Working in the church

Brother Max offers me the last cup of coffee. Instead of coffee he prepares for himself a mug with hot water mixed with homemade jam. Blueberries, raspberries and currants.

He has kind face and a friendly smile. He's a big man and seems to harbor a big calm. I am told to help him to paint some of the walls and ceilings in the big church.

He doesn't use his hands to explain the work to me, but what he lacks in sign language he makes up with his immense patience towards me. We paint and work in silence.

Later I am assigned to work with Vitalek. He objects when I try to take a picture of him but I do it anyway. Afterwards he demands to see the result and flips through all the hundred images in the camera.

I stand beside him and wonder if he likes them. There are som of the pictures in there that I'm actually really proud of. But as Vitalek flips through the pictures the only comment I hear is reoccuring word "Normal"

-Aha, mhm... , normal... , normal... , mhm... normal...

He says "normal" so many times that I'm starting to think that he is very unimpressed with my work. I feel my heart sink for a while before I realize the comedy of the situation. He says "Normal" and use the word to express something good, while normal to me mostly mean mainstream and boring.