A Colorful Life: Drawn in Broken Crayon Read online

  "Hmm... I don't know. I can't draw much more than a stick figure. Years of training wouldn't change that."

  "Well, everyone has their own passion. What do you like to do?" Daly allowed herself to sneak a glance at Kashi.

  He caught her gaze and smiled. "I love all of life. One thing I love more than the rest, though, is cricket."

  "Cricket? What's that? Oh, turn here." She shouted just as he was about to zoom past her street. "My house is at the end of the cul-de-sac."

  Kashi jerked the car down her street, not missing a beat. "Cricket is India's national pastime, something like your American baseball. When I was growing up, all the kids in my neighborhood used to come outside to play after school. Playing cricket, I made friends, had fun, and even learned some things about myself. This is why cricket will always be one of my favorite things in life."

  He pulled into the circular driveway in front of Laine's house, cutting their conversation short. Daly hadn't even had the chance to find out what Kashi did for a living, or where he went to school—it was hard to tell how old he was. He could easily be twenty or thirty; there was an ageless quality about him.

  Her hand lingered on the buckle of her seatbelt; even though she'd had a hard time keeping up her end of their conversation, she wasn't quite ready to say goodbye. Would he ask for her number, or arrange a time for the two of them to meet again?

  "I enjoyed talking with you tonight, Daly-rhymes-with-tally. I hope we will meet again sometime soon." He held his hand out to her, but she refused to take his help.

  "What do you mean you hope?" His elusive goodbye puzzled her. She hadn't expected to like him so much, to care so much so soon, but she was drawn in now—too late to pull back.

  "Just what I said. I hope we'll see each other again. I enjoyed meeting you."

  She scrambled for the right words. "I... I was thinking about going to the Sagebrush Cantina on Friday night. If you want to spend time...."

  He exhaled slowly. "Daly, I would like that. I would, but—"

  A horrible sensation knotted her gut. Her first overt attempt to grab a man's attention had failed miserably.

  "No, no. It's not like that. I like you quite a lot, but I also believe in allowing destiny to take its course." His serious expression belied his ridiculous words.

  "Destiny?" she snorted.

  "If we are meant to meet again, we will. The universe will push us together in the most unexpected of ways."

  "Oh, okay." Was this some weird cultural thing? Poorly hidden disinterest? Whatever the case, he'd dismissed her offer to spend more time with him, and she had too much pride to beg.

  "Well, nice to meet you then." She didn't even pretend to smile as she ambled out of the car.

  Why had he persisted in chatting with her at the coffee shop, offered her a ride home, and asked about her passions, if he wasn't interested? She turned to close the door, trying her best to maintain at least a shred of dignity.

  "Until we meet again, Miss Daly." He tipped an invisible hat her way.

  She pushed open the front door of her house, still so stung by his rejection that she almost forgot her anger toward Laine. Almost.

  "Oh, Daly, you're home," Laine called from the kitchen. Why couldn't she just take a hint and leave her alone?

  "Yep."

  "How was your walk?" Laine closed the spigot and dried her hands on an embroidered dishtowel.

  "Fine."

  "Did you eat something while you were out?"

  "Yes." Actually, no, but what do you care? Better to lie, to escape as fast as possible; no good ever came from trying to talk to Laine.

  "Daly, can we talk?" Her mother paced delicately from the kitchen to the living room, and stopped in front of the sofa.

  "I'm exhausted. Going to go to bed now." Daly turned to go down to her room. The only way she'd talk to Laine was if the conversation started with an apology.

  "Daly, wait."

  "What?"

  "I want to talk with you."

  "Isn't that why Meghann's here? For you to talk to?"

  "She left."

  "Oh." Daly shifted her weight from one foot to the other.

  "Come sit with me."

  She shuffled over and sat, yawning shamelessly, hoping to convey her enormous level of frustration. "What?"

  "I'd like to speak with you about Meghann."

  "Why?"

  "Daly, this is important." Laine sighed. "Please give me your full attention." Her voice remained calm but her eyes bugged out in obvious irritation.

