Julia heard her son coming home from his college class. A little too early, she thought. She was an art professor by trade, but at the moment, she was focusing on her other love-- painting. There was a nude female model in the workroom, which had become common in their suburban home.
The session had just ended and Julia stood up while the model got dressed. They made small talk about how the session went and the model saw the nude portrait for the first time, marveling at the artistry.
The model left through the living room at the same time Zack was there. They exchanged a friendly 'hello' and 'nice meeting you' while Julia opened the door so the model could leave.
When Julia closed the door, she gave her son a playfully stern look.
"Don't get any funny ideas," she said in her motherly tone. "She's a new model I'm working with. I don't want you chasing her away."
"Me? Why would I do that?"
"Because that's the kind of guy you are," she joked.
He shrugged. "As long as you're going to keep bringing hot women to our house, I can't complain."
"I'm glad you're okay with it because there will probably be a few more models stopping by."
"You're busier than usual."
"I found out this morning that my role in the upcoming art exhibition is going to be
much
bigger than before," she proudly. "I'll be given extra space to showcase my work. I already have plenty of abstract paintings, but I need more portraits. Those are usually my best sellers."
"That's great, mom. That means more money, and more women coming here?"
She raised an eyebrow. "Is that all you think about? Money and women?"
"It was a joke. I'm really happy for you."
She smiled, "Thanks. This art exhibition is the biggest I've ever been featured in. A number of prominent figures in the art community are going to attend. That's why I called that sexy young model here at the last minute."
"I've noticed. You usually don't paint women my age. You usually paint older women, no offense. So that was kind of surprising to me when I saw her."
She nodded. "With all the space I'm getting for this year's art exhibit, I've decided to expand my boundaries. I want to explore diversity. I'll be painting everyone from college students, to senior citizens, and people from different ethnic backgrounds. I'm very excited about it."
"I can tell. You look excited. It's great seeing you like this. I know you'll get the recognition you deserve."
Julia's heart warmed and she gave him a big hug, even with all the paint on her clothes.
"You're too cute for words," she said. "Now if you'll excuse me, I need to wash up."
***
It was a Saturday morning. As usual for the weekends, she relied on her son to arrange the paint and art supplies for her. It was the final nude painting she planned on doing before the art exhibition, which was only a week away.
As things were being prepared, she received an unexpected phone call; the kind that would always ruin her day.
Everything was set in her art room, and Julia had no choice but to break the news to her son.
"He's not coming," she said. "Apparently he's having second thoughts, which is understandable, but the timing couldn't be worse."
"Aren't there tons of male models?"
"I need a
young
adult. Most of the young male models who live nearby are university students. I wouldn't feel comfortable asking someone from campus to come to my house to be nude. That wouldn't exactly be great for my reputation."
"Good point," he replied. "Why don't you just get another model that's an older age? You've never had problems with that before."
"The whole point of my collection is that I'm featuring a wide array of age groups. I already have several portraits of older men."
"Does it matter? I don't think people would notice if you used an older man and painted him to look younger."
She flashed a stern look. "Yes, it does matter. Artistic integrity is important to me. My collection has a theme to it. Without the final portrait, the collection would look incomplete."
"If it's that important, then I'm sure you'll find someone soon enough."
"I hope so," she sighed. "Thank you for your help setting up my supplies. I really appreciate it."
"Don't mention it."
She smiled, "We'll leave everything here. I'll make a few phone calls and hopefully I can find someone by tomorrow."
"What's the rush? The exhibit isn't until next weekend."
"I know. But it's important for me to set everything up in the gallery as early as possible. I'll have more time to prepare my oral presentations that way. Plus I don't like rushing at the last minute. My work is better when I'm relaxed and my head is clear."
He nodded. "That makes sense."
"Thank you again for spending your Saturday morning with me. I know you could have done so many other things instead. I really appreciate it."
