Page 16 of Alpha's Sunflower Smiles

Something in me, though, leaned towards that new feeling. It was unfamiliar and a bit scary but I wanted more of it. Maybe because it was Pete who was creating it.

Either way, I suddenly felt… safe.

Looked after, because somebody cared.

And it was nice.

Alder’s sharp eyes took in my expression and I wasn’t sure what he saw there but he gave a decisive nod.

“You need to be safe, Wilfred. And all of this equipment.”

Ty groaned again and I got the impression he did that a lot around his forceful boyfriend. He was leaning in the doorway, watching us.

“Alder, you make it sound like you’re more worried about the stuff than Wilf.”

“I’m not! Only I haven’t played with all the toys yet, so I don’t want anyone stealing them.”

I couldn’t help but laugh at that. There was a glint in Alder’s eye that told me he was joking, but sort of not joking at the same time. I had always known I’d like him. He wanted to learn stuff, too. And that’s why I’d ended up with so much equipment. I was always learning the next thing, and the next, diving in and learning to create beautiful things with my hands.

It turned out I was right about Alder. He was absolutely determined to learn everything there was to know about pottery.

The strange thing was, I loved telling him about it, too. His eyes lit up with interest and he asked so many questions. Nobody had ever really done that before. Other people showed a polite interest and then left it.

Not Alder. He wanted to knoweverything.

Ty had started off standing by the door to my workshop, watching us. It was as though he expected us to be done quickly.

We weren’t.

He learned that eventually when Alder asked yet another question and I got out my apron and a spare for Alder.

Ty interrupted for the first time.

“Wilfred, you don’t have to show him. It must cost money for clay and you’re meant to be working.”

I shrugged it off. “Don’t worry about the cost,” I said. “And the door has a chime on it, so we’ll hear anyone who comes into the shop.”

Ty relented. Alder settled down to learn and get his hands dirty, literally, and I spent the next three hours talking him through how to throw the clay and the various tools I could use to create different effects.

Ty served four customers while we were busy.

By the time Alder and I were done, we were both covered with smears of clay and we must have been wearing identical smiles of satisfaction. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d spent such an enjoyable afternoon.

We were packing up and I was promising to have Alder’s pot fired by tomorrow when Ty said, “I’m sorry Ronnie missed this. He’d have loved to photograph it.”

“He can photograph it next time.”

Ty sighed. “Alder, you’re meant toaskif you can come back, not assume.”

He looked at me in surprise. “But Wilfred wants me to come back, don’t you?”

I nodded. “You’re more than welcome. I had a great time.”

“Besides, what else is Wilf meant to do while you’re working? I want to paint my pot.”

Ty and I exchanged a baffled look. It was Ty who asked, though.

“What work am I doing, exactly?”

---