Dada was seriously captivated by "The Thinker." For a whole hour, she stood lost in thought, gazing down at the gleaming figurine. Then, she suddenly turned her back on it, walked out into the courtyard, and approached the servants with a rather businesslike and serious expression. The servants loved Dada, and she, too, felt this warmth, which was why she always treated them kindly. She never looked down on them, nor did she allow anyone else to mistreat one another. To her, every single person was distinguished by their own unique, inherent worth. Upon seeing Dada, the servants once again straightened up and held their heads high, realizing that she was looking for a new muse. She, however, only scanned the men. Some straightened their backs and stood tall, while to others Dada herself gestured to stand up. Finally, she selected a young man, but the servant refused, saying, "I don't have time right now." Dada tried again to persuade the boy, but the servant, as if out of sheer spite, flatly refused, using some urgent, essential chore as an excuse. Dada frowned. She turned her back and walked toward the house as if sulking, passing right by the ma Padrone like a stranger, not even paying attention to his smile. Surprised, the Padrone shifted his gaze toward the servants, who quickly reported to him what the matter was.
- What can I do, sir? I have a lot of chores and work today, I can't just sit around idle like this, otherwise I'll have to finish my work late. - the servant boy started to whine.
The Padrone laughed and ordered the servant to drop everything immediately to satisfy Dada's whim, while promising him:
- Don't worry, I won't count this day as idleness.
Being an artist's model wasn't all that difficult after all, especially since it wouldn't be counted as a missed workday anyway, so the boy unhesitatingly agreed to the Padrone's command.
After several hours of work, Dada still looked at her painting with dissatisfaction. Turning up her nose, she examined the piece, still displeased with something.
This went on for an entire week. One by one, the servants took turns sitting in the pose of "The Thinker," while Dada tirelessly painted and painted, yet she still could not achieve what she was searching for.
The Padrone noticed perfectly well that Zeki would fit this role the best, but for some reason, he said nothing.
Zeki was a handsome young man. He had a fine face, and in terms of physique, he was unmatched in the estate. Once or twice, the Padrone did glance at his athletic body, but still, he couldn't bring himself to suggest to Dada that she paint Zeki. He would make her practice a lot, but the girl, as if out of stubbornness, could never pronounce his name; instead of "Zeki," she would make buzzing sounds, and then she would laugh at the buzzing herself.
Zeki had joined in her laughter many times, but his heart would still fill with resentment, because sometimes Dada would suddenly slip up and utter a syllable of some servant's name to call them. They would understand they were being called and would cheerfully rush toward her. At those moments, Zeki would scowl terribly, saying nothing, but harboring the bitter resentment deep in his heart.
Dada was distressed. Even the servants had grown anxious by now. No one could be chosen as the desired model. Finally, the Padrone had an idea again and suggested that since the weather was beautiful, she should go outside. Perhaps she could try something in nature and temporarily put aside drawing that obsessive torso.
Dada happily agreed. Indeed, the weather was wonderful. Why not? A walk in nature would cheer her up even more.
She packed her pencils and sharpener into her small bag, then glanced at the colorful erasers piled up on the box. It was one of Dada’s quirks that she rarely used an eraser, but this time she grabbed one and tossed it into her bag. Tucking her large drawing sketchbook under her arm, she stepped outside. At the door, the Padrone met her with a smile and her favorite snack wrapped in a package. With a satisfied look, Dada dropped this into her bag too, and headed up the slope behind the house in search of a muse.
An immense meadow bordered the back of the estate, and below a large, sloping hill, a small waterfall cascaded down, forming a swimming pool right there. The water swirling from the pool flowed further away by the courtyard as a small river.
This entire area, just like this huge estate, was all the Padrone's property, so there was nothing to fear. Dada could roam freely in her own domain without having to fear anything. However, she was a fearless girl anyway and often went for walks alone. The Padrone would still try to have one of the servants' children accompany her, but this time too, she wished to go alone and took no one with her. Since Dada was often interrupted by the children's mischief and could no longer paint freely, she preferred to be alone now. Summer was drawing to a close, yet it was still more than hot enough.
Dada roamed a great deal and gathered plenty of sketches. She followed the meadow all the way to the end, climbing so high and far up that from there, the roof of their house was now barely visible. Exhausted from so much wandering, she lay down on the edge of the hill and looked down at the babbling waterfall.
Dada knew perfectly well that standing there was dangerous, and there was no way down from that spot either. Reaching the waterfall was only possible from another, distant side, by following the river up.
That was why, lying flat on the ground like this, she cautiously peered down. This beautiful paradise, nestled in the heart of nature, left a wonderful impression on anyone who saw it. Looking at it, Dada was filled with completely new emotions every single time.
Suddenly, Dada noticed someone swimming in the pool, leaping out of the water and then swiftly diving back in. Dada waited with interest for the swimmer to finally come out of the water so she could take a good look at who it was. At long last, the swimmer finished diving and began to emerge from the water. He stepped out with slow strides, in no rush at all. His face wasn't visible, as he kept staring down at the water, as if trying to catch sight of something. Even before he had properly come ashore, he turned his back toward Dada, spread his arms wide, and basked his already tanned body in the sun.
Dada grew restless. His athletic body was magnificent. He was exactly what she had been looking for. It was him. She had dreamed of such a model and was already thinking that she had to somehow propose to paint him... But who on earth was this young man? She had never noticed him before, otherwise she would have certainly remembered, especially since she had been searching for the desired model for so long.
The swimmer ran his hand over his head, wrung out his wet, shoulder-length hair at his neck, and turned toward Dada.
Dada tensed with astonishment—the Gardener was standing before her.
LEX · Monday, February 1, 2016
No comments:
Post a Comment