Lenny stared at the paper Mrs Rina had placed in front of her. She could recognise it very well. It was her drawing from the last art class they had. The drawing was of a woman With flowing wavy hair. There was a giant oval shape in her chest and hair face had no eyes, nose or even a mouth. Her face was completely blank.
Lenny could remember the feelings she had when she moved her pencil over the drawing book and created the drawing she was staring at now. She smiled and looked up at Mrs Rina. She was a slim Asian woman with thin black hair. She had tied her hair up in a pony tail and was looking super professional in her beige coloured suit, a look suitable for a school guidance counsellor.
"This...it's my drawing."
Mrs Rina nodded and clasped her hands in front of her.
"Yes Lenny, I'm aware of that, but what exactly does it mean?"
Lenny looked down at drawing again and the familiar feelings she felt while drawing the picture had resurfaced. It felt a little nostalgic even.
"The picture, it represents how I was feeling at the moment, rather, how I feel everyday."
"And what feeling is that?"
"Nothing, no feelings, no emotions."
Lenny ran her hands over the drawing and chuckled.
"i named the picture, the emotionless woman." She said and looked up at Mrs Rina.
Mrs Rina was staring at Lenny, a concerned look on her face. Lenny also noticed that she had a hint of fear in her eyes and her face had gone pale. She sat up straight and kept looking at Lenny, like she was searching for answers in her, digging and looking at the depths of her soul.
"You know Lenny, it's not normal for a high school student to draw, or depict their feelings like this. This drawing, it's concerning Lenny." She said as she tapped on the paper.
Lenny looked at the guidance counsellor blankly, not shaken by her words. The picture was concerning? It didn't seem that way to Lenny. She was only trying to express her feelings. Lenny could recall that her art teacher, Mr Logan had the same look on his face, like he had seen a ghost when he saw her drawing. Yeah, maybe what she had drawn was a ghost.
Mrs Rina swiped the picture of her desk and put it back in her drawer.
"Is there something bothering you Lenny? Anything? Are you having any problems at home?" Mrs asked as she stared at Lenny softly.
Of course, now she was treating her like some depressed teenager. Lenny just shook her head in response.
"I see. Well if you ever feel like you need someone to talk to, then I'll be here for you okay?"
Lenny nodded and got of the chair. Yeah, there was no way she was going to need someone to talk to.
°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°°
"I got a call from your art teacher today. The guidance counsellor called me too." Evelyn, Lenny's mother said as she cracked some eggs in a pan.
Lenny shrugged and closed the refrigerator, an jug filled with orange juice in her hand.
"They're all fussing over a drawing. It's just a drawing." Lenny said as she took a glass cup and filled it up with orange juice.
Evelyn slipped two slices of bread in the toaster and sighed.
"Honey, is everything okay?"
Lenny rolled her eyes and made her way to the living room.
"Im tired of getting asked that question mom."
"I don't mean it like that, I'm just worried about you. I've never gotten a call from school, so I'm worried it might be something serious."
Lenny flopped down on the orange sofa and looked over at her mom working in the kitchen. The kitchen and the living room was seperated by a rectangular table and four chairs placed at each side. Lenny took a gulp of orange juice and sighed.
"Its not nothing serious mom."
Evelyn glanced and her daughter and went back to scrambling eggs.
"If you say so honey."
She cooked in silence, while Lenny stared her orange juice absentmindedly, as she got lost in her thoughts. She was still thinking hard about what she could draw. A soft thud startled Lenny, pulling her away from her thoughts. She looked up and saw her mom placing a plate of toast, scrambled eggs and bacon on the table.
It was 4pm, a little too late to be having breakfast, but Evelyn was a nurse and mostly did night shifts at the hospital. She slept during the day and had her breakfast in the evening before she left for work. Lenny watched her mom scarf down the toast and scrambled eggs like she was in a hurry.
The door bell rang and Evelyn got up to check who it was.
"Oh! Niel! It's good to see you again, come on in!" Lenny heard her mother say in a bubbly tone.
Her mother walked back into the living room, with a boy. Behind her. Lenny could recognise him. Niel, he was their next door neighbour and would often come over to have a chat with her mother.
He was a year older than her, but they were in the same grade. Niel was a tall boy with dark skin. He had dark hair that was shaved into a low buzz cut. Niel walked into the living room, a white box in his hand.
Lenny stared at him as he placed the white box down on the table. He sat down on the sofa opposite her. He was flashing a wide smile at her, a very warm one.
"I'm leaving for work now, so why don't you keep Lenny company?" Evelyn said as dropped her dish into the dishwasher.
"I'd be happy to." He said, his voice was baritone, but had a smooth edge to it.
"Great! And Lenny, try to interact with him."
Lenny shrugged and gulped down all the orange juice left in the glass cup. Evelyn grabbed her bag and coat, and walked out of the house. The living room grew quiet, an uncomfortable silence settling between the two of them.