The Color of Love

Chapter 1

"Yes, please. I need the truck for the last batch of my furniture to be moved out." Alice said to the assistant on the phone.

"Okay, ma'am. I just need to check your reservation on our system. May I get your full name please?" asked the assistant.

"Yes. It's Alice Evans." She heard soft typing on a computer keyboard on the other end. A few seconds later, the voice came back.

"Thank you for waiting. Your truck will be arriving in two hours so make that around 10 am today."

"Okay, great. Thank you." Alice hung up.

She felt a surge of relief. Everything was happening completely and smoothly as planned. 

"Liam, have you packed the last of your things already? The truck's arriving in two hours." Alice shouted as she ran back to the kitchen to wash the dishes they have used during breakfast this morning. Liam was her only son. 

"Yes, mom! Just storing the remaining pairs of shoes into their boxes. I'll be hitting the shower in a few."

Liam was Alice's sanity amidst all the hardships and sufferings her life has brought her. She had Liam when she was only 17. She came from a poor family and both her parents were high school undergraduates. Her father worked as a dishwasher while her mother was a homemaker. Alice was intelligent and she used it as a ticket to getting a decent education for herself. While in her first year in college, she worked as a part-time cashier for a 24-hour convenience store during Fridays and Saturdays. Her plan was to generate money for her school allowance. That was the least she could do to help ease the financial strain on her father. Alice was offered the night shift. She was a morning person and she knew working during the wee hours would be difficult but she still accepted the job.

Alice was hardworking and persevering. Despite her family's financial state, she never complained. Instead, she always worked the situation to her advantage. She always seeked for opportunities in dire situations. 

After finishing off rest of the dishes, she wiped them dry and wrapped them up in old newspapers one by one and placed them into a box labelled "FRAGILE" then sealed the box with duct tape. The house was almost empty except for the boxes that were all lined up in the living room ready for shipping.

They have lived in this house for 12 years and leaving it was not easy. But Alice had bigger plans for herself and her son. Liam has just graduated from college and has finally earned his degree in business and entrepreneurship. Like his mother, he was intelligent and finished with flying colors. Alice, being a single mother, was not only proud of her son but also of herself. She deserved all the credit for raising a good son. 

It was 9:45 and Alice was almost done with her makeup. The truck should be here in a few minutes, she thought. Alice was a beautiful and elegant lady. She is five feet and nine inches tall. She has light golden brown hair and hazel eyes. At thirty nine, she was wiser than her years.

Just as she stepped out of the comfort room, the only place that had a mirror now, she heard a faint sound of an engine just outside the house. It must be the truck. Feeling a pang of excitement, she pranced to the door to welcome in the haulers. A man dressed in a yellow polo shirt, black sweat pants, and a black trucker cap hopped out from the driver's seat of the vehicle. He was accompanied by another man who was dressed exactly like him. 

"Hi, ma'am." The driver he took his cap off. "Is this Number 14, Apple Road?"

"Yes, come in." Alice answered with a smile, ushered the two men in, and gestured to the boxes in the living room. "You're just in time. All these boxes are ready to go. You can start moving them out. Thanks."

"Lee, it's time to go!" 

"Coming, mom!"

Liam exited his room wearing a plain white fitted shirt, light gray pair cargo pants, and black sneakers. He hung his jacket over his right shoulder as he checked his pocket for the car keys. He was quite hot for a young man of twenty two. He stood six feet tall and had a well-toned body. He had a fair skin complexion which he inherited from his mother. His dark brown hair was waxed into a messy look.

"Who's driving first?" Liam asked Alice.

"I am." Liam walked to the door and handed his mother the car keys. There was just one box left to haul. "This is it, Lee. I don't know how to feel... I'm nervous but excited, too. It will be a whole new life out there in New York."

"Mom, isn't this is what you have waiting for all your life? I'll be here for you." Liam put his arm over Alice's shoulder and gave her a reassuring smile. The last box was now in the truck. For the last time, Alice locked the front door of the house. Then, she speared a sign on the lawn that read "SOLD". Alice and Liam hopped into the car. 

"Thank you for being my son." Alice glanced at Liam on the passenger seat and ruffled his hair gently. She started the engine, backed up, and closed another chapter in their lives.

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