Two, no… three weeks have since passed… It's grown colder, the sun shorter, the world mirrored his muted clouds of sorrow. The nights he'd spend holding her hand felt fleeting, the arduous times of day were long, but nothing compared to the hollow darkness of forcing one's eyes to a close… though even then, his composure drowns in monstrosities and painful fear.
Regardless he operates as though his routine were the only sense of order left in what seemed to be his shell of a life… the chores, exercise, the neighborhood, part time gigs, waiting, drawing, cleaning, her, and sleep…
There was more to this… what, what was he supposed to do again? They haven't paid?... Who? He'd rattle his head. Lost.
"Hey there!" Among the people within the marketplace, someone yells.
'What was… I was mad.' He thought
"Hoi! Hoi! Hoi! Macho man?" The same voice cheered.
"I was livid… What for…?" Norman mumbled to himself.
"Livid?! We've never met?" The same person who once yelled, their voice now as clear as summer days.
"Huh…"
…
"...?"
"Do you want a portrait lady?"
"No? …wait… if it makes you feel any better then sure!"
"It'll be 20."
"Wow that's expensive, oh well, here's to an investment!" The woman would pull out her wallet, she held this air of ferocity and cunning posture.
"Investment?" He was confused.
"You're Simone right?"
"Hmmm… I wonder." Playing dumb, the man would grab his stencils.
She sat in the empty chair "Now, now, don't be so cold! I was looking for this neighborhood's hard worker! You see, I own this bar downtown… it's gotten more popular as of late, but…"
"..."
"People get tipsy, and… there are more of them than we can handle… so."
"..."
"I've been on the lookout for anybody who could keep an eye on the place, you don't have to do much, just standby for any ruckus. Fridays and Saturdays, nights and noons, saves me from hiring official guards, perfect for people looking for a quick buck." She'd gesture in question "Whatcha say?"
…
One thing he knew,
If even gran was uncertain about Diana…
To lose those fleeting moments of bliss, knowing his wife still lived, still breathed… After an exhausting day, it meant more than any simple opportunity.
He'd finish the drawing and hand it to the woman
"Like it?"
She was pleasantly surprised
"Not terrible..."
'Maybe… if not, oh wait!'
"Then how about this, a mural! My daughter had this idea to paint out front" The lady would swiftly show him an image on her phone, a bar with a sort of woodland ascetic, unique under these urban circumstances, though this was only true for about the first half of the building
"There, this part here, with a design like this!" She'd point out the concrete wall that stood plain next to the open air bar, in addition she'd quickly scroll through several photos of designs recommended by her daughter "My girl's idea is splendid! I just need someone to bring it to life! Whatcha say? Can you do it? Have you used paint before?!"
"Cut a man some slack, Miss desperate."
A fruit seller the stall over couldn't help but comment at her obnoxious attitude, peeling the sample-to-taste he held in his hand with a paring knife.
"I am actually in the middle of negotiating with the said man, you seem so~ obligated to express your opinion? Why go ahead!"
Their exchange gave an eventful charm to the day. Apart from the sudden request, maybe this might be a call to do something different, as it did fit perfectly with what he had now…
"Sure" The bickering between both the bar owner and fruit seller came to a stop.
"You serious brother?" He seemed but a little concerned if anything.
"I guess so, it's a personal thing, don't think much of it."
"See that! I told you he'd come around!"
"You real sure?"
"Yep"
The men's conversation continued despite her qualms of self proclaimed triumph, ignoring her fully.
"Learn to listen!" She'd sneer "I'll type out the address and pay one thousand five hundred for the whole thing, use the colors red, black, green, and white, same as in the references"
Holding out her hand she'd wait
He had a puzzled look on his face
"Your phone?" She asked, though it seemed more like a demand.
"Don't have one"
The fruit seller would laugh, nicking himself in the process, he'd put down the paring knife to hold the fruit with his other hand, hoping not to bloody the food.
"Haha! My bad, my bad"
Norman found it amusing
The woman on the other hand found it frustrating, about to berate him, when that train of thought would be broken…
"The address here, the details you want for the mural too"
he searches, and pulls out a crumpled receipt from jacket, flattening it out "Write it on the back… as for the image of the wall and designs, send it through this" He wrote down on one half, the email that connected to a laptop he and his wife used for occasional online transactions.
He tore the receipt in two, prompting the woman to write the mural's details on the empty half.
Eventually, he took her specifications, and she went off with the email… It was about time he went ahead and cleaned the clinic… of course, not before bidding farewell to the man of the fruit stall. Last thing he heard from the woman was
"Okay then, well… you look terrible, umm try to.. Freshen up?, meet me tomorrow at around morning… I'll tell you more then."
Noon had come and gone. The plan started the moment he got home. It gave him an excuse not to sleep. He couldn't sleep, Diana… he couldn't go a moment without thinking of diana… at least when he drew, he needed to focus… on something else? Either way the bar owner sent everything he needed… he had to make a design and map out a grid. Last he did this, preparation wasn't a big thing in his book. The least he could do now, was correct that… Norman knew he wasn't good at complex designs, thankfully the client wasn't looking for any of the sort, though he did have a steady hand and that just might cut it.
He'd send the sketch… but isn't it midnight-?
An instant reply: approval
Well that's settled
In the morning, he'd take the bus and ride downtown.
Early, he prepared all he needed.
The place wasn't lively, but what could one expect from the dawn of morning.
She met him out front
"I'm usually out of the district by 6 and back by 6, My daughter manages the place, you can ask her any questions and as for your payment, it's at the back of the counter, ask it from her, I'll give you a week to finish the thing…" She'd sigh "It's been a long time since I've been able to help her out like this… so do it right."
"Alright, I'll have it done… don't you worry! random bar owner I met on the streets. " He'd say bluntly.
"It's Katherine" prompt as ever.