Sue Carrington knocked on the door before turning the key and opening it. Peeking through the opening she yelled a "hallo", before returning the key to the key-safe and locking it. Entering she called again, before pulling on her blue latex gloves. She slowly walked into the lounge and saw the huddled figure of Rowan Pilkington in his chair, she moved towards him, not sure whether he was breathing or not. Carefully she touched his neck, feeling for his pulse. Finding it strong and regular she realised he was just sleeping, although his chest barely moved.
He was dressed in an old but clean short sleeved shirt, trousers and socks, but no slippers or shoes. He was tall but rakishly thin and clean shaven. His hair was clean, short and parted to the left. Hard to believe the man was nearly seventy, he'd pass for mid to late fifties easily. His long eyelashes fluttered and he woke, starting slightly as he focused on Sue's face.
"Sorry Mr. Pilkington, I didn't mean to startle you, I'm Sue, and I'm here from the Agency to help you today."
He nodded and sat straighter in the chair,
"That's OK Sue; sorry I must have dropped off, silly old fool that I am."
"No you're fine, just tell me what needs doing and I'll make a start."
"Well I've got most things done, but I'm struggling with getting the vacuum cleaner upstairs, if you could do that I'd be obliged."
"Do you want me to make a start and do some of it, I'm timed for a half hour with you?"
"No that's perfectly OK," he replied, "I prefer to do it myself, it gives me a bit of exercise, it's just the dead weight of it that defeats me," he said.
His voice was deep and rumbling, seeming to come from way down in his boots. Sue felt a primeval chill; it was a compelling and affecting tone. He had an easy smile and suddenly there was a wink and a sparkle in his eyes. Sue wondered why the others had asked not to be assigned to him. They said he was difficult, strange, creepy, eerie and just plain weird. Sue nodded and asked where he kept his cleaner. After finding it she moved it upstairs. On the upstairs landing were four doors, one of which was open and she could see it was the bathroom.
She heard him coming upstairs behind her; he appeared at the top, a little breathless, but a better colour than when she arrived. She smiled and stepped back from his path and he walked over to the machine and wheeled it towards a door. She followed, not really meaning to intrude, but intrigued what kind of decoration would it have?
"This is my studio, I like to paint. When I retired, my hobby became my life, used to drive my wife mad." He grinned and opened the door.
Sue followed him in, by her standards it was a large bedroom, about nineteen feet by nineteen feet. The window was a single double glassed pane, about fourteen feet wide and about eight high, the window looked out to the south and today the sun streamed in. Along the walls paintings hung or were stacked against the walls. Some were propped up on the stacks. There were probably over a hundred canvases.
She saw with a slight alarm that a lot were nudes, women mostly. "Good God!" she started, there was her supervisor Ellie, wow that must have been painted over three or so years ago. Seven or eight larger pictures occupied one wall. They were again all nudes, charting a woman from her late twenties to her late sixties probably. Beautifully painted and showing the woman gracefully ageing.
"My dear wife, she died eight years ago, I miss her so much, but, she was in so much pain at the end, it was a blessed relief for her when she passed. No more pain, no more agony, dreading each day."
"I'm so sorry Mr. Pilkington, gosh she was incredibly beautiful."
"Wasn't she just, a Lady in all respects. She kept me on the straight and narrow." He laughed and bent to plug the vacuum in.
Sue watched him move it around the polished wooden floor, carefully avoiding contact with the canvases. Sue dodged as he swept round; grinning as he studiously avoided her and the stack of canvases she stood by. Soon he had finished and unplugging it he wheeled the machine onto the landing before coming back in.
"I would do more, painting that is, but I'm afraid I'm running out of models."
"Oh really, do you arrange this with an art club or what."
"Recently two of your colleagues were happy to oblige, although they both insisted on taking the finished articles with them. I don't suppose..." He let the sentence drift away, whilst looking at her wistfully.
"Who? Me? I don't think so; I'm not really the model type am I?" Sue looked down at herself. She was forty five, the mother of four boys and rake thin. Her job helped her burn off more calories than she could eat in a day, and she barely had time to eat anyway. She looked up and was aware of Pilkington appraising her. "Hang on, don't you get all painterly with me Mr. Pilkington, I'm not prepared to take my clothes off in public, so it's not going to happen."
He laughed and murmured "pity", under his breath. Looking up at her he ran his hand over his chin. "You know I can pretty much guess what you look like under that absurd uniform anyway, so I could go ahead and do it from memory and guestimation, but I really would like you to do it for me because you want to. Why not think about it."
"I have and I won't, I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be coming back, Mr Pilkington, this is all very irregular." Sue was about to leave, when she caught sight of Ellie's portrait again. Yes she was nude, but it was the face that drew you in, she looked loved and respected and sure of her self.
"She was a very beautiful lady, I miss her sitting for me, and she had such ambition and hope. Where is she now, do you know?"
"She's my supervisor; she works in the office at Kingston." Sue replied.
"Then why don't you speak to her and see what she says." Rowan Pilkington replied grinning.
"Perhaps I will, Mr. Pilkington, Perhaps I will." Sue replied, before clattering downstairs. "I have another client now, goodbye."
"Oh not goodbye, surely au revoir, til we meet again," he said laughing from the head of the stairs.
Flustered, Sue fled and the rest of her day was a blur. As she finished and phoned in to clear her last visit, she thought of Ellie. "Is Ellie there?" she asked Rose the secretary.
"Ellie's off today Sue, can I leave a message?" Rose asked helpfully.
"No it's okay; I'll catch up with her in the morning." Sue rang off and putting her mini into gear drove away towards home. She arrived at her empty house and made herself a cup of tea, sitting down she put her feet up. She'd kicked her shoes off at the door, wedging them under the radiator in the hall. Her coat had been hung on the hook in the hall with her others. Settling down she sipped at her tea. Suddenly remembering Rowan Pilkington she smiled. Just then the phone rang and Sue was surprised to hear Ellie's voice in her ear.
"Hello pet thought I'd phone as I know Rowan was on your list. How did you find him?" She could hear the smile in Ellie's voice.
"A bit, err, different, strange."
"Umm, did he mention he paints?" Sue heard the inflection change,
"Yes. He showed me his studio, interesting hobby." Sue waited.
