August 30, 2009
School was about to be starting up again. I had calmed down a little more with each passing day, visiting Mrs. Thorn in the hospital as often as possible. She really was an optimist; seeing the bright side even when any day could be her last. I was given a lecture by Mrs. Thorn about my destruction, but my parents never did punished me like I wanted. I felt ashamed for my outburst after discussing it with my prior teacher, but I felt so much more relaxed in my pure black and white bedroom. There was something so wholesome and flawless about seeing the only two colors I could. It was like my little bit of heaven.
May 08, 2009
I don't know how I managed to get through my senior year of high school. Mrs. Thorn still gave me pointers even from her hospital bed, but it felt strange to have to go it alone for the most part; I had almost always had her by my side. One day in May I went to go see how Mrs. Thorn was doing and invite her to my graduation ceremony, but she didn't look good. My heart sank at the thought of her no longer being around. But she assured me she would be there, that she wouldn't miss it for the world. I believed her for selfish reasons. I was so selfish when it came to Mrs. Thorn, but I'd rather be selfish and keep her than not.
June 16, 2009
Mrs. Thorn never did get to make it to my graduation. I felt so disconnected, more so than ever before. The ceremony droned on. Never once did I allow myself to soak up in my accomplishment, because I wouldn't even be here if it weren't for that amazing teacher. People congratulated me and pictures were taken left and right. It all felt surreal though; something was obviously wrong.
When I got home there was nothing to celebrate. I took my sunglasses off and walked over to our answering machine in hopes of good news for my beloved teacher. There was only one message on it, and its contents took me to a dark place I had never gone before. She had died. I had been at a stupid high school ceremony while she breathed her last breath.
There are no words to describe the days that followed, but I will say this:
That day I came to the realization that it's more of a disability to walk around with the crutch of something hanging over your head than the view of a colorless world. My life may be hard, but it's not impossible. Normalcy is the repetitive functions of everyday life; the real burden lies in unexpected tragedy, not the obstacles we familiarize ourselves with. Color or not, a frown was still a frown and heartache set me back farther than anything else in this life. I would take things one day at a time, because that's how she always told me to go about it. I can still hear her telling me that a black and white rainbow held its colors in shades of gray.
It would be hard, but my life would continue and I'd see the rainbow from my own perspective, just like Mrs. Thorn wanted.
Author's Note: I would like to clear up that this is a work of fiction. This is also the last part, so I hope you all enjoyed my story. Thank you so much for reading!
