Chapter 48
Other Guests
“You see, I promised and I kept my word,” I said as the plane’s wheels lifted off the concrete runway at John F. Kennedy Airport in New York.
“I love you,” she said, laying her head in my lap.
“I so want to come back here,” she had said just before we took off. Most of the time, when we speak of the future, it is about potential, about what might happen. Lily knew that this dream might not come true. I didn’t answer her.
On the way, she explained that she wanted to make changes in the workshop. Even the ninety new participants who had signed up for the program – doubling the number from the year before – were not enough for her.
“There’s no maximum. I want the activity there to continue without interruption. As much as possible.”
“So what will you ask Ali?” I asked.
“To give us a freer hand and to support us. I know he has the resources. Besides, the people are paying.”
“How many adults registered?”
“Fifty.”
“Fifty!? That’s a lot – you started with about seventeen.”
It wasn’t only the number of people that grew, but also the variety of subjects. In addition to the drawing and painting which they had begun with, there was now also engraving, sculpture, photography, and printmaking.
“You’ll collapse,” I found myself warning and trying to protect her once again.
“On the contrary, I’ll flourish.” Once more, she challenged any attempt to slow her forward rush.
I reminded her that just a few days earlier, she had been bleeding. “We can’t ignore that,” I argued.
“Apparently I’ve caught the teaching virus, and so far, there’s no cure for it.” She answered with a smile.
“And what about your studies at the College of Art and Design?”
Lily replied that she hadn’t forgotten for a moment the opportunity she had been given. Of course, she had some limits, but she wasn’t about to give it up.
“No buts,” I begged.
She put her hand on mine, her head resting on my shoulder, and fell asleep.
The months that followed, when the workshop was active, changed our routine.
The municipality helped with hosting, but in practice, it was we who hosted all the invited artists.
All the logistics were Lily’s responsibility.
She took care not only of those who stayed on weekends, but also of those who were in the city during the week.
Lily drove the guests from place to place.
And if there were too many to fit in the jeep, she made several trips.
Sometimes she even joined them for outdoor sketching or painting, and then, as she put it, the “celebration” was complete.
Later, she planned to divide the week into two – Sunday to Tuesday she would teach, and Wednesday to Friday she would study.
“When we return, I’ll stop by the College of Art and Design to get the material they give the students, so I can build a program.”
“On the way, you’ll stop at New-Hope Medical Center – you promised me.”
“Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten.”
We landed.