A Splash of Red
Radhika walked down the Champs - Élysées. Her dream had come true. Paris. Finally. Years of hard work had fructified. Years of slogging off in her room had finally paid off. She would now study at the Sorbonne. Beneath the roofs of the premier university for Art. In the centre of the world. She breathed in again. Paris. The air itself intoxicated her. Filled with the sweet smells of the gateaux. And the white powder the mimes put on their faces. Oil paints. Perfumes. Leather from the shops of the haute- couturiers. Wine. Cigarettes. Her head was giddy. Tomorrow would be her first class. Madame de Cartier had specially selected her for the Monet Foundation’s scholarship. She was going to make her mentor and her parents proud. Her paintings of Akola would then be auctioned off at Christie’s. Walking down the avenue she saw a young artist painting a café. The brushwork could be more uniform she thought. For fuck’s sake! Stop acting like an expert