Blank Canvas

Chapter Sixteen

Summary: Another ordinary day at the Gomez household. Jay came over for a while. In a heartfelt conversation with her Mom, Talia was slowly coming to terms with what the future holds as she began to confront her biggest fear.

"Come in. Make yourself comfortable."

Jay put the design books and copies of Architectural Digest that he brought over in the low table in our entertainment room, not our living room. Our living room was more of a synthesis of two rooms. It looked like a mini gallery with some of Mom's watercolor paintings and macramé wall hangings and a mini library including some of Dad's rare history books and memorabilia. Some of my sketches were also in there, along with Mia's assortment of toys.

Jay's mom had a hobby to renovate every five years so she would often collect ideas from different reading materials and would make detailed mood boards and inspiration walls. Jay said that his mom liked to keep busy and have something worthwhile to do even if she worked remotely. Last year, Jay's mom renovated their kitchen. She was an interior designer by profession but a few years ago, she needed surgery on her left shoulder and after, it became physically challenging to go back to on-site projects. She makes designs and meets up with clients at her home office.

I borrowed the references to search for an abstraction for my sketch, which I have not finished and I needed to complete it before the school break at the end of October. I wanted to design something that was the epitome of modern architecture but I did not want it to be cold and stark. Any structure would do, my teacher had said, whether it was a house or a building.

Next year, our class would learn how to make scale models but for now, a basic but life-like sketch or a semi-digital representation would be enough. I was still learning the software. On weekends, I have lessons with a few of my classmates (including Valerie and Avis) from a guy who was the boyfriend of our classmate's cousin. The guy was supposed to be a genius or something in real-time rendering, mapping, programming and even digital morphogenesis.

I sat on the couch and tried to start a possible rough draft. Jay's eyes went to the television and he sat next to me. Mia was watching Sesame Street but when she left to feed her cat, I switched the channel randomly. The channel had been showing old music videos from the 90s. Some of the videos were interesting (except for the dreadful hair styles and outlandish fashion choices) but I was not really paying that much attention. I followed his gaze as a new song began to play. Something by an artist or a band named Meatloaf. Seriously? But also, I'm curious.

Words that said, "Sometimes going all the way is just a start..." appeared on the screen. It started with a police chase with helicopters and then there was a haunted mansion, which piqued my interest. I put my pad down and focused on the television.

Celia came into the room a few minutes later. She was asking about her red shirt but I put my index finger to my lips and shushed her. She looked at the video that our eyes were stuck to. She stayed still and took a seat on a tufted ottoman.

"This is kind of amazing," I heard Jay mutter. He shifted position and blocked my view. I gently pulled on his sleeve and led him to my side. He shot me an apologetic look. I smiled at him to say that it was okay.

Celia nodded in agreement. "I know. It's similar to a raunchy version of Beauty and the Beast and a rock and roll version of Phantom of the Opera. What is this?" Her eyes were unmoving from the screen.

"What won't he do?" I whispered the question with a frown.

"Cut his long locks?" That was Celia. "Or clip those creepy long nails, perhaps?" She was scrolling on her phone.

"Fall in love with the girl in the dress?" That was Jay. He smiled wistfully at me.

I shrugged and countered, "Or maybe not fall out of love? The drama."