nobody asks how long it took

Eleven months of evenings. A kitchen table with the good lamp dragged over from the corner, a chair that was never meant for sitting in that long, and a rule about not stopping before eleven.

When it was finally finished and up where people could see it, the first thing anyone said was that they liked the colour. He said thanks. He meant it, mostly. The work does not come with a receipt, and nobody is going to hand you one.