  Daly sat still, waiting.

  "Now...." She stopped to make sure Daly was fully listening, as was her tendency.

  "Meghann is a special girl from the center with some exceedingly large challenges in her life. Yes, even more than the unplanned pregnancy. And, well, she needs nurturing beyond what I can provide for her at work."

  Daly tried to ignore the words nurturing and special, surprised her mother even had these simple little words in her huge vocabulary.

  "She may act happy on the outside, but Meghann has had a hard time."

  Daly snorted. "Yeah, so what's her story? Exactly what is so difficult?"

  "You know I can't tell you because of counselor-patient confidentiality." Laine sighed again. "Maybe if you got to know her, she'd tell you herself."

  "I'm not that curious," Daly said, chewing at a hangnail.

  "Don't be selfish. Meghann's a nice girl and she needs a positive female role model." She tightened her mouth and paused for a few seconds.

  "She needs someone closer to her own age. I can only do so much." She placed her hands on her heart and looked far too concerned.

  "Mother, I'm not exactly what someone would consider a positive female role model."

  "Whether or not that's true, there aren't many people I can ask."

  "So what am I, a last resort?" Why am I arguing? It's not like I want to do this for her, anyway.

  "Daly, please, this is difficult enough without your attitude. The truth is, you're not terribly busy these days. You're just slinking around the house wallowing in self-pity. Here's a chance to do something constructive, to help somebody other than yourself. Please do this for Meghann— do it for me."

  "You think I don't do anything? You think I don't care about anybody but myself? Oh, that's rich."

  "I don't understand you." Laine shook her head, her graying blond hair remaining taut in its ubiquitous bun. "I'm not trying to insult you. I'm trying to motivate you to do something charitable."

  "I'm busy! I'm working on my portfolio for the scholarship. Yes, I'm going to art school whether or not you approve. Just remember, I'm your daughter, not Meghann."

  "Now what does that mean? Of course, you're my daughter. I never said—"

  "You didn't have to say anything."

  The both fell quiet. Daly didn't mean to fight, but Laine had approached her at a bad time, bringing her buried anger to the surface. She envisioned drawing a representation of this scene in her journal, but it wouldn't add anything new. Almost every day of life with Laine was exactly the same. None of them were special, not like her days with Meghann.

  Laine kept her hands folded loosely in her lap. "Please do this for me?"

  "Fine, I'll take her to the mall or something. Maybe she can teach me how to get you to be nice for a change."

  "I'll disregard that last comment." Laine rushed to unzip the handbag at her feet, extracted a crisp fifty dollar bill, and pressed the money into Daly's hand. "Meet her at the high school tomorrow at three o'clock. You can pick her up and take her to Great Lakes Crossing. I'll call her parents tonight to let them know you're getting her. Thank you."

  Daly grunted, put the bill in her pocket, and headed off to bed. Painting would have to wait until tomorrow. She no longer had the energy for it tonight.

  Chapter 5

  Isn't fate just a giant excuse to avoid taking responsibility for your own life?

  "Please be late, please be late," Daly whispered a
s she watched students pour out of her old high school.

  She'd kept up her end of the deal, which meant it wouldn't be her fault if Meghann refused to show, thus canceling their plans. Besides, she doubted she'd have much in common with this boisterous young mom-to-be. Five more minutes, then I'm out of here.

  She studied the place that had held her prisoner two short years ago. The school sprawled across the grassy field; it had always seemed far too large for this tiny, little town.

  Three more minutes passed. She gripped the gearshift in anticipation.

  One more minute.

  A burst of flaming hair caught the corner of her eye.

  "So close," Daly pouted, removing her foot from the brake. She watched as Meghann strode away from the school with her head tucked to her chest, a complete foil of the girl she'd met yesterday. If not for the giant belly and fire-truck-red hair, she'd be unrecognizable.

  Daly rolled down her window and called to her.

  A few surrounding teenage girls glanced her way, their judgmental glares practically palpable. Still, the reaction of the male students was far worse.

