Ten Birthdays by Kerry Wilkinson

Author:Kerry Wilkinson [Wilkinson, Kerry]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-78681-172-1
Publisher: Bookouture

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Even though it was Sunday, the pavements of Bristol were buzzing with early evening excitement. There must have been some sort of sporting event going on because groups of men were swarming around the open paved areas, singing and celebrating. In some places this might have had an edge but the atmosphere was pleasant. The men stepped aside to make way for a family on their way to or from Sunday dinner.

Poppy passed the independent bakery where she occasionally treated herself to an almond croissant, and continued across College Green, past the cathedral, until she reached the large glass doors of the Parkway Gallery. It was an impressive building, despite its smallish size. It might have once had two floors but now there was only one, with a high, echoing ceiling atop a wooden floor polished to perfection. Flawless white walls surrounded the space, with a smattering of paintings pinned evenly along them. Two inverted triangle sculptures stood in the furthest corner: one jet-black, the other a beaming white.

In the centre of the floor were two rows of chairs facing one another, each with an easel and canvas before them. Against one of the walls there was a long table, on which stood a large tea urn and piles of glistening china cups. Poppy placed her bag on one of the chairs and then helped herself to a cup of tea before joining the half-dozen people chatting at the back of the room.

She was often running late for class, arriving in a gust of air and full of apologies. Today, for once, she was early – solely because she couldn’t stand listening to Freya going on about Mark any longer. It wasn’t becoming an obsession; it was an obsession. It had got to the stage where Freya would rather believe her ex-boyfriend had gone through a breakdown than accept that he was in love with someone else.

As Poppy approached, a man opened his arms to welcome her. He was wearing a brown cord jacket with olive green elbow patches, matching trousers and a flowery shirt with a frilly collar.

‘Poppy, my love,’ he called, air-kissing beside her cheek and then shaking her hand for good measure. ‘It’s so wonderful to see you again.’

‘Good to see you, too, Derek,’ she replied.

‘Are you all set for tonight?’

‘I think so.’

‘Oooh, I know so. What is your everyday life object?’

Poppy led him back to her bag, where she pulled out a tin full of coloured pencils. Some had been worn down to a tiny, blunt stump, others were longer and sharper.

Derek seemed confused. ‘These are your tools – but what everyday object will you be drawing?’

Poppy took out a second tin of pencils, these ones brand new. ‘I got these today. I’m going to use the new ones to draw the old ones.’

A grin spread across Derek’s face. ‘Oh, that’s very smart, my girl. Out with the old, in with the new. The circle of life for an artist. And, of course, the pencils are an everyday object for you.

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