The Artichoke Angel
12/10/05
Music playing is Lady is a Tramp by Frank Sinatra
Beloved readers, angels do exist. However, they often appear unexpectedly. A beauty I once knew had something, some unique quality, like a combination of Marilyn Monroe and Sophia Loren. Men quietly stared wherever she went. Yet it seemed to me she was so very soft and tender inside that she was a bit shy, even frightened, sometimes.
Her name was Maria.
Maria had a very adventurous heart. She loved to sing, dance, paint, and do many wild and crazy things in the privacy of her own home. But she explained that recently, when she went outdoors, she suddenly became afraid. Not sure of what, really. She winked, smiled, and shook people's hands. Sometimes she'd stomped a bit while walking, to let people know she could be "tough." Yet deep inside, she was terrified someone would hurt her and see the real her. Over the past several years, it seemed to me her fear had taken on some strange, quirky behaviors.
I went to visit Maria one day. She was quite happy to see me and suggested we go for a drive in her car. She was wearing a long black dress, a wide-brimed black hat, and dark sunglasses.
"Hi Darling! I need to get out for awhile," she said.
"Ok, sure," I answered.
I noticed she had several large walking sticks next to the inside of her front door.
"To whack intruders, Darling," she sardonically remarked.
On our way out the door, Maria picked up an aerosol can of whipped cream. Knowing Maria was a bit quirky, I didn't say anything, however I thought it was an odd thing to bring on a drive.
"Hmmm," I thought, "This should be interesting."
Maria unlocked her car and opened the door for me. I slipped into the passenger's seat, while she walked around to the driver's side of the car. She looked around before she got into the car, to see if anyone was looking. Then she gave her hat a tug down over her face and slid into the driver's seat.
Giving a sigh, Maria locked her door. Then she took the can of whipped cream, removed the cap, and proceeded to spread whipped cream all over the inside of her car's windshield.
"This is a little like painting, Darling, " she said. "Next time I might add some food coloring into this and see if any patterns or pictures appear. I love the unexpected!"
"What the Heck......?" I thought to myself. "Oh well, that's Maria, for you. Just let it be there, and see what comes next."
"Hand me that roll of paper towels on the back seat, will you, Darling?" she said.
"Here you go," I answered.
"Are you going to wipe it all off, now? I asked.
"Oh no.....I'm going to make some eye holes to see through," she explained, excitedly. "Just call me Picasso."
Maria quite meticulously wiped four round holes in the whipped cream, two for her and two for me, each one about 2 inches in diameter.
"There! Now we can see out!" she said. "I don't want anyone to see us."
"Okaaaaaay....." I whispered under my breath, "where exactly are we going?"
"I don't know, yet. There's an Artichoke Festival in the next town....maybe we will go there," Maria explained. "I heard someone there is honoring Marilyn Monroe."
"Maria......" I sternly replied, "that's quite a long drive to make, when you are so frightened you need to cover your whole windshield with whipped cream. Why don't we just drive some place quiet and closer to your home?"
Maria started hyperventilating with exasperation. Tears slid down her cheeks.
"Why can't I just be like eveyone else?" she cried. "I feel like I can't go anywhere!"
Then her eyes suddenly became quite fiery. She stomped her foot, as she furiously shouted, "I HATE this!"
"Here..." I said, handing her another paper towel. "Dry your eyes. I think you're just too lonely. You've been alone in your home for too long. Let's go....anywhere you want."
"Then we're going to the Artichoke Festival!!!!" Maria shouted.
Putting our seat belts on, Maria turned the key in her ignition, and slowly backed out of her driveway. She leaned way forward in her seat, so she could see through the two eye holes. I decided to follow her example.
We made our way down the road very, very slowly. Whenever an impatient driver honked at us, she would pull over to the side of the road and let them pass. Sometimes she muttered what seemed to be an insult under her breath. The she would patiently return to the highway.
"I don't know whether to laugh or cry," I thought to myself. "This chick is really wierd."
Suddenly Maria pulled over to the edge of a huge field of artichokes."Ok!!! We're here!" she exclaimed.
Getting out of the car, I looked around. There were artichokes as far as the eye could see. "Maria," I said, "This is NOT the Artichoke Festival. It's just a field of artichokes."
"I said We're Here," she repeated to me.
Throwing both hands into the air, I shrugged in silence. "Just let it be there," I again told myself.
I started to wander about in the artichoke field, smelling the air and plants, the soil and fertilizer. The sky was so perfectly blue with a few snow white clouds. Over to one side were some huge sprinklers with some rainbows showering onto all the artichokes.I turned to Maria to say, "Isn't that beautiful?" When I realized she had wandered away, and taken off all her clothes. They were strewn all over the field.
I was stunned. She was so beautiful. There she stood, with her arms gently swaying in the air. Her eyes were closed as she slowly began dancing.
I very quietly and carefully moved closer to her.
"What is she doing?" I whispered.
As I drew close enough to hear her voice, I realized she was softly whispering, half singing, blessings and prayers to all the artichokes. She gradually moved all through the artichoke field, her dance becoming more and more alive and forceful, until she seemed to float up into the air like an Angel.
"My God," I said in astonishment. I froze in amazement, watching Maria transform before my very eyes. She flew all over the field, showering pink rose petals and auroroa borealis glitter all over the artichokes, soflty crying her tears of joy.
"Where did she find those?" I wondered.
Eventually Maria gently landed on her back in an open space. I let her stay there quietly for about 10 minutes.
Then I said, "Ok, Babe, time to go back home now. You've got a lot of explaining to do.
Pulling her up by one hand, I put my arm around her shoulder, and helped her to walk. "Time to get dressed," I said, quietly chuckling with delight, "before the police see us."
I walked her over the field, picking up each piece of clothing, and helped her to dress herself. We silently walked back to the car. I stopped to pick a few artichokes.
"I'm driving home," I said, helping her into the passenger seat. "And next time we're going to the Artichoke Festival."
I looked over at her. Her eyes were still closed and she was smiling.
"Ok, Darling" she whispered.
copyright Anupama Deanne Kallman
"Tuscan Artichokes" Open-edition giclée fine art print
Copyright Dan Edwards 2001
