Kiss of Life

Chapter thirty-eight: Leigh (part two)

*Leigh*

I do my best to paint the picture of Dan at his drums.

I've painted my mom from a picture, so this shouldn't be hard. It's only a little bit because it's not a portrait like I did of my mom. And Beth.

With my mom, I used the last picture we took of her when she was relatively healthy. She wanted us to take it and remember her that way, not nearer to the end of her life. Even though she was technically sick in the picture, it hadn't really hit her body yet.

I've been wanting to paint something for Dan for a while, I just didn't know what to paint for awhile. I thought it would be a little weird to give him a picture of just himself, so I thought this was a good compromise. Maybe he could even hang this up in his basement near his drums, who knows. He might want it in his room though. Or, I hope so. I hope he likes it enough to display it somewhere he'll see it often.

I gave Beth hers, and she loved it because it symbolized that night we chopped her hair off, along with her leaving her bad memories behind in her other life, and this was her new life where she could officially move on from it and live her life and be happy.

I was so happy for her that night, and she cried when I gave her the painting to keep. I did take a picture though for a possible near future portfolio. And I also took a picture of her with it, for her, and for me. It'll always be a very nice and special moment we share as best friends.

I painted Dan's a few times. I don't know why. I just wanted it to be really good. My dad told me the other two were fine. But sometimes I can be a kind of perfectionist, thanks to my dad, and the third one I painted ended up being the one for me. It was just, different than the others. It didn't bother my slightly perfectionist brain, and simply, I felt happy with it when looking at it. And I smiled at it big when I was finally done, so excited for Dan to see it.

We have a birthday friend thing for Dan, at his favorite Mexican restaurant. Then after, we go back to my house for dessert and cards/presents. My dad even got him a birthday card, which makes me feel good. He likes Dan.

Me and Beth got him a cupcake, because we knew that he was going to have cake with his family later in the night. It's a big cupcake though. Vanilla cake and vanilla frosting. Almost as big as Dan's face.

"Close your eyes!" I say when he sits at the table.

He laughs, "Oh no, why?"

"Shush you, just close your eyes" I laugh, he does after laughing, and I go into the kitchen. Beth laughs at us, as she usually does, and comes to help me, grabbing a candle and a lighter for me.

I put it down in front of him on a little paper plate, the cupcake taking up almost all of the plate, and I put the one candle in it. Beth lights it and we smile at what we've done for our friend, something small, but special.