Post 11 – Texting with Seth
A few weeks after my surgery, Seth began sending me text messages. Anytime he saw an interesting work of art, a painting or sculpture, he took a picture and sent it to me. He asked what I thought of the art and we briefly critiqued it. I felt excited to be talking about art again! The last time I had real discussions about art was in my art classes at University. Those days were long gone and I missed them terribly.
One day Seth sent me a picture of a painting that was rather disturbing. It was dark, with ominous figures that transmitted an unsettling feeling. I won’t go further into details because it was really creepy.
In that moment I thought: “Ok, I don’t really know this guy! Not very well anyway! What if he has mental issues? If he likes that painting, that’s a clear sign that there is something wrong with him…I probably shouldn’t interact with him anymore.”
It may sound a little radical but sometimes people do things or say things that just don’t sit well with me. My senses send me a signal saying:
“That’s not normal! Stay away from that person!”
I sent Seth a text back asking why he sent such an eerie picture.
He replied: ” I thought it would be a good conversation piece. It’s really weird!”
I was happy to hear that he also found the work of art to be unnerving. We texted back and forth trying to figure out the message in the painting. We both agreed that the artist must have issues. It was a typical example of an artist dealing with internal conflict. The conversation restored my faith in Seth. He was normal again!
A couple more weeks passed and Seth started texting more frequently. He was usually the one initiating contact. In time, the topic of conversation broadened beyond art. He talked about his cottage, and his outings with friends. Then, he texted me about the day he helped his friend move. He even sent me a picture of him and his friends moving boxes and furniture.
I found it a bit odd that he would send me such a photo. Maybe he wanted to show me how strong he was? I don’t know… Maybe he was one of those people, who takes pictures of uninteresting things and posts them on social media.
Whatever the reason, I was at home recovering from my surgery and didn’t have much to do, so his texts were a good distraction.
One day Seth sent a text suggesting I go over to his house to paint. Physically I wasn’t quite ready to leave the house yet, but in a few weeks I should be back to my regular activities.
Seth and I were texting on a regular basis. The conversation between us flowed so easily that I wanted more.
I was alone most days and feeling lonelier with each moment that passed. Myles worked, kids were in school, and in the evenings, everyone was tired from the day. No intimate discussions were happening at home and I yearned for a real connection, especially at the creative level.
I needed something to look forward to, and a painting session with another artist was the perfect antidote. I accepted Seth’s invitation. We planned to meet at his house in a couple of weeks.