  Just before Meghann reached the waiting car, a group of older boys closed in on her. One even reached out and slapped her on the butt.

  "Yeah, baby, I can show you a real good time." He thrust his pelvis back and forth and made obscene, grunting noises.

  Laughter roared from his circle of buddies.

  Meghann pushed through the group of boys and flung the car door open. She gave them the finger as Daly screeched away from the school.

  The boys jogged after the car. "Yeah, that's what I'm talkin' bout, baby," one shouted. "You're good at that, aren't you?" They made lewd gestures and brayed like the juvenile jackasses they were.

  Daly pressed on the gas, accelerating past the speed limit to get Meghan away from there as fast as she could.

  "Kids can be so mean," she offered, realizing she was only a couple years their senior.

  "Yeah, they can." Meghann inhaled sharply, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. She seemed too proud to let them fall down her flushed cheeks. The matching redness of her hair and face made her look like a giant cherry lollipop.

  Daly smiled despite herself, then quickly rearranged her face in a scowl. "They should not be touching you. Have you reported any of this to the school?"

  Meghann snorted and wiped at her eyes. "What good would that do? I'm a pregnant freshman. I'm as bad as it gets. I deserve whatever they can throw at me." She pinched the bridge of her nose and drew in one low, jagged breath.

  "No, you don't. Nobody deserves to be disrespected."

  "Well, seems to be what everyone thinks of me, teachers included."

  "I don't think of you like that." Daly offered her warmest smile.

  She made a left turn, passing the coffee shop where she had met Kashi, and subconsciously searched the parking lot for his car before continuing down the road.

  Meghann fiddled with the dial on the radio. Little bursts of country, metal, and classical flowed from the speakers. She settled on a soft rock station, and bobbed her head to the beat. Her skin returned to a happy peach color.

  "So," she said with her eyes on the road. "Your mom asked you to hang out with me, huh?"

  "Yeah, she did."

  "Figured as much." Meghann stretched, reaching her fingers toward her toes. "Mrs. Daly is super sweet. She's been better to me through all this than pretty much anybody else. You must love having her as a mom."

  "You'd know better than me." The ugly jealousy bubbled up from her gut—again.

  "You've fallen apart, huh? Too bad," Meghann said.

  "Yep."

  "Well, she's your mom, which means she loves you lots, even if she doesn't always do the best job of showing you." Meghann tapped her knee merrily in time to the upbeat pop song playing on the radio.

  "I guess." Daly didn't want to talk about this now, or ever for that matter. She needed to change the topic fast, so she said the first thing that popped into her head.

  "So where's the dad?"

  Meghann flinched and folded her hands in her lap. Everything felt dimmer; even Meghann's bright yellow tee shirt seemed to lose its color.

  Daly bit her lip. How could she be so insensitive? The poor girl didn't deserve to be dowsed in the overspill of her own displaced mommy issues.

  Blame Laine. She shouldn't have forced Daly to do this in the first place.

  An awkward silence filled the vehicle, then much to her surprise, Meghann answered the question.

  "You saw him. He was with that group of boys. He wasn't the one spanking me and calling me a slut, but he was there."

  "He... he was one of those boys?"

  "Yeah." Meghann snorted. "Not like he's taking responsibility or anything."

  "Oh, wow!" She'd imagined that Meghann had landed in this situation with a lovesick boyfriend who, after months of dating, had finally convinced Meghann to take the next step in expressing their love. Instead, Meghann was stuck with a patronizing deadbeat, would wouldn't even protect the mother of his child from his buddies.

  "Yeah. I don't want to talk about it, okay?"

  "Okay, sorry." Daly drummed her fingers on the worn steering wheel. New topic, new topic! "How was class?"

  Meghann shrugged. "Okay."

  Daly racked her brain. "Hey, who's your favorite band?"

  "Fleetwood Mac. Yeah, they're old, but I feel like I could listen to them for hours." A little smile lit Meghann's face.

  Daly pressed further. "I've heard of them, but I've never been much of a rock fan."

