The perfect painting ( A story of OCD )

The story of a neurotic painter falling in love.

Philip has always been a weird guy. Ever since he was a little boy, he had to make a ritual every morning, it was his only way to be sure that his day would be perfect. He wore his socks first. That was very important. Socks first. The right one and then the left one. Then  trousers, which he had chosen the night before. Sweater and then shoes. If this order was changed, he was really upset. Once, his mother told him to take off his socks, because she wanted to wash them. Philip felt mentally challenged. He went to his room, took off his sweater, took off his pants and then the socks. Yes, he had a ritual to undress too. He gave the socks to his mom half naked.

 

“ I just wanted the socks” she said.

 

“ Socks come off last.”

 

It was then that his mom realized her child was “different”. Philip was a good student, but he excelled in drawing. His sketches were perfect. He spent hours in his room painting. However, he needed too much time to complete a single canvas. He spent days and days with details. The painting had to be perfect. At eighteen he was accepted at a Fine Arts School. He never let anyone touch his brushes and colours. When a co-student asked him to borrow a brush, he nearly fainted. He was not very popular at School... However, he was good looking, and lots of women were attracted to him. He once brought a girl to his apartment. Everything was irritatingly ordered. The tv set was in perfect symmetry with the table which was in perfect symmetry with the rug which was in perfect symmetry with the... The girl made the horrible mistake to move an object. She took a vase in her hands and put it in another place, totally asymetrical. Philip started feeling uncomfortable. While she was kissing him, his glance was fixed at the vase. This was his first kiss and the only thing he could remember was the damned vase. The girl took off her clothes and threw them on the floor. Philip’s gaze was between the naked girl and the mess on the floor. When he saw her breasts he finally forgot both the vase and her clothes. He touched her and felt this tremendous feeling. He didn’t care for anything at all. The girl could break  the house down and he wouldn’t give a damn. Except for his brushes. Yeah, she could burn the house down but shouldn’t  touch the brushes. And that’s what the girl did. As he was kissing her shoulders, she took a brush from his desk and put it with lust in her mouth.

 

“ Do you want to paint each other with your colours and have sex?” she asked him. Any other man would be at least aroused. Philip asked her to leave.

 

   Philip graduated from University with a very good grade, but very little experience in bed. Basically, he was still a virgin. He had started participating in exhibitions and his work was fairly popular. That’s where he met Lina. She was wearing a short red skirt and had long black hair. Her skin was pale and her eyes big and hazel. The exhibition was open to the public, still Philip was doing something rather unusual. He had brought with him his brushes and oil colours, and was adding some details to his paintings. The manager of the gallery tried to stop him, but a small crowd had gathered around him and was watching. So, he let the lunatic continue painting. Lina was watching Philip. He was so concentrated, he seemed not to give a damn about anyone, but his paintings. Lina was fascinated. “ That’s a true artist” she thought. She was studying history of art and when finally Philip stopped his work to have a drink, she introduced herself to him. He noticed her beautiful eyes and was flattered by her sweet comments. That girl had something in her voice and moves that soothed him. They went out a couple of times and had a good time. They chatted about art and seemed to have a lot in common. Philip had started to fall in love with her.

 

   It was 8:50 pm. He would meet Lina in ten minutes. He was ready to leave his house, but at the very last moment he noticed something in a painting he had just finished. He had painted a naked woman with a leaf over her face. He wasn’t sure, but he thought that the leaf was too big for the woman’s face. He tried to close the door behind him, but couldn’t leave his apartment. He went back into his house, took his brushes and colours and started to paint the leaf smaller. It was 9:10 and he had stood Lina up. He called her, told her a silly excuse, and promised to be there in twenty minutes. He was looking at his painting from different perspectives, with the light on and the light off, closing one eye, then the other, standing at the left and then at the right. He didn’t  like it. Everything seemed perfect, but there was something that he didn’t like and couldn’t understand what that was. Maybe the shadow of the leaf was too dark. He added some white paint. No, that wasn’t it. He added some green. Nothing. Red, dark green, light green, white, black. No. He hated it. But he had to go. He was thirty minutes late.

 

    Lina was waiting for him in a jazz bar where lots of artists used to hang around. He came in in a rush, trying to find good excuses. Lina’s sweet smile didn’t let him say anything. They started chatting and she was sharing with him her thoughts about art, her worries and dreams. Philip was enjoying the conversation at the beginning. But slowly the thought of the painting was intruding his mind. He was staring at Lina’s face and couldn’t hear her speak. His only thought was the leaf. How would Lina’s face look with a leaf above her face? Would her pale skin look darker? Should it only cover her eyes? Her eyes were so pretty, maybe the leaf shouldn’t cover them... and what shade should the leaf have? Dark green with a touch of yellow or....maybe red...He suddenly stood up. “ I have to go” he said to the girl. Lina looked at him with her big hazel eyes. “ But I’ll come back. No more than twenty minutes.” She looked at him a little bit perplexed, but finally smiled. Philip went out of the bar almost running, went back to the apartment. He took the brush, put some red on the leaf, made it somewhat smaller and left. He came back at the bar panting. He sat at his chair, drunk a bit of his wine and tried to say something but couldn’t find anything. Lina gave him again a big smile. She continued talking about everything and nothing, but she could see that Philip’s mind was absent. She tried to touch his hand, but at that moment, Philip stood up again and said: “No more than fifteen minutes. I promise” and left in a frantic state. He went to his apartment, took his brushes and colours, put some blue on the leaf, some white, painted it a bit smaller and... finally!It was perfect! He stared at the painting for a few minutes very satisfied with his work. He admired it and was so pleased with himself. Lina would like it too.... Lina! He was forty minutes late. He run all the way back to the bar. When he went in, he looked for her, but couldn’t find her anywhere. At that moment his phone rang. He had received an sms. From Lina: “ Dear Philip, I’m very interested in you and think you’ re a really gifted person. Still, there are limits in my patience. And you’re way beyond them. Please, don’t ever call me again.”

 

   He went out and started walking down the street. The sky was gloomy. A thought crossed his mind. “ Would it be better if I erased the leaf? I think yeah....”

Author's Note

What do you think of the tone of the story? Do you find it funny?

Reviews

[Eagle Cruagh]

This story is perfect. Do you knpw why ?
Because I just looked at the first paragraph
and could not tear my eyes away until I had
finished the last paragraph. That is what
writing perfection is. You get the reader`s
attention and you never let him wander away.
Beautifuol ! Perfection.
If Lina had aroused Phillip this way they would
be married and have kids.
Thank you ,
----- John

[Someone (Maybe)]

I certainly like the story. It's interesting. In fact, the tone almost made me nervous myself. I find it more sad then funny honestly, but that might just be me.

[Warrior]

Great story telling. This did justice in the realm of getting the message across. Great message. There's lot of times where a story can have a great message to aim for, and have a lot of under lining things but then no one gets it, and if no one gets it, then the point has failed. But in my opinion this did well to get the message across. You made it clear, which is why I think it's good. Keep up the good work. What was also great was that I could imagine the story as I read it, and that is also a strong point of stories. The ability to have the reader imagine it because after all we're reading not watching it, but it was as if I was there as I read this, and that is great. Great visuals and great story telling. It had plot and substance. When you add substance to writing it gets that much better. It gets the reader hooked on it and make them feel as if they are part of it. As long as their is that emotional connection between the reader and the story then it's good. The connection you were able to established in the writing gives the reader a sense of comfortably that they are in tune with the writing. So that way when the writing is over, the reader wants more, and wishes it didn't end.