ALBERT

ALBERT TOOK A DEEP BREATH AS HE ENTERED HIS CLAY STUDIO. IT WAS A SMALL SPACE BUT ONE THAT HE REALLY LOVED BEING IN. THE EARTHY SMELL OF THE CLAY WORKED LIKE AROMATHERAPY FOR HIM AND THE STRESSES OF THE FARM AND STORE LEFT AS SOON AS HE ENTERED THE ROOM.

ALBERT ALWAYS ENJOYED HIS DAY OFF FROM THE HARDWARE STORE. GENERALLY, IT WAS A TUESDAY BUT, FROM TIME TO TIME, HE WOULD GET A SATURDAY OR SUNDAY OFF. BARRY AND HIS MOTHER, SUSAN, KEPT THINGS GOING WHEN ALBERT WASN'T AT THE STORE. THE MOTHER AND SON TEAM WERE MORE THAN CAPABLE AND ALBERT DIDN'T WORRY TOO MUCH ABOUT THE STORE WHEN HE WAS ABSENT.

HIS DAYS OFF WERE SPENT DOING CHORES AROUND THE FARM THAT HE AND HIS PARTNER, PETER, OWNED. THERE WERE OVER 20 SHEEP, THE SAME NUMBER OF CHICKENS AND AN ARABIAN HORSE THAT NEEDED TENDING TO EACH MORNING AND AFTERNOON. ALBERT ENJOYED TAKING CARE OF THE FARM BUT IT STILL SEEMED LIKE WORK AND IT ATE INTO THE FEW PRECIOUS HOURS EACH WEEK THAT HE HAD TO HIMSELF. ALBERT'S FAVORITE TIME-OFF ACTIVITY WAS WORKING IN HIS POTTERY STUDIO. ON HIS DAY OFF THERE WERE USUALLY SO MANY CHORES TO BE DONE AT HOME THAT HE WAS LEFT WITH A FEW HOURS AT THE MOST TO SPEND MAKING PLAYING WITH CLAY. HE HAD BEEN THROWING POTTERY SINCE HE WAS A TEEN AND AT THIS POINT IN HIS LIFE IT WAS MORE FOR THERAPEUTIC REASONS THAT HE SPENT TIME IN HIS STUDIO.

THE STUDIO WAS WELL INSULATED AND A SMALL SPACE HEATER DID A FAIRLY GOOD JOB KEEPING THE CLAY AND WATER FROM FREEZING BUT THERE WAS STILL A SLIGHT CHILL TO THE AIR ON THE DAYS WHEN THE KILN WAS NOT FIRING. ALBERT TOOK OFF HIS COAT AND REPLACED IT WITH AN APRON BEFORE HE STARTED TO WEDGE THE CLAY AND SET UP HIS WHEEL FOR A SESSION OF THROWING. THE LIGHT BLUE CANVAS APRON, WITH AN IMAGE OF WINNIE-THE-POOH ON THE BIB, READ "KISS THE COOK" AND ALWAYS BROUGHT A SMILE TO THE POTTERS FACE.

PETER AND PHILIP HAD BEEN TOGETHER FOR ALMOST FIVE YEARS AND THEY HAD A GOOD LIFE TOGETHER BUT IT HAD NEVER BEEN AN EASY RELATIONSHIP. MAYBE THERE WAS NO SUCH THING AS AN EASY RELATIONSHIP? INITIALLY, PETER WAS MARRIED AND THERE WERE A LOT OF ISSUES THAT CAME WITH THAT. ONCE THE DIVORCE WAS FINAL, PETERS GROWN CHILDREN BROUGHT THEIR ISSUES TO THE TABLE. THOUGH HEATHER WAS GROWN AND OUT OF COLLEGE, AND JASON WAS ALSO ON HIS OWN, EACH CHILD HAD THEIR CONCERNS REGARDING THEIR DAD'S NEW RELATIONSHIP. NEITHER OF THEM WERE PARTICULARLY CLOSE TO THEIR MOTHER BUT STILL, PETER AND ALBERT WERE A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT BALL OF WAX FOR THE TWO TO DEAL WITH. PETER'S RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR MOM WAS NEVER GOOD AND COULD BE QUITE TRYING BUT IT WAS WHAT JASON AND HIS SISTER HAD GROWN ACCUSTOMED TO. WHEN ALBERT ENTERED THEIR LIVES IT REPRESENTED A HUGE CHANGE FOR EVERYONE, INCLUDING FOR ALBERT HIMSELF.


HE USUALLY LISTENED TO CLASSICAL MUSIC WHILE HE MADE POTS BUT TODAY HE WAS IN THE MOOD FOR SOMETHING A BIT MORE INVIGORATING. IT WAS "THE TALKING HEADS" AND THEY WERE "BURNING DOWN THE HOUSE" WHEN ALBERT FIRST SAT DOWN AND CENTERED HIS FIRST PIECE OF CLAY. HE HAD BEEN THROWING FOR ENOUGH YEARS THAT IT WAS EASY FOR ALBERT AND POTS RARELY COLLAPSED ON HIM.



PRIOR TO PETER ENTERING HIS LIFE, ALBERT HAD BEEN INVOLVED IN A SERIES OF RELATIVELY SHORT TERM RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER MEN. THIS RELATIONSHIP SEEMED MORE PERMANENT SOMEHOW. PETER WAS CONSIDERATE OF ALBERT AND APPEARED TO HAVE HIS PARTNER'S BEST INTEREST IN MIND WHEN FACED WITH DECISIONS THAT WOULD EFFECT BOTH OF THEIR LIVES. THE FIVE YEARS ALBERT AND PETER HAD BEEN TOGETHER HAD CENTERED MORE AROUND PETER'S NEEDS AND ALBERT WAS OK WITH THAT. HE REALIZED RELATIONSHIPS HAD EBB AND FLOW TO THEM AND IT WAS VERY LIKELY THAT THERE WOULD BE A TIME WHEN HIS NEEDS TOOK CENTER STAGE OVER PETER'S. IN SOME WAYS ALBERT LOOKED FORWARD TO THAT POSSIBILITY.

THE CYLINDER THAT HE WAS WORKING ON CONTINUED TO GROW WITH EACH EACH PULL OF HIS FINGERTIPS.ALBERT WASN'T CERTAIN YET WHAT HE WAS CREATING BUT HE THOUGHT A NICE FULL BELLIED PITCHER MIGHT BE NICE. THE TALKING HEADS WERE SINGING PSYCHO KILLER AND ALBERT COULD HEAR ONE OF THE SHEEP BAAING OUTSIDE.



NOW THAT MOST OF THE INITIAL ISSUES WITH THEIR RELATIONSHIP HAD BEEN RESOLVED, THE BIGGEST PROVIDER OF STRESS FOR BOTH GENTLEMAN WAS THE HARDWARE STORE. IT HAD BEEN A ROUGH YEAR FOR THE BUSINESS. THE STORE HAD ALWAYS BEEN A DREAM OF PETER'S. ALBERT'S ONLY INTEREST IN THE STORE WAS PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR HIS PARTNER. HE WANTED IT TO BE SUCCESSFUL FOR PETERS SAKE BUT IT WAS NOT SOMETHING ALBERT HAD INTEREST IN OTHERWISE. HARDWARE, TOOLS, NUTS AND BOLTS MEANT NOTHING TO ALBERT.