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Fran and Sal at Home
After taking a survey found in "Be What You Are: A guide to finding a job that matches your Personality Type" Sal discovered that she was (surprise!) a type "Q". Putting aside her interest in changing careers, she researched her new identity. "This explains a lot," she thought as she read more and more. "It explains the tension that sometimes happens between Fran and I and it explains why I prefer phone sales to day trading. It looks like the job I’m really meant for could be physiologist or, given my considerable talents, I could even be a movie star!"
Later that evening, Sal’s enthusiasm over her new discovery put Fran in a surly mood. "Aren’t you forgetting something?" he said. But before Fran could continue, Sal knew that he was about to say something that she would hear as negative. "You see," Sal had said earlier. "Because you’re a type "K" you’re always seeing the practical side of things. And, because I’m a type "Q", I hear that as you dousing my fire, killing my enthusiasm, not supporting my considerable creative revelations! Doesn’t that explain a lot?"
"You always seem to want to overlook the obvious," Fran continued with a sigh. Sal avoided pointing out that another more positive way of seeing her was as a visionary. She knew any interruptions at this moment would lead to a fight.
"The obvious, Sal?" Fran continued feeling a bit like he was talking to a brick wall.
"Yes," she responded politely.
"We don’t go out," Fran finished lamely.
"That’s something I wanted to talk to you about as well in fact," Sal responded brightly. Despite Fran’s sigh, eye roll, and gesture of tossing his hands into the air, Sal continued on just as perky as before. "I really think we should go out more – " Fran repeated the sigh, eye roll and dramatic gesture "– OK so maybe it’s just me, maybe I should go out more."
"Really Sal, I don’t mean to be mean…"
"Mean to be mean! Funny!"
(Sigh, eye-roll, gesture.) "…But you can’t go out more."
"It’s all about the Law of Attraction," Sal responded. "Visualize what you want to be true and it can be so! Right now I’m not only visualizing what it will be like to receive an Oscar for an award winning performance in one of the best movies ever made, I’m also feeling it. That’s the key really: Feeling what it would be like to get the thing you want as well as picturing it."
"You really think that visualization can change…" Fran gestured to Sal looking her up and down, back and forth.
"Yes," said Sal cocking her head to one side and coquettishly shaking her rump.
"…You, you have a…tail," he finished without conviction.
Feeling that she was winning the argument (the power of positive visualization at work!) she responded in a voice she usually used only when a phone client was beginning to get upset: "Fran honey, you have a tail too. Lots of us have tails."
"But none of us goes out!" he responded finally raising his voice.
"You see, I think if more of us were really true to our innate nature and weren’t such slaves to societal conventions, we would really have fewer problems."
Fran, it seemed, was beyond gesticulation and nearly beyond speech. Sal waited patiently with a look of deep concern on her face.
"But, but… I couldn’t even find cloths that fit the way my legs are shaped even if I could sneak into a store unnoticed! And you! You don’t even walk up-right!" He paused, sputtering for a moment then continued: "There are no shoes made that will fit those feet or paws of yours."
Sal shook her head sadly. "You’re so negative. This is why your career is stalled."
"My career is stalled because I’m a monster and people are afraid of monsters."
"Monster has such a negative sound to it. Couldn’t you think of yourself more as someone with special abilities?"
"What abilities? My deformities have given me no special powers."
"You are just as God intended," she said smiling kindly.
"OK, I’m going to need for this conversation to be over soon or I’m going to say some things I will regret."
Sal nodded, her look of patience and deep concern faltered for a moment. "Just like a type "K"," she thought. "They never want to loose control."
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Sal, oil on board, 4 feet x 4 feet, 2005
Fran, oil on board, 4 feet x 4 feet, 2006
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