Complete

A Story by Matthew Arevalo

“Hey you! Come over here.” said the old man. “Me?” I asked in reply while pointing at myself. He didn’t say anything, instead, he held his cowboy hat and nodded. I suppose that was a yes. As I went over, he scooted over the crimson bench as if I was expected to be there for a long time. Once sat on the chair, I felt the warmth of the leather and I was welcomed by a deep yet calming voice. “So tell me, what do you like about her?” asked the man. “I’m sorry, who is ‘she’ exactly?” I asked in confusion. “My daughter”. In that moment, I knew I was in trouble. Suddenly, my hands went cold, my legs felt numb and drops of sweat started to trickle down my face. As I decided to wipe away the dampness off of my face, I accidentally dropped my glasses. “It’s okay, I don’t bite." he said and then, he chuckled. I didn’t know what to say but I felt at ease after seeing how warm and genuine his smile was. “I don’t know sir, it’s something about her eyes, or the way she smiles." I said in reply. “But what about her?” he asked. I gave him nothing more than a confused look. “You have to look at the whole scenery. A painting is more than just a compilation of different parts. A tree by itself is just a tree, grass alone is just green and the sun is just a beam of light; but put them all together, and you can create magic."