Juliana – Chapter 29 The Devil’s Workshop

Time in Willow Creek: 8 months

An idle mind is the devil’s workshop. That’s what Harriett always told Hillary when she complained about boredom. Lately, she had been very bored. She had nothing going for her. No job. No relationship. No hobbies. No passion. Less Juliana. She avoided hanging with Jase because she didn’t want to make up lies for why it didn’t work out with Jesse. She also didn’t want to see the glimmer of hope that would gleam from his eyes when he discovered she was still single. When Hillary was bored, she didn’t make smart decisions. Many of those less-than-stellar decisions landed her back at Don’s house.

She wasn’t proud of it, but the temporary thrills took the edge off for a short time. Other not-so-intelligent choices she made included trying to make her visits with him more than what they were. Sometimes, she would come over and want to talk. He clearly wasn’t the talking kind, so she’d toy with him and make him work for he was after. Don liked the challenge and accepted it for a little while. He thought it was cute. She was interesting to him. On one hand, she was a playful, naive good girl, but on the other hand the darkness in her brought out a sassy temptress who was beginning to drive him crazy. One time, he actually called her. A couple of times, he told her she could stay over. However, Hillary being not as intelligent when she was bored began to see what she wanted to see and actually thought she was intenerating his heart. Needless to say, she began to sabotage the so-called progress she had made. She wanted to cuddle more and screw less. Then she tried to convince him to go out with her. Inevitably, the whole “let’s be a couple” routine got old, and it irritated him.

He regretted giving her a longer leash and returned it to its original position. He reminded her of who he was and what the rules were. No more talking. No more staying over. Absolutely no cuddling. She knew things had gotten too good to be true, but she was just so dang bored and lonely. At least she knew for sure mixing a little fantasy in with reality didn’t work.

Juliana’s life, on the other hand, was progressing swimmingly. One night, about a month after she advised Kevin to get back into painting, she found him doing just that when she returned from the bathroom.

She wasn’t the type to make a big deal out of anything, so she simply smiled at him and went back to her own easel. He smiled back and was glad she didn’t say anything; he wanted to speak with her after they were done anyway. Similarly to what occurred on Juliana’s first day, everyone gathered around Kevin’s easel to admire his work. They were all so proud of him even though they didn’t know why. After seeing him being plagued by some unspoken ailment and then watching him paint so energetically, they knew he had overcome something and were glad to witness it. More importantly, they were glad he finally decided to become one of them. Paul asked him what the inspiration was behind his piece. Kevin stole a quick glance at Juliana and said, “Friendship.”

The art club didn’t have a set schedule. They began around 6:00 and went until there was no inspiration left. Sometimes they dispersed very late. That particular night was an early night. After Kevin’s touching moment, everyone felt it was a great way to end their time together. As Juliana and Kevin were leaving the museum, he pulled her aside.

“Can we talk?”

She nodded.

He lead her out the backdoor of the museum. There was a beautiful courtyard which contained statues and water features. The stone walkway was lined with beautiful flowers and lights. It was a perfect extension of the museum. They sat on a bench and enjoyed the space for a bit. It was a mild day, and a cool breeze blew as the sun began its slow descent. The museum was located on the outskirts of downtown Windenburg, but it was so peaceful and quiet. Juliana enjoyed the moment—especially with one of her favorite friends sitting next to her.

Kevin found the moment to be cleansing as well. Juliana didn’t say much when they conversed, but her ears were always open for him. And, when she did speak, she said powerful things. He appreciated every moment they had together. Although he wasn’t ready to divulge the entire story, she deserved to know what she did for him.

“You’re probably wondering happened.”

She didn’t reply, but she was listening and waiting.

“After we spoke last month, I decided to take your advice. It was…hard. To be honest, I cried a lot, heh.” He smiled bashfully and looked away.

She thought it was adorable that he would be embarrassed about crying, but she wondered what the tears were for.

He found courage from somewhere and came back to her. “But, I kept painting. And, eventually I did feel better! I think I’ve just been feeling…guilty.” He paused for a moment to find words that would be meaningful to her yet not uncover the mystery. “Painting meant something different for me before. Now that it doesn’t hold that same meaning, I feel guilty about doing it. Like I’m betraying the memories. But, I feel a bit freer now, and…well, I just wanted to say thank you.”