Old Windows

True Colors

* Continuing

The latest update of his and Claire's relationship status conjured something inside of him that he hadn't felt in a while.

He belted out a wail of affliction as he hurled his cigarette ash tray into the mirror above the fireplace. Once the rage melted through his outburst, he shamefully cleaned up his mess in his once orderly living room. He hastened up his wooden stairs, making them creak and shake. Mort peered out the window and thoughtfully inspected the corn growing prosperously. Once his eyes were taken off his garden, the irritation and out of control agony tormented his thoughts.

Meanwhile, Claire had found consolation from an unlikely source.

"Thanks for meeting me Elise," Claire voiced after taking a sip of her watered down tea.

"Of course. I've been worried about you."

Claire gave her a heartfelt look, "Thank you. I've been okay, but Mort and I are taking a break this week. He needs to finish his story and I need to focus on work right now," Elise gave a her a disapproving glance but chose not to judge her dating choices, "I'm so sorry. For everything. For being a b*tch to you, making a scene, cutting you off. Everything. We're grown women and sisters at this point, and I'm so embarrassed of myself for acting that way. I missed you so much."

Elise held her hand out and lied it on top of Claire's, "I know you are. And I've missed you too. Even though it's true, you did make a scene," Elise chuckled, "I forgive you. All I care about is that you're safe," they both smiled at each other and continued catching up.

"So, the police station? That must be fun. You get to see anyone's records and get dirt on them," Claire laughed at her assumption.

"Well, not exactly. I only get to look at them if they're involved in whatever I'm doing. It's illegal to look at anyones that I want."

Elise cocked an eyebrow, "Have you ever thought of looking at Mort's?" Claire furrowed her eyebrows, thinking she was making an offensive comment, "Not that I'm saying he did anything," Elise chocked out, knowing he had definitely done horrendous things, "just out of curiosity?"

Claire's expression shifted, and the longer she processed Elise's suggestion she became more intrigued with the idea, "You know...I haven't. I just always assumed he didn't even have one. Well actually," she forced out through a gulp, "I know he did something, but it was minor and not a big deal," Elise raised her eyebrows in a sarcastic manner once Claire looked away, "But I trust him and I think looking would almost be like a statement in itself that I don't trust him, you know?"

"For sure," Elise nodded slowly.

Once they were done with lunch, they found themselves in the middle of town on a chilly Friday night. Going through all the stores and shops like they had once planned before Mort came along. But that night turned into every night the rest of the week. And the longer the time spent without Mort went on, the less she felt the urges to call and check in. The less she felt like she needed to answer to him. The same could not be said for Mr.Rainey.

Before Claire could even open the damn door to her house, she could hear the shrill of her phone echoing within her empty house. She shoved her key in and struggled to get the right angle to open the door. As soon as she could, she bolted in with urgency but stopped in her tracks. Her mind guaranteeing that behind that ring was Mort Rainey.

'You said he could call you whenever he wanted'

Steadily picking up the phone, she held it to her ear before speaking.

"Hello?!" Mort vocalized with extremity.

"Yes?" Claire asked.

"Where have you been? I thought you died. I've been trying to get a hold of you all day!" he declared.

Although Claire had answered a majority of his calls in the beginning of their break, she was answering less and less and would casually forget to call back. This payed no concern to Claire in the moment, but she was now receiving the wrath of not answering phone calls and living independently.

"I'm sorry?" she chuckled in disbelief, "I do have a life outside of you?" she remarked, "My life doesn't revolve around answering to you."

"You're right," he smiled to himself, "you're so right. I'm just so crazy for wanting to know where my f*cking girlfriend is and being worried about her after every missed call!"

"I'm fine Mort! I'm f*cking amazing..." she paused, "You're insane. You know that right?"

"I hear you've been hanging out with Elise again?" the tone in his voice indicated true curiosity.

Claire was caught off guard as to how he knew but decided to pardon his question, "Yes," she sighed, "I asked if we could meet up and I apologized for being immature. So we're uh...we're okay again."

"What was the fight about again?" Mort inquired.

"She called you a murderer or some bizarre bull sh*t like that, and I went crazy on her at the diner."

"So you- apologized for that? If anything she should be apologizing for calling me a g*ddamn murderer."

"I think she just mixed you up with someone else who has a similar name or something. She's really protective of me, that's all."

"Right, right," he whispered into the phone, calculating his next words carefully while stroking his scruffy chin, "Mistaking me for a murderer? Just a small accident, nothing crazy," he explained sarcastically.

Claire rolled her eyes, "Look Mort, she doesn't hold anything against you okay? So can we please just drop it?"

"Yeah, of course," she could hear the mockery in his attitude.

Claire remained silent and waited for Mort to make the next move.

"How about this saturday since it's the end of our break, we order some food and bring it back to my place?" he suggested.

She pretended to smash the phone on the coffee table in frustration that he never wants to go out. But instead of causing even more problems, she simply said, "Sounds good."

"Great, I'll see you then....Bye Claire, I love you."

Claire accidentally allowed an expression of disgust to appear on her face, "Bye Mort, you too." and with that she hung up.

The dissatisfaction with her good bye sent a wave of rage through Mort and he slammed the phone down with a wail.

Claire gently sent down the phone and stared expressionlessly into the wall. Permitting a few undetectable tears of confusion and frustration to fall off her face.