Canvas

Friday’s are my favorite. It is the beginning of the weekend and she always puts on a show. I watch her for several hours all snuggled up under a bunch of blankets before that annoying alarm blares and disturbs her from her blissful slumber. Her roommate comes in with a cup of coffee and a beautiful smile. The sound of their soft morning laughter reverberates through the room. It’s too early for them to be this energetic. After her morning routine she leaves for a while. I hear the creaking of the stairs and her energetic voice coming back before I see her. This time she brought two friends. One sits close on the soft bright rug, the other in the bean bag chair. She sits on the edge of the bed near the window. They talk over the booming French rap coming from the speaker and the room fills with the fresh scent of lavender. She takes her journal from the window and replies to her neighbor, Taylor Swift, You Belong With Me style. The room sparkles with rainbows reflecting from the sun, bouncing off the crystal that hangs across the room. I love it here. Her roommate returns from wherever she has been and all of a sudden the music changes to the soft, yet upbeat melody of early 2000’s music. Everyone is having a hoot as they sing and dance to Put Your Records On. Well, everyone except the guy brooding in the bean bag chair. Wait, is that a smile I just saw from him? Okay here he goes, he’s bobbing his head.

That’s what I love about these girls. I’ve seen them at their best, and most definitely at their worst. But they are always there to comfort each other and they can make absolutely anyone smile. After a while they guys leave and the roommates bring dinner to the room and watch an episode of Criminal Minds. That’s my favorite! But, ever since she moved the TV back, I haven’t been able to get a good view. Maybe, next time she scrapbooks, she will turn it again! The girls do facemasks tonight, and like I always do, I pretend I am doing a facemask with them. There is a calming, homey, lull in the room. The same room that was shining of bright colors and joyous laughter just hours ago is now a zen, relaxing comfort zone for the girls. Once again, the gentle scent of cool lavender creeps into my nose.

In the morning, the roommate quietly sneaks out without a sound. Meanwhile, I watch her cocoon herself in the massive amount of blankets on the bed. Damn I wish I had one. It is freezing in here and all I’ve got is a tank top. Saturday’s are fun because everything gets cleaned. She vacuums and fixes up the study area. She makes the bed and stacks the squishmallows in a pyramid in the corner. My favorite part is when she comes over and cleanses our crystals. They’re hers, but I like to pretend we share them because she chose to hang them on my wall.

Author's Note: This short story was written in the point of view of this painting on my wall purchased from my extremely talented friend and local artist Grace Forberg. You can see more of her art on her instagram page @gracegillian.art