  "No, you've gotta like Fleetwood Mac. I'll bring you a CD next time I'm over, okay?"

  A pit grew in Daly's stomach. Meghann would be visiting again? This wasn't a one-time thing? "Sure. Okay."

  She turned right and joined the swarm of vehicles in search of a parking space close to the door. At last, she found a spot and pulled in.

  Meghann jumped out of the car, but paused before walking toward the entrance. "I'm glad you're taking me out, even if your mom forced you to."

  "She didn't force me."

  "Yes, she did, but that's okay." Meghann bumped Daly with her shoulder.

  "Well, she may have, initially. But now I want to." Daly smiled when she realized the words were true.

  "You want to?"

  "Yeah, I do." She returned the girl's grin. If they were going to spend time together, she might as well enjoy it.

  Together they pushed through the double glass doors leading into the JC Penny's. They were greeted by a line of mannequins garbed in mass-produced finery.

  "So what's the plan?" Meghann skipped ahead, pausing briefly to finger a pair of cheetah-print leather gloves.

  "Well, I thought we could do some window shopping and then maybe have dinner at the Rainforest Café."

  "Oh, sounds fun! I've never been to Rainforest before. Do you think twenty bucks'll be enough?" She reached for the zipper on her backpack, but Daly stopped her before she could pull out her wallet.

  "Don't worry about it. Dinner is my treat. Well, actually, my mom's."

  "Yay for Laine!" Meghann shouted, pumping her fist in the air.

  "Yay..." Daly gave a sarcastic cheer too. "So you can use the twenty you've got to buy something nice for you, or for the baby."

  "Well, there's no point in buying anything for me. Look at me." Meghann laughed, taking a step back and holding her arms out to showcase her big belly, then twirled on her toes like one of the hippopotamus ballerinas from Fantasia.

  Daly admired Meghann's grace, which forced her to look past the more obvious aspects of her physique to her classic beauty. Angular cheeks and a long nose gave her a face any painter would long to replicate on canvas. Provocative locks of red hair framed shy and unassuming green eyes. Daly imagined herself creating Meghann's likeness, stroke-by-stroke, slow and deliberate, perhaps using pastels. This girl is special, she admitted to herself, though she'd never let Laine know she had been right about somet
hing.

  Meghann's eyebrows quirked. "Daly? Um, you look a little lost in thought."

  "Sorry, I was just thinking that you look beautiful, even with your giant belly." She poked playfully at Meghann's bulging baby.

  "Okay, if you say so." Meghann rolled her eyes and giggled. "But I'm still getting something for the baby, and since I don't know whether there's a baby boy or a baby girl in here, I think we should play it safe and get a stuffed animal."

  "Good idea. I haven't been to a toy store in forever."

  They wound up in Penny's shoe department, and Daly paused to examine a pair of vibrant heels. Zigzags and stripes of every color danced from toe to heel. She flipped the shoe over and gagged at the price, and as quickly as she had snatched it up, she put it back.

  They continued to another pair of shoes. This time, Meghann picked them up and clicked the heels together.

  Daly wrinkled her nose. They were strappy green platforms.

  "Guess we have to agree to disagree when it comes to fashion." Meghann stuck her tongue out.

  "You're right about that. So, stuffed animals?"

  "Yeah, what are we doing looking at shoes anyway?" Meghann eyed her plain white Keds with disgust.

  "Let's go find the toy store." She pushed Meghann away from the shoe department.

  The two merged in and out of the mall traffic, zigzagging toward the Toys 'R Us Express shop. A small boutique caught Meghann's attention, and she pulled Daly straight to a pair of dangling sterling silver earrings hanging in the display window. Four loops intertwined, and in the middle of each lay a fake diamond.

  "Wow! Those are so pretty, don't you think?"

  Daly nodded. "Yeah, they are. Hey look, we agree on something after all!"

  "Oh, these are pretty, too." Meghann darted around the store, from one beautiful thing to the next.

  By the time she'd found her way to the lingerie section, Daly had already retrieved the chandelier earrings from the rack and paid the clerk for them.