The Opening of "Her Eyes"
Chapter 1: Discovery—Lafayette, NJ, Spring 2024
Her eyes were the thing that struck me most when I first made her acquaintance. They carried an air of authentic innocence mingled with unfocused desire that burrowed into my soul, like a small woodland creature seeking refuge. Their color was a mixture of hazel and chestnut and the angle of the light reflecting on them would vary which hue was more dominant. Her face was one degree too angular for her to be called a classic beauty like Grace Kelly. But it gave her a strikingly delightful and impish air that caused me to think of Audrey Hepburn. Her warm honey brown hair rested just above her shoulders, the ends curling in to frame her. She had just a hint of a smile that revealed, like an oyster giving up its pearl, chalk white teeth that stood out against the respectful red lips.
Even though she was demurely attired, there was a hint of something that was yet to come. Her black velvet cigarette pants took on an even richer luster when I viewed the painting from the side. The starched white blouse, with its upturned collar and three-quarter length sleeves, was the perfect balance. Instead of seeming to cut her figure into two parts, her outfit’s stark contrast highlighted the dichotomy that could be seen in her face. She may not have had many secrets, but the ones she did have were held close.
Her legs were curled underneath her, and her feet were positioned out of frame, obscuring the answer as to whether she was wearing shoes or had already shed them somewhere on the way. Her arms and hands were positioned in such a way as to signal rapt attention, or was it polite civility? I wanted to know her whole story, but she was as reserved as she was striking. Perhaps she was the only one who knew the full extent of her history.
