“Thank you…let’s go, Bette. We still have a long drive ahead of us,” Tina said softly, taking Bette’s hand and leading her outside.

“T, can we go and look on the back?” Bette asked quietly.

“Bette, I doubt anything is left there. They probably discarded the canvases months ago.”

“I know but I just feel like I need to go there and look…I need to be sure…I just feel…please,” Bette pleaded tearfully.

“Sure, baby…of course we can check,” Tina replied, giving Bette a brief hug.

They walked hand in hand towards the school background and looked around the garbage area. It was clean and empty. Bette’s eyes welled up again as if she was accepting her loss and she clung to Tina’s embrace, sobbing quietly into her shoulder.

“It’s okay, baby,” Tina was talking softly, running her fingers through Bette’s hair and trying to calm her down, “You can paint them again. I believe in you…don’t ever give up.”

“Can I help you, ladies?” they heard a kind voice and turning around, saw an old man in his 60’s. He just came out of the small door on the back of the building, carrying a mop and a bucket.

“Unless you’re an angel sent here to help two damsels in distress, then the answer would be – I doubt it,” Tina smiled, disengaging from Bette but still holding her hand.

“Shhh…don’t tell anyone or I’ll get in trouble with the big guy,” the old man chuckled, pointing to the sky, “I’m supposed to be only a humble janitor.”

Bette laughed softly, wiping her tears and squeezing Tina’s hand, reassuring her that she was fine…she will be fine.

The old man looked at Bette’s puffy eyes and said kindly, “I hope your troubles will go away or I would have to call on my master and ask him to protect you from any harm. You’re both so beautiful and if I could have ever learned to paint, I would immortalize you both for centuries to come. Alas…” he smiled, “All I can do is to admire the beauty, even when it’s unfinished.”

He turned around and started to walk back towards the door when Bette exclaimed loudly as if she had an epiphany, “Wait. Excuse me…what did you just say?”

Tina was holding her breath for the reason unknown even to her when the old man turned around and said, “Oh…I’m sorry if I offended you, ladies. All I meant is that you both are such exquisite women, worthy of a masterpiece…and believe me…I’ve lived long enough to know what an exquisite woman is…”

“No, you didn’t offend us,” Bette interrupted quickly, “Thank you…it’s really flattering…” she smiled friendly. “What did you mean by unfinished beauty?”

TBC…