Page 6 of The Heart of a Painter (As I Am 1)

The waitress returned and took our drink orders. “Oh, please. There’snothing patronizing about the truth.”

“Uh-huh. Especially howyoudeliver it.” He didn’tbother to hide his smile. “Don’tforget I’mone of the only people you talked to while in Russia. Iremember what you sound like whenever Isuggest you might be wrong about something.”

Alaugh escaped me, arare one that only came out with Zach. “Fine, fine. Imight’ve not been the most pleasant. Iregret it, but Icouldn’tstop myself the second time with her.”

Zach lowered his sunglasses and his chin, giving me athorough look. “You haven’tseen me once since you came back and you’ve seen this girl twice already? The fuck?”

After Itold him everything that happened the previous night, Zach leaned back in his chair. “It must be so hard, not having people worship at your feet even when you treat them like morons.” He downed half his beer in three large gulps. “You don’thave anything to prove; everyone knows what abigshot you are. Maybe try being alittle more…Idon’tknow, like me?”

“That’ll be the day.” Irubbed my eyes with the base of my hands. “Seriously, do Ineed to watch every fucking word Isay?”

“You don’tneed to watch every word. You could be understanding, especially if you’re going to teach students who are free to not agree with you on everything. Especially if you want to have an open dialogue with them and get back to the roots of what it was like to be acreative artist and not what you’ve been doing for the past fifteen years. And like it or not, your job title now is ateacher, not adictator.”

“Yes, no, probably,” Iretorted, preferring to drink from my wine rather than to dive deeper into what Ihad to change in myself.

“Enough with your Russian references.” He snorted. “You can sayno waylike normal people.”

The waitress came by and we ordered our food, spaghetti for me, salmon for Zach. “Besides, Ithought you were looking for inspiration, not yes-men or women.”

“Couldn’tthey be civil, at least?” Ayoung woman from the table nearby scrunched her nose at me and Iignored her. She shouldn’thave been eavesdropping if she didn’twant to get offended. “My students will have alot to learn on the work of being an artist, and I’mnot planning to make it easy. Reality isn’teasy.”

“It isn’t, but you can try to not make it stink as bad.”

“Fine.” Ireclined in my chair and viewed the lively action going on around us.

After seeing what lack of education did to an artist like the beautiful yet annoyingly stubborn girl from the speaking engagement today, Ifelt certain the teaching path Ichose was the most adequate one.