Colorless

Chapter 7: Apologie Note and a Car Drive Home

What's up with Spec taking so long to get out here? Again, I've been waiting awhile without her showing up. Maybe she's found another guy to like. I turn the heat up a little more. Ohhhhh yeah, better. It's been getting colder and colder outside recently. I hope it doesn't storm.

Suddenly, the back doors fly open, and here comes Spectrum. Finally she's wearing a big and heavy winter jacket. Took her long enough to figure out it's cold in Pennsylvania. She runs over with her bare legs, to my car. Once buckled in, I comment, "Nice to see you know what a jacket is." Spec glares at me before I look away and head to my house.

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I pull up to our driveway and park. "Man, your house isn't really close to school." Spec notifies me. Yeah, the community me and Emily live in is a ways from school. I don't know why we can't be zoned to the one near our community.

"There's a high school around the corner from here. But somehow, were zoned to Fordway." I shrug. We speed walk into my house. I open the door for Spec to enter first. "Thank you Mr. Gentlemen." Spec says girly. "No problem." We take off our coats, and already Spec is intrigued by the art in our house. She walks over to my Mom's picture of a dandelion seed floating down across a stream. Of course, it has color. "WOW! This looks fantastic! But Jacob, I thought you couldn't see colors?"

I sigh. "I can't, and that's not my painting.... It's my Mom's." Spectrum closes her mouth, and nods. "I'll tell her it's beautiful if I see her."

That's a good point. Where is my Mom? I haven't heard or seen her the few minutes we've been in our house. And her car wasn't outside. Her art studio is towards the back of the house; that's where she let's me do any kind of art if I don't want to create something inside my room. Maybe she's there.

"Come on. Your showing me what colors are which." I say, grabbing Spec's hand and leading her to my bedroom. We walk up the stairs, through the hallway before getting to my door. Steps away, I notice a painting hanging on my door, and a note on top of that. I get to my door and realize the painting. MY ruined by colors painting. "That's an interesting way to color something." Spec says, trying not to hurt my feelings. I pull the piece of paper off the terrible painting.

It says,

David, this is the piece of artwork I am most proud of you doing. Adding color to a painting, for someone who's colorblind, is difficult! I am proud that you even tried coloring. I'm sorry for getting the idea you need to color ... anything! Black and white will be your thing for art. I'll learn to appreciate it. (Eventually)
                                       Love,
                                               Mom
P.S. If I'm gone when you get home, know I'm at the store getting groceries.

Other than the fact Mom's at the grocery store, it touches my beating heart that she likes my style of art. And approves the painting on my door, the best she's ever seen. I can feel a tear fall off my face, onto the paper.

"Jacob, are you Ok?" Spec asks, holding my shoulder. I wipe my tears away, and respond, "I'm so happy you don't even know." I hand the paper to Spec. She reads it slowly. I watch her eyes move across, then back again. Those lovely, gray beautiful eyes. I could stare into them for infinity. She finishes reading and says, "It seems she understands you now." She gives me a hug. I, at first am surprised, then hug back. "I'm happy for you." She says behind me.

We let go of each other. I look back at Spectrum to see she's slightly blushing. I can't tell if she likes me or not. At moments it seems like she does, but she never says so.

I push the thought away for right now and say to Spectrum, "I guess I don't need you for color lessons anymore." She looks at me confused. "You don't want to at least know colors?"

I shake my head. "Doesn't matter. Black, white, gray and brown will be there for me." Spec smiles and looks at the ground. "Guess your right. Guess I can go home then!" She jumps up from her standing, and immediately turns around and running down the hallway. I rush after her. Guess she wants to go home.

After putting on our coats again, we walk outside and into my car. Turning up the heat, I ask, "Where do you live? Closer to the school or farther than me?" "I live in Oak Ridge, 2180 Pipe Court." She informs me. "You definitely live a lot closer to school than me. You could walk to school! ... Do you walk to school?" I ask.

She nods. I start backing out of the driveway. Once in the street, I start heading for the other side of our school.

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After 30 minutes, we drive past our school. "You really do live far from school." Spec realizes. I nod.

*yawn*

"Are you tired Jacob? I could drive if you want." Spec offers. "You have your drivers licence?" I question. Spec, a little offended, digs through her purse and pulls out her drivers licence. "Since I can't look at it. I'm guessing your 17?" "16." Spec corrects.

"So you got it recently?" I ask. "Two months ago." She tells me. "I am tired, just from school. I can drive, thanks for caring though." I finally answer her question. "Ok then." She finishes. I keep driving until we stop at a brownish stop sign. Next to the stop sign, is a community sign that says OakRidge Estate. "Do you live here?" I ask Spec. She doesn't answer. "Spec, I said do you live here?" I turn my head to see she has earbuds in and is looking down at her phone texting. I tap her on the shoulder to grab her attention. She pulls out a bud and asks, "Yeah?"

"It took you three seconds to get bored and go on your phone?" I ask offended. She shrugs and dryly laughs. "You focused on driving and didn't turn on the radio, or talk to me, or anything! So I started listening to music and played Flappy Bird. Have you played? I've gotten to 72!"

Man can she go off topic. "Do you live in this neighborhood?" She nods. "Have you played though?" She insists. "Yes; the highest I've gotten to is 27." I say annoyed. Before plugging her earbud back in, Spec comments, "You could of read the street sign to see if I live here ya know." I glance above the stop sign. Pipe Court| No Outlet.

I turn the corner and wonder, how did I ever miss that? I drive to the turnaround and look for 2180. 2176. 2178. Ah ha, 2180! I park in front of Spec's big house. I stare for a little bit. It's two floors just like ours, but it just looks more ... beautiful. "Hey we're at my house!" I hear her unbuckle and get out of the passengers side. She walks in front of my car and runs to the front door of her house. Before walking inside, she waves and says something. From my view, it look like she said Thank you for the ride. I give a thumbs up. After, she goes inside. I take one last look of her house before driving to my own house.