At the party, he tells her he’s a painter, meaning of houses. She misunderstands, assumes he’s an artist. Harmless, he thinks. What is the real difference anyway? He could have been an artist, he rationalizes to himself. After all, he had wanted to be one in what seemed like another lifetime. But this was before life stepped in the way and forced him to make some difficult choices. Ones that left him working tiring shifts to make ends meet. His dreams had taken the back burner to the responsibilities that followed him around relentlessly. God, he wished he could just catch a break.

But here was a new dream, a connection. He saw her from across the party and felt something his cold, worn heart had not experienced in years. It was as if he was awoken from a long slumber he had never expected to end. The warmth of her smile could be felt in the darkest corners of the room. Her eyes glimmered with hints of golden honey dancing through them. He was immediately entranced. Maybe the mundane life he had been stuck living would not be his story. It took every ounce of courage and dignity he had left, which was not much, to finally approach her.

Her presence was soft and gentle. So was her laugh. The years began to pour in and he could see the life they would have together. With her by his side, he knew it could actually be okay. More than that, it could be good. Excitement and anticipation flooded the gaping hole that had occupied his chest for so long. Their conversation was light. She laughed at his jokes even when they were not funny. She opened up about her life. Little details like how it was her dream to be a school teacher. He admired the way she spoke so humbly about achieving her goals.

“What about you, what do you do?” she questioned him, innocently.
He replied, eyes fixed on the ground, “I’m a painter.”
But then, she lit up in a way that was impossible to miss. When he saw this excitement

behind her eyes at his meager words, he said nothing more. He let her believe he was more than just another blue collar worker. More than the truth. That he was the kind of man who followed his passions; the kind of man he wished he was. For only an instant, he believed he was that man too.

And so there it was born, a little lie that would shake the earth. The mistruth stuck in their relationship like a piece of popcorn you just can’t get out of your teeth. Weeks passed and cold air signaled the start of a new season. She grew more in love, and he grew more crazed with guilt. This madness was bathed in the fear of losing her, the fear of slipping up. He thought he could become the man she thought he was, and then maybe he would not be living a lie anymore. Maybe it could just become the truth.

They had decided to go out to a fancy dinner for their one month anniversary. He had made no progress, still pretending to be someone he was not. It was at dinner that he received a phone call from a client. She asked who it was. His lies began to topple over him until tension hung in the air like smog. She asked what was wrong. He felt heat rise from his chest to his head, like it could explode right off the top of his body. He choked on the words he struggled to get out. He thought he might vomit. Something gurgled up inside his throat and screamed to get out. Before he knew it, the truth spilled out before him.

All the shame and regret of his life lead to this moment of vulnerability. He told her everything, like how he wanted to be an artist, but had to pay his sister’s medical bills instead. How he worked any job he could find, painting roofs and bedrooms and offices. How he had no time for himself and allowed his dreams to slip away. Ashamed, he looked down at the fingers he now twiddled nervously.

She paused then for a moment, and he knew it was done. But then something happened. Tears dripped down her cheeks one by one like a slow rainfall.

“I have not been honest with you either,” she muttered. “I am not a teacher. I failed out of school with only a few credits left. I am actually a waitress.”

He took her head in his hands now, feeling nothing but endless relief.