Christmastime 1944 by Linda Mahkovec

Author:Linda Mahkovec [Linda Mahkovec]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bublish, Inc.
Published: 2017-10-27T15:40:58+00:00

Chapter 9

Lillian walked out of her meeting with Mrs. Huntington feeling that her life had just changed. And yet nothing was definite. Except that she now had an appointment with the director of children’s books, to be commissioned for some illustrations! She could hardly believe it was happening. Seeds she had sown years ago had finally pushed through the earth and were feeling the warmth of the sun.

By the time their two-hour meeting had come to a close, all formalities had been dropped and the two women spoke of their children and husbands, where they had studied, and their ideas on art. Lillian hadn’t had such a stimulating conversation about painting and creativity since her year in art school.

She could hardly wait for the next meeting. She arrived home full of hope for the future.

When she opened the door, she saw that Tommy and Gabriel were setting the table.

“I forgot to put the lasagna in when we got home, so it’s only been in for about half an hour,” said Tommy. “But I turned up the oven and it’s kind of bubbling.”

Lillian took off her hat and coat and gave them each a big hug. “Mmm, I can smell it. Let’s take a look.” She opened the over door and peeked inside. “Just right. Thank you, my darlings!”

“How was it, Mom?” asked Gabriel.

“Wonderful! We had such an interesting meeting.” Lillian continued her conversation from the hallway and then the bedroom, raising her voice so they could hear her. As she changed out of her suit, she gave them the highlights, talking non-stop.

“Gosh, Mom, you’re so happy,” Tommy said when she returned to the kitchen. “Did you sell a lot of your stuff?”

Lillian smiled at his assumption and pulled out a few things from the refrigerator to make a salad. “Not yet. But it looks like I’ll be commissioned to do some illustrations.”

“Does she want you to work for her?” asked Gabriel.

“Well, this is just between us, but that is a possibility. We discussed it briefly. She has several women working part-time, and others freelancing. We’re going to start working on a commission basis and see how it goes. Just think! I might be able to work part-time and be at home more.”

“Just like Dad always wanted,” said Tommy.

Lillian had to smile at the irony. She and Charles had quarreled many times over her job. He wanted her to quit and work on her drawings at home. And she was always dead set against it. She argued that she needed to keep learning in a professional environment in order to grow. But she felt that she had learned all she could at Rockwell’s, and was ready to venture forth in a new direction.

“Yes, I think he’ll be happy. I so rarely have exciting news about work. Won’t he be surprised?” She set the salad on the table along with some bread sticks and they were soon enjoying dinner. Tommy and Gabriel talked over each other as they recounted their day and told her the latest updates on the Christmas program.

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