Welcome to part four.
I googled the Van Gogh mentioned in part three and was surprised to find out that the painting was deemed a forgery just a couple of years ago. According to art experts, it was painted some fifty years after Vincent Van Gogh's death. What a bummer for the people who owned it.
The encounter with the Japanese couple, Kira and Emiko from Tokyo was a heavily documented event on the flash drive. For some reason, lots of people were very interested on what went on in that hotel room. Almost everyone in the room had been interviewed by more than one source. The only point of view missing was Gwen's and I had to construct her actions from what the other three had said. See you in part five.
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Chapter 25 The First Three
As the semester rolled on, I started spending more time with Matthew Anderson and Paul Gleason. Even, Hawk developed a friendship with the pair. For the guys, it started with their mutual interest in pro football. Hawk is a Chargers fan, Matt likes the Browns, and Paul the Jets. I have a small affection for the 49ers because of my dad, but generally football bores me to tears. As an artist and feminist, I view all organized male sports as misogynistic wastes of money that could and should be spent on anything else. Because of my anti sports views, I'm excluded from participating in the conversation. Men sure waste a time of time talking about sports.
Midterms arrived and it swept over campus like a dark cloud of locus. During a tiny lull in the madness, Matt, Hawk, Paul and I sat at Mama Rosa's, a popular off campus hangout that served cheap pitchers of beer, watered down shots, and the most awesome hot sandwiches on the island.
"Dude? Can you help me with a research grant proposal?" Hawk asked Matt, as he refilled his mug with beer.
"You're asking for help with that thing?" I asked mildly surprised. Hawk rarely asking for help with anything. "He asked me to read it and it was too boring to get through," I said to Matt.
"That's why I'm asking for help. I need an art major to understand it." Hawk said.
I slapped him on the arm for the jibe.
"You got it with you?" Matt asked.
Hawk seemed surprised at Matt's immediate request. He dug through his book bag and handed the paper to Matt. Right there at the table, Matt started reading the proposal.
Paul drained the last of his beer and stood up, "Unlike you geniuses, I gotta go study. Kleckner's art history is kicking my ass."
"I mistook a Georges Braque for a Picasso on one of his slide tests," I said. "Wrong or not write all you know. He'll give you points for that."
Paul gave a thumbs up and left.
Five minutes later Matt looked up from reading Hawk's document. "It's a little stodgy," he said.
"See, I told you it was boring," I said.
"Shut up." Hawk said affectionately. "Can you help me fix this?"
I blinked in astonishment; Hawk was almost pleading for help. Envy and admiration enveloped me as I looked at Matt. This twenty-year-old grunge reject was able to get through Hawk's thick defenses faster and deeper than I had.
"I can squeeze you in between hot dates tomorrow night," Matt said.
End of term fatigue shortened the night the rest of us too. Matt walked back to the dorms and Hawk gave me a ride back to Waikiki in his Bronco. He parked in front of my building to let me out. I leaned in and kissed his warm mouth. It didn't take long for the kiss to arouse him, it never took much to get him going. I loved that about him.
"Tomorrow's your birthday we should celebrate," I said.
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I showed up at Hawk's room at around seven in the evening totting a large canvas wrapped in brown craft paper. With a dramatic flair, I tore the paper away to reveal 'Damaged but Likable' the newly titled nude inspired by 'Shelly's New Dance.'
"Holly shit!" Hawk barked, his mind totally blown. He took down the framed painting of the Ka'a'awa shore I had given him a while back and hung the unframed canvas in its place. He slipped behind me with his arm around me shoulders and we stood looking at the painting.
"Awesome," he said.
"I think so too."
Hawk spun me in his arms, hugged and kissed me deeply, his erection a conspicuously twitching between us. The kiss ended and he spun me back around, cuddled behind me too admired my painting some more.
"Is the boner against my ass for me or the painting?" I asked.
"Yes," he said.
I laughed at his vague answer. "I wanna bring Matt in tonight," I said.
"I thought after the Kokuras you got it all out of your system?" he said.
We looked at my painting for a long time and then I said, "If you don't want me to do this just tell me."
Another lengthy silence fell as I waited for his answer. Finally he spoke.
"How are you going to do it?"
Relieved and pleased that he was still on board, I said, "I have no idea. This would be easier if you and he weren't such good buddies all of a sudden."
"You could call this off too you know?" he said.
"Maybe I will, but I think you just wanna get your stupid proposal shored up."
He laughed. "I'm busted."
I slipped out of Hawk's arms and stood at the full length mirror on the back of his room door and applied some makeup and then popped in my contacts. In the mirror, I watched Hawk watching me. I knew that he had done this watching thing with Betty too. What else did he do with her? I wondered.
I turned to look at Hawk and took note of the erection in his board shorts. Normally I'd be all over that, but tonight I flopped onto the bed under my painting to read a book. Hawk found a journal and lay on the opposite bed to read too. A little after eight, Matt arrived. His eyes went right to the painting.
"Oh my god that's you! It's fantastic!"
"Thanks, I was the model, but the painting is based on someone else." I said turning my neck to look at the painting too. "I just delivered it. Not my usual subject matter. I did it for birthday boy."
"Best painting she ever done," Hawk said sounding like he meant it.
Matt nodded blankly with his eyes on my naked body. I smiled for that was the exact effect I was hoping for.
Matt blinked himself back into the room. His eyes fell on me sprawled under the painting. He blushed, realizing he had been gawking at my nude a bit too long.
"Happy birthday. I spent every cent I had on you," Matt said and handed Hawk a square object crudely wrapped in brown paper. Hawk pulled it apart to discover a cold twelve pack of Moose Heads.
"Dude!" Hawk said and distributed beers to all, and then put the rest away in the tiny fridge under his desk. We toasted Hawk's birthday and my painting.
"Is it titled?" Matt asked.
"Damaged But Likeable," I said.
"You said It's based on someone you know?" Matt asked.
"I didn't know her well at first," I said thinking of Shelly from the short story by Lostindavoid, "but I think I know her better now." Jade Tama's comment from her facebook page bobbed in my head, The chick is fucked up, but if you knew her like I do she's actually quite likeable.
Matt noticed my appearance for the first time. Along with the makeup I wore a simple form-flattering top and my best fuck me jeans. The term fuck me jeans was coined by my friend Misty. The theory was that everybody owned a pair of jeans that makes them feel sexy and desirable. Whether you look sexy and desirable wasn't the point, feeling sexy and desirable was what counted.
I gave Matt a blatant alluring look, or at least what I hoped was a blatant alluring look. His eyes widened then he quickly looked away and focused on unpacked his backpack. I wasn't sure if that was a good or bad thing.
For the next two hours, the guys hacked away at Hawk's proposal and every time Matt looked at me, I made sure I was looking back. He also gave my naked portrait some serious eye time too.
"I'm hungry let's order pizza," I declared.
"I'm sick of pizza," Hawk said rubbing his eyes. "I'll go out and get sandwiches or burgers, anything but pizza."
We settled on saimin from a local noodle shop and Hawk was drafted to pick up the food.
"You okay?" Matt asked after Hawk left. He sat on the opposite bed from me.