Michelle nodded, accepting the smock Audrey held out to her.
“You’re going to sit on the stool I was using earlier,” Audrey said. “And I’m going to sit beside you, so I can guide you. Also, don’t set your expectations too high. We’ll make a simple bowl, but even so, you’re probably going to have to start over a few times. Your first time at the wheel is all about getting a feel for it, and our goal today is to have fun. Okay?”
“Yes.” Michelle sat on the stool, staring at the wheel head that Audrey must have washed since they were in here earlier. It was perfectly clean again, a blank slate.
“First, you want to get it wet.” Audrey gestured to the wheel head, and Michellereallyneeded her to stop using that word. Once she’d moistened the wheel, it was time for the next step.
“Now you need to stick your clay to the wheel. You’re going to slap it on there nice and hard. Don’t be shy with it.” Audrey handed Michelle a ball of clay that had already been prepped the way Audrey explained to her earlier that afternoon. She’d forgotten what the process was called.
Michelle took the clay, momentarily marveling over its texture beneath her fingers. So smooth. It made her want to run her hands over it, however silly that would be. She balanced it between her hands and pressed it onto the wheel head, but she could tell immediately that she hadn’t done it firmly enough.
“Harder, Michelle.”
Maybe it was the wine, but those words from Audrey’s lips had a surprisingly arousing effect. To distract herself, she lifted the clay and smacked it against the wheel. This time, it stuck.
“Perfect,” Audrey told her. “See the foot pedal there? You’ll use that to start the wheel moving. We need to center the clay first, but it’s a great chance for you to get a feel for how it all works. Just hold the clay between your hands and feel it spin. If it starts to feel too dry, you’ll wet your hand in that bowl of water, and likewise, if it gets too wet, you’ll use the sponge to soak up any excess water.”
Michelle pressed her foot experimentally against the pedal, and the wheel began to spin.
“Just like that,” Audrey said. “Nice and fast to start, and you want to wet your fingers first.”
It was official. Everything sounded sexual to Michelle today. She dipped her fingers into the bowl of water beside her, which had also been changed since Audrey made her teacup earlier. It felt cool and refreshing against her fingertips.
Michelle sucked in a deep breath, and then she touched her fingers to the mound of clay. It slipped beneath her fingers, silky smooth, not at all what she’d expected. “Oh.”
“It feels nice, right?” Audrey asked.
“Mm-hmm.” Michelle watched her fingers as she slid them experimentally over the clay. It moved beneath her hands, becoming smoother and more round as she molded it. “I see why you like this so much.”
“Right?” Audrey sounded thrilled. “It’s a great stress reliever. Sometimes I put some clay on there and just mess around with it, not even trying to make something. It’s like self-care.”
Michelle pressed her index finger more firmly against the clay, watching in fascination as a groove formed beneath her touch. She dragged her finger slowly down, and a spiral shape appeared on the surface of the clay. “Amazing.”
“It really is. Feel free to play around with it for as long as you like. I always encourage my students to do this, especially if it’s their first time at the wheel. It lets you get familiar with how the clay responds to your touch. Plus, it’s fun.”
It was. Michelle couldn’t deny it as she traced a finger up and down the clay, watching grooves appear, then removing them with her palm. She’d never been one to dawdle, though. “What’s the next step, if I want to turn this into a bowl?”
“You need to center the clay on the wheel first. See how yours looks a little lopsided as it spins? Like it’s doing a drunken dance.”
“Yes.” The lopsidedness had been bothering her, actually.
“Right. You’re going to put your palms on opposite sides of the clay and press inward, and slowly you’re going to draw the clay in and up, okay? Like what you saw me do earlier.”
Michelle did as she was told, again enjoying the feel of the clay between her palms as she pressed against it. Soon, it had formed into a thin, cone-shaped object on the wheel. Then, with Audrey guiding her, she pushed it back down, creating a spherical mound. She repeated this process several times until the clay no longer wobbled.
“Awesome. That looks nicely centered to me,” Audrey said over her shoulder. “But if you see anything that’s off, you can just cone it up and back down again.”
“It looks centered to me.” Michelle stared at her perfectly round clay patty, feeling absurdly proud of it.
“Great. Now you’re going to open the clay. You’re going to wet these two fingers”—she held up her index and middle fingers, making Michelle flush—“and press them into the center of the clay, nice and gentle. You’ll brace with your other hand for stability. Like this.” Again she demonstrated with her hands, and again Michelle struggled to see or hear anything but sexual innuendo. She should have declined wine and gone straight home because this ... she should feel ashamed. Her headspace wassoinappropriate, but all she felt was excitement. Her heart was speeding, and her stomach tingled pleasantly.
So Michelle wet her fingers and pressed them against the top of the clay. It had looked so sexual when Audrey demonstrated earlier, but beneath Michelle’s fingertips, this didn’t feel anything like touching a woman. The clay was cold, for one thing, which actually felt quite nice against her overheated skin. Beneath her fingers, a hole began to form at the center of the clay.
And just as quickly, Michelle’s fingers went right through the side, ruining it. “Dammit,” she murmured.
“No worries. It happens to everyone. Just start again with a fresh wedge of clay. I’ll get the air pockets out of this one and reuse it later.”Audrey removed Michelle’s ruined clay from the wheel head and slapped a fresh piece down. “Now try again. Every time you bring it to the center, you’ll get more familiar with the process.”
Michelle did as Audrey said, centering the clay until she’d created another smooth cake-shaped mound on the wheel. Then she pressed her fingers against the top, beginning to hollow it out.
