Colorful (H.S) | ✔️

36

Ellie is a surprisingly good assistant. She may hate my guts, but at least she separates her professional and personal life.  

She waits for me downstairs, next to the car I asked for. She looks apprehensive, biting her lip.

"Hey, I know you like sports cars but this is the one they sent," she nervously blabbers. 

Standing next to her is a black Range Rover. I can't help but have a goofy grin on my face.

"Is it that stupid? I'm sorry, I can call the company."

"No, no. This is actually my favorite car." I assure her, marveling at it. It's true. I owned one for the longest time, but I loaned it to a friend. I don't use it much anyway. She seems relieved, her posture relaxing. "Get in, we have a whole day ahead of us."

As of right now, the plan is to show her all my favorite spots. This time, I can see color and vibrancy around it. I always told her I want to find out my favorite color with her by my side. She's the reason I can see it in the first place. 

The first spot I take her is the park near my childhood home. I used to come here all the time. I've always wondered what color the equipment was. It seems silly to have a bright play structure if most kids can't even see it.

We park on the side of the street. She looks at the playground and smiles. "Why are we here?"

"I used to come here in my childhood," I answer. 

The playground's multicolored. There are reds, blues, greens all mixed into one. There are a couple of kids there with their parents. I choose not to disturb them. A creepy man staring at a bunch of kids? No thanks, I rather not be accused of being a sex offender. 

Instead, we sit in the car for a while, just watching the innocence around us.

"I was young when my parents split," I confess. I don't know where that comes from, but I want to keep going. It feels good to talk about it. "I was seven. I never knew why. He was a good man."

It sucks not knowing why your parents split. I always assumed they were soulmates, but maybe not. I never bothered asking.

"And then there was my stepdad." I smile, remembering his face. "He was the best. If I could have any other man as my dad, I'm glad it was him."

"Was?"

"Yeah, he died a couple of years ago." 

I hear her take in a sharp breath. I look over to see she's crying. 

"Why are you crying?"

She tries to wipe her tears away. "I don't know... I don't handle death well." 

I put my hand on top of hers in reassurance. She tries to control her breathing. I reach over her and open the glove compartment, pulling out a pack of tissues. She gratefully takes it and wipes the moisture away from her eyes. 

"Okay, enough sappy stuff. Let's go to the next destination." I start the car and keep my left hand on hers for the whole ride. She doesn't pull away, so I take it as a good sign.

We pull up to a small cafe. Her face lights up, probably excited for the caffeine. I let her order whatever she wants, order for myself, and throw in a heavy tip. We grab seats at a cozy table in the corner. 

"This is the first job my sister ever had. I would always bring my friends to hang here after school. They were dogs and had a major crush on her." I smile, remembering my old friends. We still keep in touch, but everyone is so busy.