Live in Color

thirty - coral

I stare at her in shock before eloquently replying, "You- You're- I.... Oh."

Staring at Emma, I can see the resemblance. The biggest one has to be the eyes- readable and a distinct amber color, just like Jericho's. I only noticed them now, though, because they're so dull and drained of life. Those eyes begin to flicker from me, to the ground and to inside the house, looking unsure of exactly what to do or what even to look at. Swallowing tightly, she says, "Yes, I am. His aunt told me to ask Arsenio where he was staying, he said with you..."

"Um, okay..." I bite my lip, debating whether or not I should let her inside. On the one hand, I know it's really ill-mannered to leave her standing outside, but at the same time knowing that this woman is the one who cheated on her husband and left Jericho's family in ruins. Remembering the latter makes anger in my spike and I step outside, closing the door behind me. "Can I help you?"

"Is he here?" she asks, almost hopefully, but I can almost feel the dreaded anticipation for my answer coming off of her in waves. It makes me feel guilty for a second, unsure exactly how to answer. Would Jericho want to see his mother? Last time he had seen her was seven years ago. She called him that one day- the day that we had kissed- and he had lost it, driving three hours out of town to visit his dad. How would he react now? Jericho can be unpredictable with his reactions, I have learned. He's a mix of different emotions he's trying to control most of time, and although they're usually masked by a cold exterior, when those emotions are brought out, Jericho can latch on to anyone and take action with it. He could be so many things in this situation; furious, miserable, nostalgic, joyful.

I lick my lips, forcing myself not to get lost in my thoughts and to focus on the current situation. I couldn't lie to her, especially not if it might help Jericho move on from his past. At least, I pray that it will... Heaving a deep breath and lifting my eyes to meet Emma's, I say, "He's not here right now, but he should be back soon enough. Would- I mean... Do you want to come inside?"

Emma's eyes go from dull to pleading. "Please."

Nodding, I turn the doorknob and open the door, moving aside to let her inside. Emma tentatively does, almost hesitantly, as her eyes shoot up to look around the house- or at least, what she can see of it. Her eyebrows furrow in curiosity, eyes widening and tongue pocking out slightly between her lips, and at that moment I can't seem to decide whether she's exactly like Jericho or a polar opposite of him.

Closing the door slowly behind me, I gesture with my hand for her to follow me into the living room. Emma purses her lips as she follows me, her footsteps feeble- she even stumbles a few times. We end up at the couches, Emma dropping down in the sofa across from the one I settle in. I find myself fidgeting when an awkward silence settles between the two of us, unsure what to do, unsure what to say. What do I even think of her? When I had first heard Jericho's story, I had thought of her as a monster- cheating and then leaving her family was a disgusting thing to do. Looking at her now, though, she looks more like the victim.

After moments of no exchanges between the two of us, Emma finally speaks up. "You... It's... You're his soulmate, right?"

I nod stiffly, "That's, uh- That's me." Emma's gaze turns calculating, but only for a few seconds before her head drops again. Gathering up the courage, I finally manage to condense the questions building up in my head and blurt out, "What're you doing here? Why did you call Jericho a couple of days ago? Where have you been the past seven years? You better have some damn good answers or you're not seeing him."

Emma seems taken aback by my sudden interrogation. She blinks, her features morphing into emotion I can't seem to pin down to a name to before she reluctantly reply, "I need to talk to my son."