Colors on my Canvas

chapter four

“So what are your plans for today?” my mom asked me as she sat across from me at the table. 

“I’m not really sure yet,” I replied, “I don’t know if Benny is even awake. But I kind of want to go check out that new trail a few streets over. I was going to call Benny after breakfast to see what his thoughts were.” 

“Sounds lovely, darling. Just be sure to be aware of who is around you,” she winked at me. I knew exactly what she was getting at. 

“Mom! You know nothing is going on or will go on between Benny and me,” I groaned. 

“Did I just hear something about Charlotte and Benny finally getting together?” my dad asked as he walked in from the hall. 

“Ugh, dad you know it’s nothing like that.” I stood up from the table, hoping to indicate the end of the conversation. 

I left the room as my parents continued to go on with the teasing. I slid into my room and shut the door before calling Benny. He didn’t pick up. I called him again. It was routine to call him three or four times before he answered on a Saturday morning. But he asked me to call him until he woke up, otherwise he would end up sleeping until 4 in the afternoon. 

“Hello?” Benny’s voice came groggily through the phone. 

“Morning sunshine.” 

“Oh, hey Char. What do you wanna do today?” I could hear him shuffling around in his room. 

“I kind of wanted to check out that new trail today. You know the one they just put in, down the road? I think it’s open now,” I replied as I went through my closet trying to decide what to wear. 

“Sounds like a good idea. If you hadn’t said it, I was going to,” he laughed. 

“Okay, I’ll meet you at your house in, like, 20 minutes?” 

“Okay that works. I’ll eat and get dressed. Just come in when you get here.” 

“See you soon,” I pulled on a pair of baggy ripped jeans and matched it with a black tank top. 

As I walked out of my room, I grabbed my phone and told my parents where I was going. I headed out towards Benny’s house. The short walk seemed unusually long and I was unsure as to why. I’ve made the trip thousands of times, but this one just felt different. I shook off the feeling as I walked inside the Fields’ home. Much to my surprise, Benny’s mom was in the kitchen. 

“Oh, good morning Mrs. Fields,” I greeted. 

She smiled back at me. “Good morning, Charlotte. Benny’s almost ready. Would you like anything while you wait?” 

“No, I’m okay, but thank you.” Benny had walked in from his room, still pulling a shirt over his head. 

“You ready?” he asked me. 

“Yep, all set.” 

“Okay, bye mom,” he waved over to his mom at the counter. 

“Bye, Mrs. Fields!” I called over my shoulder. 

“Have a nice time kids, don’t go too crazy.”

We jogged out of the front door and started heading towards the trails. 

“You’re mom seems better,” I commented. Benny’s parents had been going through a rough time since we were in the 6th grade. They finally divorced at the beginning of the summer. Mrs. Fields fell into a depression and would rarely eat. She wouldn’t sleep either, causing her to stay in bed until mid-afternoon. After a month or so, Benny felt comfortable enough to leave her by herself in the house. Before, he would have to stay and make sure she would eat enough. Everytime I go over there, I notice something small has changed with her, like her being in the kitchen before 10. Benny telling me that she was still doing the end of summer bash took everyone by surprise. I think her sisters did more of the work with it, though. 

“Yeah,” Benny stated simply. It was still a rocky subject for him. He hated to see his mom in the state she was in. Unlike his mom, he had me to talk to about everything going on, which helped him a lot. But it still didn’t seem to have a big effect on him. I think deep down, he was just tired of the constant yelling and was glad his dad was out of the house for good. 

Silence spread between us. 

“Alrighty Benno, what’re you thinking?” I asked as we arrived at the trail.

“If you drop a bar of soap on the ground, is the floor clean or the soap dirty?” 

I just stopped and stared at him, causing him to stop as well. He looked back at me and just laughed. 

“That..that is just not right!” I exclaimed as I started to chuckle. He was bent over laughing at that point. 

“Your...your face…,” Benny stuttered, laughing so hard he was unable to get out words. “Your face was absolutely priceless,” he finally sobered up enough to get out. 

We continued on the path, taking in all of the different sights and sounds of the woods. It was the end of August, so the leaves were just beginning to change colors. I noticed an old wooden picnic table in the middle of a clearing, and I immediately got an idea. 

“Benny let’s go!” I shouted as I jogged towards it. 

“What are you doing?” he cried as he ran to keep up with me. 

“Sit down,” I directed as I pointed to a spot on top of the table. 

“You’re lucky,” he shook his head at me as he sat. I walked a few yards away before kneeling down. 

“Now, look that way,” I pointed to my right. As soon as he had turned his head, I started snapping pictures on my phone. “Okay, now look at me and smile, please.” 

“Charlotte, you better tell me what the hell you’re doing,” he said as he followed my directions. 

“Instagram, Benjamin. You haven’t posted in ages and that needs to change.” I took a few more pictures before he got up and called me over. I showed him the pictures I took and he was pleased. 

“Alright, Char, you’re turn. Go sit.” I laughed as he began to take pictures of me on his phone. 

When he was done, I was actually pretty impressed. The angles he used for different poses were well thought out and judged very well. 

“So what do you think?” He asked. 

“These are...stunning,” I breathed out. 

“You really think so?”

“I think I’ve found my new photographer!” I smiled as Benny led us back to the trail. 

“Wait…who was it before me?” he asked with a confused expression on his face. 

“Me,” I stated with a blank face. He looked over at me and laughed.

“Well, that isn’t that hard to beat.” 

“Shut up!” I lightly punched his arm as we continued walking deeper on the trail.