With that said, Julia gave him a kiss on the cheek to show her gratitude. It was a nice kiss. Her kisses were always special because they were loving. And she knew he liked them.
Seeing the smile on his face gave Julia an epiphany. Something had to be done, and since she probably couldn't get a proper replacement in time, a plan had to be devised.
In her desperate hour, she decided to go for it. What was there to lose? So she proceeded with a newfound contingency plan and prayed that it would work, no matter how crazy she knew it was.
"You see the beauty in what I'm doing, right?" she asked with an incredible degree of politeness.
"Of course I do. I think your art is great."
"Good," she smiled. "I'm glad you think so. I started painting when I was around your age. It changed my life in a wonderful way because it gave me direction. It gave me a way to express myself creatively and I fell in love with it."
"Why do I get the feeling that something is about to get weird?"
"I want
you
to pose for me," she replied sincerely.
Julia flashed the most heartfelt look she could possibly manage.
"You can't be serious, can you? You want me to pose for you?"
She nodded. "That's what I said."
"Nude?"
She nodded again. "All of the portraits have to be nude. I also realize that you don't want anyone seeing your nude portrait, so you can simply turn your head away while I paint. I'll focus mainly on your body. No one will recognize you. I promise"
"No way," he replied. "I'm sorry mom, but that's never going to happen. Why don't you just paint an imaginary person? Make it up. No one would know the difference."
Julia flashed a stern look. "That's completely out of the question. I wouldn't be a real artist if I did that, and I feel like I would be cheating whoever buys it. Besides, using a real person
always
looks better."
"How about I pose with my clothes on? Maybe I'll compromise and do it in my underwear. You can use your imagination and paint the rest."
"That won't work," she replied staunchly. "I wouldn't be true to myself as an artist. The painting must be pure, or it means nothing. I would feel like a con woman if I tried to display stuff like that."
There was no arguing with Julia on this. She was a woman who made up her mind. Her art was something she took great pride in, and that meant protecting her quality at all cost, and doing whatever it took to get the job done.
"You're really not giving me much of a choice here, mom. I mean, you realize that this is extremely awkward for me, don't you?"
She nodded. "I know this is uncomfortable. I used to be shy in college, especially when it came to my body. But I overcame it. I posed nude for my art classes a few times."
"Really? That doesn't sound like something you'd do."
"Well I did it. And I still do it privately. I let my friend paint me nude sometimes, and then I paint her nude afterwards."
Zack seemed surprised by the admission, which Julia understood.
"This is a lot different, mom. I mean, you're my mom!"
"I
know
I'm your mother," she replied playfully. "You've reminded me twice. But don't forget that the awkwardness is mutual. I wouldn't have asked if I wasn't desperate."
"You must be
really
desperate then."
"Please, I'm practically begging you. I promise that if you do this for me, I'll owe you big time. My promises are always good."
She looked at him with a sense of desperation, yet playfulness. They both knew how important this was. There wasn't any choice for her. She also knew that Zack couldn't refuse, or else she'd keep on pestering him. It was inevitable. With the look in her eyes, how could anyone refuse?
"Fine," he said. "Just this once. Don't forget that you owe me for this."
A broad smile appeared on her face and she reached over to wrap her arms around him, delivering a suffocating hug. Her lips were pressed all over his face as she kissed everywhere.
"I knew you would eventually see things my way," she replied happily. "Let's start soon. Everything is already set up."
***
There was a tense feeling in the art room.
"How do you feel?' she asked like an evil doctor.
"This is kind of scary to be honest. I feel like I have butterflies in my stomach."
"I know the feeling. Believe me. If you want my advice, just imagine that your body is the most beautiful thing on the planet, which it is. I firmly believe that each human body is an exquisite creation. So think of this as sharing your beauty with the world."
"Women are a lot more beautiful than men," he joked.
She smiled, "I think you're very handsome, as a matter-of-fact. That's part of the reason why I wanted you to do this."