Jess was getting at. "You don't think it's beautiful?"
"I do it's just that the people have no faces." She looked back at the painting and checked as if questioning Jess' observation. He was right. None of the people painted at faces. They were either looking away or their faces were blurred. "I mean it is a café at night filled with faceless people. And yeah, he uses pretty colors but the faceless people bother me."
"Why? Van Gough paints the scenery not the people."
"Yeah but why he couldn't he paint people? Why all nature and starry skies and Paris streets? He paints what he wants to see. And this world is without real people."
Rory was staring at the painting soaking up Jess' words. He was right, everything he was saying was right.
"And we both know he was pretty messed up in real life."
"Yeah he was." Rory felt stupid. All she cared about were the colors that she had never even thought about the actual meaning.
"My favorite is over here................." Jess took Rory by the hand naturally and without thinking, and led her into the next room and brought her to another painting. "..........................this is my absolute favorite Van Gough."
The painting was of a man and a woman lying next to each other sleeping on a haystack. Rory took a step forward to inspect the painting closely not letting go of Jess' hand. First thing she noticed were the colors. The landscape was of a rich golden yellow that contrasted to the light blue color of the sky and the sleeping lover's clothes. They were faceless too, but it wasn't strange. You could feel the peace and tranquility of the painting just looking at it. She smiled. She loved it too.
"The Afternoon Siesta. Good title." Rory read from the label next to the painting. "I like it." She looked back at Jess smiling.
"Good." At that moment Jess felt a longing that he thought would cut out his heart. Here was the girl, a girl he dreamed about and wanted for so long, holding his hand smiling a sweet smile for him and at him only. Jess pushed his desire down rationalizing if he acted on want, if he scared her or did anything too soon, he would lose her forever.
He took a few steps back pulling Rory with him. His look sent a heat through her that burned slowly. Like an electricity that was never operating before. She knew she had to say something.....................
"Do you want to go to one of the other wings and see some other stuff?" It was all she could think of.
"Sure." Jess said wishing he could kiss her.