Eggplant Sambal the cure-all

As you see I am still wearing my Picasso shirt. Xavier and I had a huge fight this weekend. He was infuriated with me because I questioned his artistic sincerity. Now we know he is something of a pugilist and he got a little feisty with me. It all happened after I saw his latest painting. I wondered (perhaps I should have kept it to myself its true), whether he was painting for some imaginary audience, to try and appease some need he has for acceptance, or if he was painting from his true feeling and thought. Well! As I say he got a little fiesty to say the least. "ME!?!" he yelled "How dare you question ME?!" Whereupon he grew very red in the face, threw a book he was holding (I believe it was The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Motorcycles) to the floor (inadvertently hitting my little toe) and stalking about the room expostulating and ranting about the struggle he goes through every time he puts hand to brush etc etc. Well I'd had just about enough I can tell you and I said so. "Yes Xavier I do question. I do wonder. I see you stuck in a relativist quagmire trying to please everyone and pleasing no one least of all yourself. Take a position. You are allowed to be your own absolute truth when it comes to art. Stop toadying to everyone in your head." I was quite proud of myself, Xavier in a mood is quite intimidating. He looked aghast. He was quite ashen and pushed me out of the door without another word. I felt bad about it later. Poor Xavier. He tries so hard and is so eternally frustrated. We did not speak for some days and then he called. He did not make reference to our contre temps and we went out for lunch to a favourite haunt. Eggplant sambal smoothed the way for reconciliation though we kept off the subject of art for safetys sake.