~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For 40 advanced chapters, visit my Patreon:
Patreon - Twilight_scribe1
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After accepting the invitation John Wick had delivered, the two agreed to meet again another time. The handsome Slav then took his leave.
Naturally, Henry wasn't about to abandon Katharine Hepburn and rush off to the Continental Hotel immediately.
Whatever business awaited there wasn't urgent enough to interrupt their plans.
The two of them completed their day's exercise routine as usual.
On the way back, they stopped by a small art supply store and gallery in Manhattan to pick up paints, brushes, canvases, and other materials Katharine needed.
Katharine Hepburn was a longtime customer of the shop, so she had already placed her order over the phone beforehand.
They were simply there to pay and collect it.
Henry's job was carrying everything.
Her history with painting dated back to 1937.
The first subject she painted aboard Howard Stark's yacht was Nassau Harbor, one of Howard's favorite sailing destinations.
From that point onward, painting became something like a diary for her.
Every stage of her life and nearly every film she worked on left behind related pieces.
They weren't necessarily direct depictions of the movies themselves.
More often, they reflected her state of mind at the time.
Although most of her works were landscapes—particularly coastal scenery—she also painted self-portraits.
And she enjoyed making herself look ugly.
She often emphasized her gaunt cheeks and prominent cheekbones, while some paintings exaggerated the freckles on her face.
As for portraits of other people, she only used two recurring models.
One was the great love she quietly cherished throughout her life: Spencer Tracy.
The other was her lifelong friend and assistant, Phyllis Wilbourn.
Wilbourn had been an orphan.
Originally, she worked as assistant to another actress, Constance Collier.
When Collier passed away in 1955, the homeless Wilbourn came to Katharine Hepburn's side.
She devoted the rest of her life to supporting and working for Hepburn.
Eventually, she passed away in the mid-1990s and was buried in Connecticut within the Hepburn family cemetery.
Wilbourn had actually been a few years older than Katharine.
Her death felt almost symbolic, as though it marked the approaching end of Katharine Hepburn's era.
After losing her closest companion, Hepburn's health declined rapidly.
She also abandoned many of the hobbies she had once loved.
Painting was one of them.
Her current caretaker, Maria Thomson, had effectively inherited Wilbourn's former responsibilities.
Strictly speaking, Maria did her job very well.
She cared for the elderly actress conscientiously.
What she could not provide, however, was the same wholehearted support that Phyllis Wilbourn had given for decades.
As a result, Katharine's condition remained neither especially good nor especially bad.
Now, with Henry by her side, it was as if she had regained her vitality.
She had even dug out paintbrushes she had not touched in years and eagerly resumed painting.
It wasn't that she wanted Henry to sit as a model while she produced portraits centered on him.
She simply finally had someone willing to carry her supplies and easel while accompanying her in search of scenery that inspired her.
Faced with Katharine Hepburn's excitement—as though her bucket list had suddenly gained a hundred new entries overnight—Henry naturally had no intention of dampening her enthusiasm.
He was there to support her, not to spend every day telling her what she could or couldn't do.
Besides, Katharine Hepburn possessed one particularly admirable quality:
Self-discipline.
She never pushed herself to extremes or neglected food and sleep.
Her life followed a remarkably regular routine.
The reason she had not been able to roam around like this before was simply that she had lacked someone to help her.
As a result, she had given up many things she wanted to do.
Now that she had the ability again, even while trying to make up for old regrets, she never forgot that she was already over ninety years old.
When activity was necessary, she remained active.
When rest was needed, she rested quietly.
Perhaps a life that long required precisely that kind of discipline.
By comparison, another Ms. Hepburn whom Henry had cared for was far less reassuring when he thought back on her.
Audrey Hepburn had never lived such a regular life.
Especially during her final years, she constantly traveled around the world for UNICEF missions.
Irregular meals were one thing.
She also had a habit of pushing herself far too hard in order to keep pace with younger people.
Every time she felt tired, she convinced herself she could keep going a little longer.
Only when she absolutely could not continue would she finally rest.
In truth, that kind of behavior completely disrupted a healthy routine.
As a result, Audrey Hepburn passed away at only sixty-four.
Part of the reason was undoubtedly the malnutrition she suffered during wartime while growing up.
But the strain she placed on herself during her later years was likely another major factor.
Compared to that, Katharine Hepburn's self-discipline was far more reassuring.
Dinner was prepared by Henry.
As a Kryptonian who feared hunger and possessed a picky palate, one of the few things he refused to compromise on was the taste of his food.
He was worth tens of millions of dollars.
At that point, forcing himself to eat food that offended his tongue felt less like frugality and more like self-abuse.
Even with an elderly person at the table, preparing a meal that was both nutritious and delicious was hardly difficult for him.
He had long maintained that the supposed choice between healthy-but-awful food and delicious-but-unhealthy food was false.
If that was all someone could manage, it simply meant they weren't paying their nutritionist and chef enough.
The two goals weren't mutually exclusive.
The perfect balance could absolutely be found.
The only questions were whether one was willing to search for it and willing to spend the effort.
That said, the ingredients had come from a nearby upscale supermarket.
Despite being advertised as premium organic produce, Henry still felt something was missing.
It seemed he would need to find higher-quality suppliers instead of buying ready-made ingredients from supermarkets.
Katie's raw meat diet also required a proper source.
Ideally, he wanted to find a butcher similar to those in Los Angeles—one that provided fresh meat from animals slaughtered the same day.
After washing the dishes, Henry entered the living room.
Katharine Hepburn was using the newly installed projector and sound system to watch a performance by the New York Philharmonic.
The piece being played was Claude Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun).
Meanwhile, Katie lay stretched out in front of the elderly woman's chair, serving as a giant furry foot warmer.
Though the two had known each other only a short time, they already got along remarkably well.
The girls back in Los Angeles had never managed to bond with Katie this quickly.
Even Maria Thomson, who came during the day to help care for Katharine, still didn't dare get too close to the tiger.
"Katharine," Henry called.
The old actress replied immediately.
"Kate."
"...What?"
"Call me Kate. That nickname is reserved for close friends."
The elderly woman opened her eyes and fixed him with a surprisingly sharp gaze.
The look made it clear she wasn't going to let the matter drop.
"Alright, alright. Kate."
Henry surrendered.
"I'm heading out for a while. You'll have to stay home alone. Will you be alright?"
"You're going out?"
The hardness disappeared from Katharine's eyes, replaced by curiosity.
Henry explained,
"The friend I met this afternoon gave me an invitation. I should stop by and make an appearance."
"Okay, go."
Katharine waved him off.
"Katie and I will be here. Don't worry about us."
As she spoke, she bent down and rubbed the tiger's head affectionately.
"Good kitty. If any bad people come in, bite them for me!"
Henry was momentarily speechless.
He looked at the tiger, whose face had been squished into all sorts of ridiculous shapes under the old actress's enthusiastic petting.
"Kate," he said helplessly, "don't teach her to bite people. What if she takes you seriously?"
Because if Katie received an actual command...
She would absolutely do it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
🎉 Power Stone Goal Announcement! 🎉
I'll release one bonus chapter for every 500 Power Stones we hit!"
Let me know what should I do
Your support means everything—let's crush these goals together! Keep voting, and let the stones pile up! 🚀
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~