The Mysterious Samuel Toddman: Chapter 2

Slowly he exited the loft. Once again running his hands through his hair, he stopped and looked around his sitting room. As he stood in the doorway he surveyed the multitude of paintings that fill the room. His eyes lit on two that sat in a position of prominence on his mantel. Two different women were depicted in the paintings. He smiled and headed to the Mantle.

"You would be very proud of me, I've completed another painting of her. She draws me to paint like no other except you two. If we didn't have her paintings to sell, I'm not sure we would have survived all this time, but I don’t think I'll be able to part with this latest creation. It hurts to look at this one. She's telling me something and I feel like I'm letting her, and you, down ." He lovingly reached for the cheek of the one painting depicting a beautiful mature woman smiling at him with a gentle loving smile. In his head he heard her say in a sisterly voice "Nonsense, you won't let us down. You're a good man. When the time is right it will all become clear."

He sighed and turned to the second portrait, with his other hand he reached and gently touched the lips of the woman looking back at him from the painting. "Good morning ,my beautiful Dee, we face another day together." His fingers gently brushed across the canvas. "I must make a decision soon. My funds have gotten low, I'll have to go to the gallery ." He smiled wistfully to himself and turned and walked to the table in the kitchen. Sitting near the chair leg was a bucket full of small pieces of wood he sat down, grabbed a piece and pulled the knife on the table close. Slowly he carved.

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Across town in a more fashionable part of Paris, two people were being led to a table in a very elegant bistro.

"I hope this place meets with your approval. A woman such as you deserves an ambiance fit for a queen," said Tomas as he took his seat.

"It's quite lovely Tomas" replied Blair taking the seat the Maitre D pulled out for her.

"You were awfully quiet on the ride here. What has you so introspective?" Tomas inquired.

"I'm having a hard time taking in everything that has happened since arriving here. In my wildest dreams, I never thought I'd come across another portrait of myself. It's surreal. When I saw the painting my late husband left me, I was bewildered, because I couldn't understand how he was able to get someone to do a painting of me in the short time that we had together, but then we couldn't make out the artist's name and we saw the date. My god.. The painting was finished in 2003. I didn't even know my late husband then." Blair sighed.

"You're tired and hungry, it has all been a bit of a shock. Let's eat something and restore your composure. Then we can sit back and try to figure things out." replied Tomas

"Good, a little wine, a nice meal. you just relax and I'll tell you the details of my first meeting with our mysterious artist." Tomas poured Blair some wine and sat back in his chair.

"It began 7 yrs ago this month. I was working late at the Gallery when a man entered the premises.. he was carrying a portfolio and walking somewhat gingerly..like he was in some pain. I stopped what I was doing and started to walk toward him when he quietly asked me to stop and not come closer. He placed the portfolio on my counter and backed into the shadows then he asked me to take a look at his work. It was a simple request so I moved to look at what he had laid down. I open the portfolio and was dumbfounded, inside were all these beautiful portraits. They were ethereal and had an impressionistic feel to them and my dear, they were all of you. I looked at them one by one, there were four of them in particular that I thought were exceptional and I asked him what I could do for him. He told me that he was in need of money and wondered if I would consider displaying some of the portraits and selling them for him. I told him I would certainly do so but why did he come to my out of way Gallery when there were some very prominent ones elsewhere in Paris that he could have taken his work. He replied that my Gallery was well known for its select clientele and its  were four of them in particular that I thought were exceptional and I asked him what I could do for discretion and that he preferred to keep it simple. Obviously, he knew something about business and the workings of the world. I agreed to take the four portraits as a start. Then I asked him how would I get his funds to him and he replied he would know when something sold. He pulled a hood up onto his head and moved carefully to retrieve the portfolio, minus of course the four portraits. As he turned to leave, the light in the room gave me a glimpse of his face and as I told you earlier he appeared to have a covering over the right side, between the covering and his long hair I was unable to see much more. May I ask, my dear; what portrait did you receive from your late husband?"

"That is what is so eerie.. at first I didn't recognize the picture as anything other than a picture of me but when I stopped and sat down with it I realized it was a picture of me on a very special day in my memory. It was a portrait of me from my second wedding to my second husband. What I don't understand is that there were only a few pictures taken at that wedding and only a small group of people were there..how could this artist paint that portrait?" Blair mused and took a sip of wine.

"If I remember correctly that is one of the portraits I received that first night. Was it of you with your hair up? My dear Blair, you were enchanting in that Portrait." exclaimed Tomas. "I remember selling that portrait less than a year ago to a tall gentleman with dark hair he seemed very taken with it. He told me it was going to be a surprise for someone special. That must have been you."

"But don't you see, this mystery is just getting deeper. You said you've sold other paintings of me. Can you tell me some of them? The picture you have on the wall in the Gallery is another memory from my past and only one person ever saw me that way and he doesn't paint. I really need to find this artist." Blair exclaimed.

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The afternoon light was beginning to shine in his kitchen ..He stopped and looked at what he had carved..." Huh!" he smiled wryly, "The things my imagination brings up. What on earth made me carve this?" he stared at the small figurine of what appears to be a child's action figure resting in his hand. He set it down on the table and moved to get some food. "I’d better eat I need to get up the strength to go back out."

He set his food down on the table, took a bite, and started remembering. He picked up the little figurine and began talking out his thoughts.  "It's been almost 8 years since I woke in that hospital.  The nurses and doctors all telling me I was a miracle. That I shouldn't even be alive. I didn't feel very alive, everything hurt just like it had done somewhere else back in my memory.. I remember asking for some water because my mouth was so dry and then they asked me my name. Samuel, I said, My name is Samuel Toddman. Then they asked a question I couldn't answer..Where are you from? Why didn't I know that answer..I knew my name but nothing else? I remember laying there trying to sort out what I did remember. I could remember the bank where I had some money set aside..I remembered that I was at least financially stable at that moment. but when I tried to think of something personal in my life I kept drawing a blank. The harder I would push for some personal memories the more pain I started experiencing. The doctors told me to be patient, the memories would return when I was better able to accept them. I let them talk me into not pushing it and went back to finding out how to get back into the world."  He paused and looked around his apartment and continued his thoughts.

"I was gaining strength and mobility back, but I needed something to do..Then I remembered something I could do and asked for some small pieces of wood and a carving knife. One of the nurses heard my request and the next day she handed me some carving supplies. What a relief, I could put my hands to use while I healed. I spent much of my free-time carving for the children in the hospital and one day when we were all in the day room someone came in with paint supplies. I felt compelled to give painting a try. To my amazement, I was pretty good at it and then the images started popping up in my head. Many images started, most of them were of three women" he stopped remembering and looked at his paintings. "I was remembering you, but why?" he finished eating and got up from the table. "I need to get ready to go out" and headed for the bathroom. Reluctantly he moved to the sink and mirror.

"You're sure not much to look at Samuel. Why are all your fantasies about beautiful women?  What could they have to do with you?"

As he looked in the mirror, he saw a man with hazel eyes, long brown hair but the face is what stood out. The whole right side of his face was severely scarred, two long gashes intersected across the cheek. One scar appeared older than the other and followed the cheekbone horizontally but another angrier scar now crossed the first, only this one ran lengthwise from below his eye to his chin. The doctors told him he was fortunate not to lose the eye.."Funny!" he thought," I don't feel very fortunate." he combed his hair and left the room. Gathering his coat he headed for the door.

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