10/6/09 Bodyguard Innocent, Cop Intrusion and Working on “Seam”

My bodyguard greeted me with both good and bad news this afternoon.  It was a rainy day but we were painting anyway.  It is payday for my bodyguard and when I wrote him a check I told him he should pay his next month’s rent early and get it out of the way so he doesn’t have to put himself through all the drama he just went through.  He told me he is going to get his birth certificate and get a real ID so he can go to a bank and cash his checks.

He told me that while he was waiting for me outside the store (that he isn’t allowed into), Hank came out and spoke to him about what happened.  Apparently the storeowner’s wife admitted that my bodyguard had paid for his candy and didn’t shoplift after all.  He had given her his money and she was too afraid to bring it to her husband’s attension. The problem is that she is now afraid to fess up her mistake to her husband because he will get angry with her.  Furthermore, her husband has been spreading rumors that my bodyguard is a thief and even telling other business owners not to cash his checks.  My bodyguard and I exchanged the high-five a second time this week.  We are happy the storeowner’s wife acknowledged her mistake , even though his name has been tarnished.  My bodyguard would like her husband to apologize and allow him back in the store.  Also he’d like him to call the business owner of the scrap yard and clear my assistant’s name there.

I painted peacefully in the corner for several hours until Tony dropped by and asked us if the police had been bothering us.  Apparently they saw my truck out back and called Tony who told them to leave us alone.  I didn’t think there was a problem until 6PM when I left the site to get in my truck to leave.  My truck was still locked, the way I’d left it, but I noticed some one had been in my truck, despite the lock,  and had rummaged through my dashboard drawer.  Stuff had been moved around and there were tons of live mosquitoes flying around inside.  My allergy pills were sitting out.  I told my bodyguard that he was a witness in case the cops had planted drugs in my vehicle.  I also called Tony to let him know the same in case I got pulled over and framed.  Nothing was stolen, but the cops had no right to break into my vehicle and snoop around.  Maybe they are mad at me because they wanted their shooting range back and I am preventing them from using it by being there.

I’m not painting as well as I would like.  It has been the slowest painting I’ve made in a long time.  It is hard because the light conditions have been extreme and the seam has been a challenge.  I am worried still what Bruno, the dealer, will say about it.  I need him to like it and put it in the show.  I can’t see this painting because at home I can’t back up far enough to look at it.  One of these days I need to go sit with it under a bridge where there is shelter and look at it.