The Color Red

Life gave me you.

No. No no no no.... Elaine took a step back. Daughter?

"Wha-

"The two of them were found in our wrecked suburban. The car was wrapped around a tree." No.

"They had been hit by another vehicle. A drunk driver. It was a hit and run." No.

"They both died instantly. The drunk driver was later found. The sick part was, it was Marie's brother in law. Aaron." Aaron? What? No!

"This was three years ago Elaine. Three years that bastards been put away. He's out now. Someone paid to get the asshole out." Stop. Please. Elaine thought.

Before David could continue Elaine held up her hand.

"Please- please stop David," she nearly begged. She felt absolutely devastated. Poor David. She moved toward him but he took a step back.

"David."

"No. You said I don't understand. You said I didn't know what it was like to feel lost. Without a home. Elaine you were looking for one. Mine was ripped from me. Marie and Jessica were my life! The day they left this planet was the day I died."

"Honey."

The word seemed to give David pain.

"Don't. You hid your knowledge of all that. You knew what I was going through! Yea, I wasn't there for you when you left the hospital, where were you when I needed you the last five days?"

The guilt made Elaine sick. He was right. Why didn't she say anything?

"David. Please. I didn't know."

"Hell, Elaine! You did know!" He snarled. Elaine stepped back wounded. Pushing past the slight pain from his remark, Elaine trudged forward. She looked at the man in front of her. He stood tall, uptight, with a grim look on his face. He was breathing hard with his anger.

This man was hurt. He had lost his family. The love of his life was taken from him. His four year old daughter never had the chance to grow up.And he was still angry. Angry at Aaron. Angry with himself. Angry with the way life had treated him. Angry a bad thing happened to him. But he was also hurt. He was still grieving. He was still fighting the pain that seemed to surround him everywhere he went.

Angry, hurt, and still in love. Elaine swallowed.

"No! I knew that you had a wife. I knew that she was beautiful. I knew once I looked at that picture, that you would never love again. Not like that," she shook her head as more tears flowed.

"I knew that you loved her with every breath you had. And she loved you. And I got all of that from a photo David. So yea, I knew. I knew that she had died. I didn't know how."

"You still fuckin' knew," he ground out.

Elaine threw her hands in the air. "What was I supposed to say David! Sorry I know about your dead wife? How pretty she was? The way you two looked together!"

"Stop it," David growled.

"Stop what David? The truth? Your still in love with her! I will never ever be her..." Elaine's voice broke.

David tried stepping toward her but she stepped back.

"Red stop."

"No. Don't. No more red."

David shook his head and moved toward her again only to have her step back again.

"Fuck."

"No more anything," Elaine whimpered.