Chapter 5 The Art Class

• “Aren’t you interested in going back to the company?”
• Henry’s question kept ringing in her head. Their meeting over three hours ago wasn’t enough to remove its effects. Her heart wavered, along with a strong desire to return to her company.
• Could she still call it hers?
• In the past, she was an employee there. But then, she decided to quit when disappointment hit her, and she couldn’t take it anymore. Even now, the feeling was still there. It also stopped her from entering her company’s territory, not even an inch.
• “But I don’t think I’m capable of being there anymore.”
• That was another reason she gave to Henry. Yes, she felt she didn’t deserve to work there anymore. There was something about her that still needed time to heal. Maybe, for a long time. Or perhaps for a short time. She had no idea. She didn’t know the answer for sure because, in truth, Elle was also waiting.
• There was a time in her life that was missing. The terrible accident she experienced three years ago left her in a coma for days and erased some of her memories.
• One year? Two years? Three years? She wasn’t sure how much of her life was missing. What was clear, she could remember her entire life in London to the time when her disappointment was at its maximum. She remembered leaving the company and her mother in a furious state.
• After that, everything was a blur. Elle even doubted the erased time ever existed. If it wasn’t for the reality that hit her hard, she might have believed that she was twenty-seven years old instead of thirty-three. And what shocked her even more, she also forgot the fact that her mother had died.
• Elle was not a child anymore. But losing the person who gave birth and cared for her from infancy to adulthood impacted her unstable mind. As a result, she had to stay longer in the hospital because of her unsafe physical and mental condition. Those were her darkest times when she was completely confused over everything. Barely everything.
• Fortunately, she was able to recover. Determining to find out her lost lifespan and move on with her life, she continued to live her day, despite the emptiness she felt. Her heart felt that something was missing. But she couldn’t find that thing yet.
• “Elle, are you listening to me?”
• The shrill voice of a young child entered her ears and managed to break all her thoughts. She had so much fun thinking about her past that she forgot she was in the middle of class.
• “I’m sorry, Cassie. What did you say?” Elle asked as she walked towards a little girl sitting close to her.
• “Is it okay if I use this color for the sky?” Cassie asked with a finger pointing at purple among the various colors on her desk.
• “Of course. The purple sky must be beautiful.” Just like what Sandra did to her, Elle also supported whatever form of creativity she had.
• That was what she meant by helping Sandra with the other class. She became Sandra’s assistant in the children’s class in the afternoon. She helped Sandra prepare the equipment the children needed and walked around to monitor their work during class.
• She enjoyed the job. She did love children and enjoyed interacting with them. So Elle deliberately offered herself to Sandra. And fortunately, she accepted her happily.
• “What if I color the clouds using red?” Cassie asked again.
• Elle muttered under her breath, looking thoughtful. “What do you think? Will it look good?” she replied by giving Cassie another question.
• “Yes,” Cassie replied confidently.
• “Then, let’s use red for the clouds.”
• One thing she learned while being Sandra’s assistant in the children’s class. Neither Elle nor Sandra could limit or stop their imagination. Perhaps their ideas sounded strange. But who knew a unique and artistic painting would develop from there? The innocence and simplicity of children’s thinking might bring up ideas that adults never thought of.
• Who knew?
• --
• Elle opened the door as soon as the class was over. One by one, the children began to walk out of the room with her accompanying their steps. Her duty was to follow them and ensure they were picked up by their family or someone their family knew well. The children were in the age range of six to ten years old, and it was already night. So she, the staff, and the teachers put their safety first. It also concerned the reputation of the school.
• “Bye, Elle,” Cassie said farewell when her mother took her little hand to take her home.
• “Bye, Cassie. See you on Saturday,” Elle replied while waving her hand and a smile on her lips.
• Then, her eyes caught someone familiar to her standing close to Cassie and her mother. Elle immediately approached the middle-aged man standing side by side with her granddaughter. “Hi, Frank,” she greeted as she walked up towards them. She also gave a brief hug to him. “You’re being a nanny, huh?” She joked because she saw him pick up Lisa, his granddaughter, something he only did when one of Lisa’s parents couldn’t come to pick her up.
• “Yes. Her mother is on the night shift while her father is out of town for business. So tonight, she will sleep at our house.”
• “Is Eddie there too?” Eddie is Frank’s second grandson and Lisa’s younger brother.
• “Of course. He’s at home with his grandmother.”
• Elle nodded in understanding. Yes, it was what happened when you had children, especially young ones. Whose parent would have the heart to leave them alone at home? It was too dangerous and better to leave them to family or closest friends to look after them rather than worry about their safety while being left alone at home. Agree?
• “How is Agnes doing?”
• “She’s good. When I’m leaving home, she’s preparing our dinner. Do you want to join us?” Frank offered.
• Elle smiled awkwardly. Not that she didn’t like the idea—she had visited Frank many times and dined with the rest of his family—but she didn’t want to go anywhere. There was another work Elle had to do after getting home. “Thanks, but maybe next time,” she declined.
• “Okay. You can come at any time,” Frank said, choosing not to force his will. “Then how are you? Bri said, you rarely visited her. You’re fine, aren’t you?” He asked at length.
• Elle chuckled at the worry in Frank’s tone. Oh, she hadn’t told that Frank and his family were also the closest people to hers. Frank’s profession as a doctor made him the first person to be asked for help or an explanation regarding health problems. His two daughters were also following his way, one a nurse and the other, Brigitta, a doctor who was also her psychiatrist.
• “I’m good, Frank. My sleep problems have been better, although they often recur. But, it has been better than before. You must have heard the report from Bri,” Elle assumed at the end of her sentence. She was sure of it. The closeness of their family probably made Frank want to know about her health condition. Nothing wrong with that. She appreciated their concern.
• “That’s because I was worried about you. Also, you haven’t consulted with Bri in a long time.”
• “That means I’m fine,” Elle interrupted quickly. She tried to calm Frank down with her words. Well, honestly, the intention to visit Brigitta had arisen. She did it regularly, although with less intensity than before. It was related to the condition of her partial amnesia.
• “Now, you’d better go home. It seems that Lisa can’t wait any longer to get home.” She spoke as she realized Lisa had been standing quietly next to Frank. Even though the seven-year-old girl didn’t say a thing, her face showed her desire to go home soon.
• “Then we’ll be going,” Frank said to Elle. “Lisa, say goodbye to Elle.” This time, he said to his granddaughter.
• “Bye, Elle.” The little girl’s voice sounded low.
• “Bye, Lisa, Frank. Be safe.”
• And Elle ushered them off with a smile. Next, it was her turn to go home after finishing her duties of cleaning up the class.