The Color of Eleanor

V. The Color of Eleanor

The next day, Eleanor had wearily climbed out of bed in the late morning to see that Josh had once again woken up before her. After getting dressed she went out to the main room to see Josh sitting on the stool at the desk, painting on another canvas. On so many mornings he would wake up early to paint. His passion for it motivated him to get out of bed and be creative. It was a passion that had been dead inside Eleanor for so long.

She entered Josh's room while sweeping around the house that afternoon while Josh was watching television in the main room after hours of painting. She was taken aback when she saw that Josh had hung up an array of painted canvases on his walls using tape. Eleanor gazed at the bright pictures around the room, painted with a rainbow of rich colors. Although they were painted with large sweeping streaks, Eleanor could still discern what Josh had made pictures of. Many of them were illustrations of their day at the carnival.

He had made a picture of a woman painted in black with a gun in hand, with streaks of blue paint erupting from the gun and blasting the target, a red circle. Black streaks of hair covered her eyes and her mouth was simply a small horizontal line. A little boy painted in blue was standing beside her with a smile on his face. The man behind the counter was painted with very wide eyes. High above them Josh had painted the big blueberry, which was depicted as being even larger in the picture than it was in reality.

There was another picture of the black-painted woman and the blue boy sitting side by side in a roller coaster cart that soared along a track. Beside them a row of tents were painted into the background.

Another picture depicted the black and white woman sitting across from the blue boy at a bench. In their hands were pieces of what Eleanor assumed was fried dough.

Eleanor placed a hand over her chest as she gazed at the paintings, as if she was reliving the memories all over again through Josh's eyes. The bright colors had made the room so much more vibrant, with the vivid colors popping in contrast to the dull walls. The entire room seemed so much more inspiring and energetic. The memories that she was able to give him on that day, memories of laughter and hand-holding and fun, were memories that she wished she could have made at his age. But to her, all that mattered now was that Josh was able to make these memories.

She went back to the main room and went down the steps to visit Josh, who was swiping away at the canvas with a paintbrush. He looked over at her as she neared, bearing his worried eyes and joyful smile. He set down the brush and took the canvas off the easel. He held it out to her to display his creation.

It was a picture of the little blue boy and the black and white woman. They were holding hands. Unlike the other paintings, the woman was painted with a smile on her face. Around them were splattered colors representing flashing lights and signs.

Eleanor stared at the picture for a long time, so long that Josh's arms began to tire from holding up the canvas.

She smiled at Josh and placed her hand on his head, rubbing her fingers through his hair. She looked out at the room. Only a few photographs were hung here and there. Even those were in grayscale, however. Much of the walls were blank. There was plenty of room for new decorations.

Eleanor silently disappeared into the kitchen, soon returning with a plastic hook and a piece of sticky adhesive. She studied the room, looking from wall to wall, wondering where to place the canvas. Her eyes gravitated towards the area of the wall on the right of the front doorway close to the living area. She walked over and beckoned for Josh to follow. He scrambled along, his feet pattering against the floor. Eleanor used the adhesive to stick the plastic hook on the wall, carefully placing it in a suitable spot. She gently took the canvas from Josh's hands. Slowly, she hung it on the hook. They took a step back. Now, against the large blank wall was a burst of color. Already the main room seemed much brighter. Eleanor reached down and placed a hand on Josh's shoulder. He gazed up at her, and then huddled close to her body, snuggling to her side. Eleanor stood there, staring at the bright painting with Josh in her arms.