"Yes," I said almost too softly to be heard. "I have to have you comfortable, at ease.
You've got to get past yourself and me and become
part of this work, the essence of this work. Think of
yourself as the sculpture and not as Melody Logan
undressed in some barn, okay?"
I nodded, weakly.
"My shoulders are too bony and my collarbone
sticks out too far," I complained. "I also have a patch of freckles all over here," I said, pointing to my chest
just below my collarbone.
Kenneth smiled.
"I don't think that's going to be a problem for
us, Melody, and you're far from bony. Look," he said
more patiently, "I know it's unfair to ask you to
achieve a professional attitude the first time you
model for someone, and I won't expect perfection
right away, but in time, you'll see," he said with a
warm smile. "As hard as it is to believe, it will
become very ordinary after a while."
He paused and looked at the door.
"You didn't tell anyone about this, did you?" he
asked quickly.
I shook my head.
"Good."
The realization of what he feared made me
laugh, especially when I considered how Uncle Jacob
had reacted to the little I had told May about a
woman's body. Suddenly, all the fear and nervousness
left me, as I realized that modeling for Kenneth was
just the thing to get Uncle Jacob's goat.
"What's so funny?" he asked, smiling. I told him about May's revelation of her first