what was really going on.
She had left a message saying she was working late and then would be out for the evening. I had assumed she would be with Matt.
Jesse and I had gone out to see Blood Thirsty 2 and I got home late. I had forgotten to leave the lights on and the house was dark. As I walked up, fumbling for my keys, I saw Matt sitting on the doorstep, shivering.
“Hey, Abby,” he said.
He had a canvas under his arm and was only wearing his usual long-sleeved striped T-shirt with a thin down vest. He must have been frozen to the bone. His scraggly goatee had snow sticking to it.
“Matt! What are you doing out here?”
I opened the door and quickly handed him one of my coats. He put it on and I turned the heat up high.
“You must be freezing,” I said.
“Yeah, a little,” he said. “It’s cold out there.”
“Hey, where’s Kate?” I asked. “I thought you guys were hanging out tonight.”
He suddenly looked sad.
“I don’t know. I was hoping she was here, that’s why I stopped by.”
I realized that Matt probably had been out in front for hours.
“She canceled earlier ’cause she said she was working late. I went over to her office, but she wasn’t there. I wanted to give her one of my organic carob muffins that I made this morning.”
He looked around the living room as I turned on lights and took off my coat.
“But she’s not here either,” he said.
Matt handed me a small foil package. I could only imagine what germs were festering in the muffin, but I took it anyway.
“I’ll give it to her,” I said. “Kate’s a workaholic. I’m sure she is on some huge story. Did you try her cell?”
“Yeah, since the afternoon.”
That told me something right there. I had called her a little while ago and she picked up right away. What was she up to?
“Well, here’s the new one,” he said. “Wanna take a look?”
I took the canvas from him and leaned it up against a wall. I studied it for a few minutes, and then studied it some more. It was very abstract with thick brush strokes and depressing shades of blacks and grays. I tried to imagine it in full color, that there were oranges and blues and purples dancing together, that maybe it was really amazing. Maybe I didn’t get it because of my color blindness. It probably was much better than how I saw it.
“Cool,” I said. “Is it the desert at sunset?”
Matt put his hand under his chin and was quiet for a minute.
“I like to think my art meets the viewer half way. It presents itself uniquely to each person. So that’s cool if you see the desert at sunset.”
I smiled. We stood looking at it for a few more minutes.
“Does it drive you crazy, Abby, not being able to see colors anymore?” he asked. “I think that would be the worst thing. Living in a black and white world.”
I shrugged. Matt rarely talked about my accident. In fact, this was probably the only time. I don’t know if it was his gentle demeanor or the way he said it as he stared at his painting, but my stomach didn’t tense like it usually did when someone asked about it. And I could imagine the idea of not seeing colors would be horrible if you were an artist.
“It’s not the worst thing,” I said.
He smiled for a moment before grabbing his canvas.
“Hey, wait,” I said as he headed toward the door. “Did you have dinner? I could make you a sandwich or something.”
Matt was okay.
CHAPTER 16
The house was dark when I woke up. I walked over to Kate’s bedroom and saw that her bed was still made. The alarm clock on her nightstand said it was 3:33.
Where was she?
As I reached for my cell, it hit. I sat on her bed and fell back into the soft pillows and was soon drowning in the lake again, bubbles floating toward the surface, the light disappearing from above, and that horrible pull at my feet, dragging me down into nothingness.
But then, like before, I was thrown out of the water and again I could breathe. It was night and I was
She had left a message saying she was working late and then would be out for the evening. I had assumed she would be with Matt.
Jesse and I had gone out to see Blood Thirsty 2 and I got home late. I had forgotten to leave the lights on and the house was dark. As I walked up, fumbling for my keys, I saw Matt sitting on the doorstep, shivering.
“Hey, Abby,” he said.
He had a canvas under his arm and was only wearing his usual long-sleeved striped T-shirt with a thin down vest. He must have been frozen to the bone. His scraggly goatee had snow sticking to it.
“Matt! What are you doing out here?”
I opened the door and quickly handed him one of my coats. He put it on and I turned the heat up high.
“You must be freezing,” I said.
“Yeah, a little,” he said. “It’s cold out there.”
“Hey, where’s Kate?” I asked. “I thought you guys were hanging out tonight.”
He suddenly looked sad.
“I don’t know. I was hoping she was here, that’s why I stopped by.”
I realized that Matt probably had been out in front for hours.
“She canceled earlier ’cause she said she was working late. I went over to her office, but she wasn’t there. I wanted to give her one of my organic carob muffins that I made this morning.”
He looked around the living room as I turned on lights and took off my coat.
“But she’s not here either,” he said.
Matt handed me a small foil package. I could only imagine what germs were festering in the muffin, but I took it anyway.
“I’ll give it to her,” I said. “Kate’s a workaholic. I’m sure she is on some huge story. Did you try her cell?”
“Yeah, since the afternoon.”
That told me something right there. I had called her a little while ago and she picked up right away. What was she up to?
“Well, here’s the new one,” he said. “Wanna take a look?”
I took the canvas from him and leaned it up against a wall. I studied it for a few minutes, and then studied it some more. It was very abstract with thick brush strokes and depressing shades of blacks and grays. I tried to imagine it in full color, that there were oranges and blues and purples dancing together, that maybe it was really amazing. Maybe I didn’t get it because of my color blindness. It probably was much better than how I saw it.
“Cool,” I said. “Is it the desert at sunset?”
Matt put his hand under his chin and was quiet for a minute.
“I like to think my art meets the viewer half way. It presents itself uniquely to each person. So that’s cool if you see the desert at sunset.”
I smiled. We stood looking at it for a few more minutes.
“Does it drive you crazy, Abby, not being able to see colors anymore?” he asked. “I think that would be the worst thing. Living in a black and white world.”
I shrugged. Matt rarely talked about my accident. In fact, this was probably the only time. I don’t know if it was his gentle demeanor or the way he said it as he stared at his painting, but my stomach didn’t tense like it usually did when someone asked about it. And I could imagine the idea of not seeing colors would be horrible if you were an artist.
“It’s not the worst thing,” I said.
He smiled for a moment before grabbing his canvas.
“Hey, wait,” I said as he headed toward the door. “Did you have dinner? I could make you a sandwich or something.”
Matt was okay.
CHAPTER 16
The house was dark when I woke up. I walked over to Kate’s bedroom and saw that her bed was still made. The alarm clock on her nightstand said it was 3:33.
Where was she?
As I reached for my cell, it hit. I sat on her bed and fell back into the soft pillows and was soon drowning in the lake again, bubbles floating toward the surface, the light disappearing from above, and that horrible pull at my feet, dragging me down into nothingness.
But then, like before, I was thrown out of the water and again I could breathe. It was night and I was
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