Broken

After a quick cup of coffee the next morning, I was off to the hardware store. The house desperately needed new paint and a good cleaning inside and out. After a fairly quick bike ride, I was standing at the paint sample area, trying to choose between the many different colors. I already knew that I wanted bright, happy colors in every room. I was definitely looking forward to escaping the eternal dark cloud that had hung over my head for the last 5 years of my life. I was stuck between a coral and a turquoise for the living room when I felt a presence behind me. I spun around quickly and bumped into a hard stomach.

“You’re pretty jumpy aren’t you Darby?” I looked up at the familiar face.

“And you, seem to have a habit of sneaking up on people.”

“It’s not a habit if I’ve only done it once.”

“I think this is twice now that you’ve scared me to the point of dropping things.”

“What’d you drop this time?” I pointed to the floor, where the two paint chips I had been comparing were laying. “Ah, well, my apologies. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“I guess I can forgive you, but only, if you help me pick out the color for my living room. I’m stuck between these two,” I said, reaching and picking up the samples from the floor.

“You want me to help you pick out colors for the house?”

“No, the living room. I already have a color for the outside of the house,” I said, showing him the sunny yellow I had chosen.

“Yellow?”

“I’ve always liked the way yellow houses look in the snow. I thought it’d be wonderful for a house in Canada.”

“So you’ll be staying through the winter?”

“Not like I have anywhere else to go. This is home now. This is where I’m going to stay.”

“You’re going to need a lot done to that old house to get it in shape for the winter.”

“Thank you Captain Obvious, that would be why I’m here.”

“It’s gonna take more than a couple coats of paint to make it good for winter, you know,” He said, raising an eyebrow.

“Then what do you suggest?”

“I suggest you let me help you get ready for the winter. Otherwise, you’re going to be shivering in the cold.”

“Fine, what do I need to do?”

“Well first, you need to pick out some paint so we can make you feel more comfortable.” I grinned and held up the two colors again.

“So, coral, or turquoise?”

“Ugh, I guess that one,” He said, pointing to the coral. I grinned and took all the samples I would need over to the mixing counter. “Were you expecting me to show up and help?”

“Nah,” I shrugged. “Just figured I’d have to buy only a couple cans at a time, but since you’re helping me, I can get some extra!”

“And what makes you think I’ll be taking you home again?” I pretended to think for a moment.

“Hmm, maybe because we’re headed in the same direction and you’re a nice Canadian boy who was raised right.”

“I guess you’re right. Now c’mon, let’s grab some brushes and get back to your place so we can start painting.”

“Hold on! I still need to get some cleaning supplies! It’s still kind of gross in there.” He shook his head and followed me dutifully, helping me carry everything through the store. Once everything was purchased, he once again helped me load it all into his SUV, along with my bike.

This time, I had him back into the driveway. I unlocked my door while he set my bike down and grabbed a couple cans of paint. I directed him to set the paint down on the kitchen table while I grabbed whatever I could from the car. Once everything was brought in, I stood awkwardly in front of Sidney.

“Um, I’m going to change into some paint clothes. I might have something that will fit you if you want it. Just so you don’t get your nice clothes dirty?” He nodded, his slight smile faltering a bit. I ran up to my room, digging a pair of gym shorts and an old t-shirt from my ‘heavy’ days out of a random box. I crossed my fingers while I changed into my favorite pair of running shorts and a tank top before I rushed back down the stairs, praying that he hadn’t been too bored while I’d been digging through boxes.

“Here you go,” I said, tossing the clothes at Sidney. He sighed in relief as he noticed the clothes were pretty noticeably mine and not another man’s. “I hope they fit. They’re from before I lost weight so, you never know.”

“I’m sure they’ll be fine. Where’s the bathroom?”

“Um, there’s one right over there,” I said, pointing towards the hallway on the other side of the living room.

“Thanks.” I took a deep breath, attempting to calm my nerves. This was the closest I’d been to a man that wasn’t a doctor or a member of my family in months. After about a minute or so, Sidney emerged from the bathroom, wearing my clothes. I couldn’t help but laugh.

“I can’t believe they actually fit.”

“They’re a bit short don’t you think,” He asked, chuckling along with me.

“Nah, I think they’re great. Just fantastic.” He rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips.

“Let’s get to painting! Where do you want to start?” I thought for a minute and then looked around.

“The living room? It’ll be the easiest.” He nodded before moving into the other room to start moving the furniture out of the way. While he was doing that, I popped open the coral paint and stirred it around a little. “You ready in there?”

“Bring it on!”