Today is the third day of my personal A to Z challenge, which means we're up to the letter C. C is for Claudette. You can't have Trajectory without talking about Claudette.
Claudette is the great love of Joe. They are perfect together. To better understand their relationship, it's important to look at her as an individual.
Claudette is French-Canadian. Born in Quebec, Claudette's life was deeply enriched by the French Canadian culture, languages, art, and her family. Her parents were artistic, and they made sure that she grew up with the arts. She was surrounded by people and places that influenced her heavily. She was fortunate to experience all art forms, and to live a life most people only dreamed of. She was told she could do or be whatever she chose. She took that to heart. She found her passion for painting when she was sixteen. Within a year, she had won awards and some notoriety. She studied art tremendously in Canada, but she wanted more. So at the age of twenty, she moved to Detroit, where she studied art at Cranbrook.
She was a true artist: free-flowing, free-thinking, and very independent. While in school, she painted to make money. Whether it was painting your living room or your family portrait, she was happy to paint. She lived alone and did as she pleased. That kind of free-form painting and living continued on well past college. She took on all kinds of painting jobs, and she just lived freely and independently.
She and Joe met by chance in a cafe. He went in to enjoy a cup of his favorite coffee when he saw her painting the scene around them. He told her he liked her work. Once he looked into her eyes, he was completely infatuated.
The couple had a rather unusual relationship. He a cop and she an artist, they both enjoyed their freedom. Through their three year romance, they each maintained their own apartments. Their relationship was built on autonomy and respect. Neither judged the other for what they did, and they were allowed to fully be themselves. That also applies to Joe's bisexuality, which is incredibly important to him. Her knowledge of that, her lack of judgment and open-mindedness about it is absolutely tremendous.
In Joe, Claudette found stability and reason to balance out her artistic whims. She found someone who allowed her to live her own life, but still include her in his. For her, their relationship was the perfect balance - the perfect yin and yang.
As time progressed, Claudette yearned to have a family of her own. Coming from a small, close-knit family, Claudette wanted to share that experience with Joe. Despite his work, she knew he would have been the perfect husband and father. The only problem was that he did not want children.
The couple discussed the topic at length. Claudette brightened Joe's life in a way that no one else could. Neither wanted the relationship to end, but family became too important of a topic for her to continue to wait.
Unable to sever ties completely, Claudette continued to take care of Gertrude, Joe's cat, when necessary. His door was always open to her, hers always open to him.
Though she loved him dearly, Claudette was far stronger in her independence than Joe. The dissolution of their relationship shattered him far more greatly than it did her. One fateful and tragic event, though, brings them back together...potentially forever.
Claudette is stunning, both inside and out. She is a woman of great depth and interesting character. She is intriguing, creative, soft, and independent. Claudette is truly a remarkable woman.
