unveiled

chapter 20

* I mean.....after today's notes from Blue and Grey.......

She had stopped him in front of the elevator facing one of the exposed brick walls. 

They had placed plants and a welcoming desk there in the entrance.  He could seen the dark wood of the refurbished stairs to his left and that there was artwork hanging along the stairway.

He walked further in the room, noting the gleam of the hardwood floors and the soft lighting illuminating the room.

By now his friends had gathered around, commenting on favorite spaces and congratulating Dae's team on the design.

Tae moved away, wanting to explore on his own. 

The bulk of the huge room had been left empty.  The walls were all exposed brick and Tae began to notice the lighting.  It was created to adjust to different spots on the wall.  The huge widows were a draw, even in the dark. 

The moon and stars beckoned Tae to the windows, making him think of Sky again.

Lyra had created some of her unique floor seating under the windows, soft, cozy spots to rest, to sketch, to make love in the morning sun.

He shook his head, moving toward Dae.

She was standing at a long wall.
There was a large bookcase along the wall.  He could already see the displays in his mind.  It would be the perfect spot to display his collection of “his" book.  That made him smile.

There was a stack of large canvases behind Dae, taller than she was, leaning against the wall.

 The team had taken an old antique dresser and made it into storage for paint and brushes.  The top was artfully scattered with brushes and bottles of colored glass filled with cleaner and other supplies. Sketch pads, pencils and colored pens were neatly stacked. Tae saw Lyra's style clearly in the design.  It was a work of art in itself.

 A drop cloth had been thrown on the floor, serving as protection and a rug of sorts.

Tae was speechless as he looked at Dae.  Now the tears made a bit more sense.  He leaned and kissed her cheek. Priceless silence flowed between them, unspoken memories recalled and meaning instantly caught.

Dae nodded at him and bent to open the bottom drawer of the chest.  Tae could see it was filled with aprons, paint coveralls and tee shirts and shorts.  He smiled.  She remembered, of course she would.

Then she pulled out something wrapped in tissue and handed it to him.

He carefully looked and then let out a strangled laugh, tears finally beginning to surface.

He looked down at the clothes in his hands and was immediately taken back to their last year in college.  Dae had her own apartment by then, Tae and Jimin might as well have lived there.

He looked at Dae and smiled. “You kept these?”

“Of course,” she whispered, “I knew you would need them again.

Art had always been a part of Tae, inseparable as to how he saw the world.  As a child, he could spends hours watching a tree, waiting for the breeze to change the shape of it’s shadow.  It was one of the things that set him apart from the other kids.

As he grew older and found trouble communicating his deepest thoughts, he often turned to art to express himself.  He even wrote some dreadful poetry to girls with whom he fancied himself in love!

Art became more serious at collage.  He had a fantastic eye and at one-point Dae really thought he would use his talent professionally

In the beginning of their last semester Tae was applying for art internships and was considering doing an art school intensive program in Paris after graduation. 

Then, he was assigned to a class with a visiting professor, Caroline Oh.

She had several curated pieces of art and had displayed in galleries throughout the country.  She was a stunning woman, fifteen years older than he and she exuded a confidence and power he had never experienced in a woman.

Within weeks he was totally smitten and she took him as her lover.  They were a striking pair, beautiful and in love and totally hidden from the world.

Dr. Oh explained that she would lose her job if it became know she was involved with a student, so their affair was conducted in secret, moments stolen between classes, or in the dark of midnight.  During the day Tae was merely one of her very talented students.

As the semester continued, the top three students were selected by a professional panel for a student show and critique.  Tae was elated when he was chosen. 

He immediately began to work on a series of paintings.  Dae saw him less and less.  She started dropping by the small space he used as a studio just to spend time with him.

She loved to watch as the once pristine tee shirt he wore slowly became a mini canvas of his work. 

She thought it bore the beginning of each stroke as he wiped and cleaned the brush on the shirt or shorts he wore.  To Dae's eye, his clothes became as much art as the canvas itself.  They bore testimony to the process, the designs, the stop and start of every movement in the art. 

Taehyung, when he was creating, was a sight to behold! 

Dae often sat and watched him in the fading light, face still in concentration, eyes light with creation, his teeth worrying his bottom lip during a particularly challenging spot.

He was beautiful. He was the masterpiece!!