Danilo drew Viktor with one eye larger than the other and hands ending somewhere beyond the paper. The instructor told them to show their work to their partners. Danilo turned his pad upside down and asked whether he could submit it as a landscape. Viktor laughed, then showed his drawing. In it, Danilo resembled a stern man collecting parking fees. They decided both needed many more classes.
The drawing course met in an old schoolroom. Both were over fifty, with different jobs and a similar wish to do something once a week without needing expertise. Danilo managed a warehouse; Viktor translated technical texts. Between drawing apples and vases, they discussed cooking, tired eyes, and the strange relief of people no longer asking how much their hobby might earn.
After the fourth class, Viktor invited him for a drink. Danilo accepted but talked about colors all evening, as though another subject might reveal him. Eventually, Viktor said he hadn't invited him because of shading. Danilo put down his glass. He said he was glad, then admitted recently leaving a relationship and not wanting to promise more than he could offer. Viktor didn't rush to turn that honesty into a reason to give up.
They saw each other slowly. Sometimes they had dinner; sometimes they merely sat on the bench outside after class. Danilo first felt jealousy when Viktor mentioned a former partner who remained a friend. He wasn't proud of the feeling. He explained what hurt without demanding that Viktor end the acquaintance. Viktor described their relationship and added that he wouldn't hide people simply to avoid an uncomfortable conversation.
For the students' shared exhibition, Danilo chose to show that first poor portrait. Viktor protested that the audience wouldn't know how much he had improved. Danilo said the audience didn't need to know everything. His sister paused before the drawing, looked at Viktor, and asked whether he was the man she had heard about. Danilo said he was. He added no lengthy explanation, and she merely observed that her brother had unfairly enlarged Viktor's ear.
After the exhibition, they went to Viktor's home for soup that had almost entirely reduced during their absence. They added water and both overdid the salt. For the first time, Danilo left his jacket over a chair without checking the clock. Viktor put a copy of the portrait on the refrigerator. It still had no hands, but at the table Danilo's rested beside his, close enough to take whenever both wanted.