In An Instant

Our lives are a kaleidoscope, all over the place. Truly never destined for one specific thing, but to be an array of colors. Never black and white, but coloured in by our own destiny’s, which can all change… In an instant.

*The night before*

My mind can’t stop thinking about life for some reason, and how things always happen so suddenly, and how the people you meet always have a purpose in who you become. That our lives are meant for so much more than just what we think it’s supposed to be.

I glance at the time on my phone and realize it is nearly eleven pm. I feel my eyes start to get drowsy, it had been some time since I had even considered taking a sip of my once hot coffee. I want to keep working on this piece but I can hardly even keep my eyes open.

Art is pretty much my life, I’ve been the master of finger painting since I could barely walk and then I was able to draw fancy stick people by the age of three. I’ve won more contests than I could count on one hand and have a photographic memory and can paint pretty much any scene I’ve ever laid eyes on. Even for a moment and I have it captured inside my mind, just waiting to be captured on the canvas placed in front of me. The talent is something that runs in the family, my mother is an amazing artist, as was my grandfather and his mother. All I wanted was my work to be placed in museums for all to see one day, to just have people mesmerized by my masterpieces.

An hour later and I had finally placed the finishing touches on my newest work, it was a beautiful sunset I had seen at my grandparents camp on the shore back when I was a child. It had the beauty of a crimson sky blended with a lingering orange. Off in the distance was a ship headed out to sea, with the waves crashing along side of it. I couldn’t wait to hand it in tomorrow for an entry to the next art contest of the semester. I wipe off my paint brush in the water and fixed up the finishing touches on the sky. “There, perfection.” I say to myself nonchalantly excited at the final product.

***

In a rush to get to class on time I grab my keys off the counter, and start to head out the door. I glance at the clock on the microwave and sigh, of course I am running late again for the third time this week. I can’t seem to get myself up at a decent hour for some reason. Just as I am about to leave the apartment, I hear some shuffling around from my room in the back corner and then what sounds like a horse galloping towards me. I smile to myself and turn around to see my dog Maisie sitting there giving me the look she always gave me as I leave the house for any reason; even to take the garbage out.

“I’ll be home later, I promise baby girl!” I reassure her reaching out to pet her soft head; she licks my fingers gently and waddles off to the living room to stretch out on her favorite blanket I have set out for her.

I love that dog so much; I had her since she was a puppy last year when my boyfriend Stephan and I found her on the side of the road in a box that read ’free puppies’. There were about 5 or 6 others in this box, soaking wet from the storm we were having. We took all of them home with us and I instantly fell in love with Maisie who was the runt of all her brothers and sisters. The rest of them went out to family and friends and anyone else that we think could want one.

Unfortunately from her rough start in life she is blind in one eye and has one patch of fur on the end of her tail that for some reason never seems to grow, but she is beautiful in my eyes and I love her. She is half Labrador and half husky with the cutest floppiest ears I’ve ever seen on a dog in my life.

I give her one last goodbye and tell her to be a good girl before fixing the plaid scarf around my neck and then I head out into the hallway of my third floor apartment. I am greeted by my neighbor Mrs. Taylor who is waving a newspaper in the hallway, shes a strange old lady but I never questioned her behavior. I just try to ignore it and walk past her to the stairs before I hear her soft voice speak.

“Oh Delilah! Be careful out there sweetie, it’s quite a stormy day!” She tells me holding out a black umbrella and trying to hand it to me.

“Thank you for the heads up Mrs. Taylor but I don’t think an umbrella is going to do much in this snowstorm. You have a nice day though.” I tell her declining the offer of the umbrella and hurrying down the corridor to the staircase that led to the lobby of the building.

“Don’t let the cats out! The cats know everything!” I hear her shout as I was halfway down the stairs. I shake my head and continue walking down the stairs.

She always says strange things like that so I don’t think twice about it. The man at the front desk greets me with a wave and the usual, “Be careful in that storm!” that he always says to me when it was storming out.

Giving him a nod I button up my jacket and throw my hood over my head before heading out to my car, the air is icy and the wind is strong as it ascended the snow that fell from the gray sky all over the ground in twisters of snowfall.

I unlock my car as quickly as I can before I jump inside and turn on the engine so I can get warmed up as I am already starting to feel the effects of the snowstorm in my frozen hands.

Luckily it never took long to warm up my vehicle and as soon as I could feel my fingers again I pull out of the parking lot and made my way towards the college.

***

“Okay class, your thesis for the end of semester project is due at the end of next week; please make sure to not leave it until the last minute.” My English professor tells the class and making sure to eye me down as he mentions that final bit. I am incredibly bad with waiting until the last minute to do anything, I know everyone in college is but I am the absolute worst with procrastination.

I hear a couple of snickers ring out from people in class including my best friend Sierra; I shoot her a look which made her laugh even more.

“Gee, thanks.” I laugh sarcastically getting up and stuffing my binders in my bag as we got ready to head out for lunch.

“You know it’s true!” She says patting me on the back as we exit the classroom. I feel a light buzz in my pocket and reach in to grab my phone and see a text from Stephan.

‘Just got out of class, meet you in the cafeteria in 5!’ it reads.

I smile and send a heart faced emoticon back and a simple ‘See you soon!’

Stephan and I have been dating for nearly 3 years now, and it hasn’t been the easiest relationship I’ve ever been in. We’ve had our ups and downs like most relationships do, and the occasional fight here and there but other than that everything has been amazing.

We met in our Junior year of High School, he was the new guy every girl instantly fell in love with but for some strange reason he only had eyes for me, and no one else. He first asked me to hang out after we finished a huge project for science class which ended with a volcano blowing up in both of our faces resulting in endless laughter.

Sierra and I arrive in the cafeteria, the noise of all the chit-chat and laughter ringing throughout the room. I scan the room for a moment and finally spot Stephan leaning against a wall, his arms crossed and he’s chatting with some friends. He seems to be really engaged in the conversation and he doesn’t seem to notice when I approach him at first. So I fling my arms around his neck and put my hands over his eyes, he turns around abruptly and pretends to be surprised.

“Oh, hey babe; you remember Kyle and Jason from the old band right?” He asks pointing out the two guys he is talking to.

“How could I forget?” I snickered rolling my eyes, remembering back to their ‘band’ they had back in High School. A gig here and there but it never really lasted long, but he was really consumed in it. He still played his guitar every now and again but was never serious about it as he was studying law.

He puts his arm around me and places a soft kiss on my forehead, I smile and lean my head into his chest and breathe in the scent of his cologne. I recognize it as the one I bought him last year for his birthday.

“How was class?” He inquires pulling away from me and brushing the hair out of my eyes like he always does.

“It was…enlightening.” I joke and Sierra chuckles in agreement.

“Oh really now, I’m hungry are you hungry babe?”

“I could eat.”

“See you guys later! Hit me up some time and we’ll jam or something.” Stephan says waving to the guys and heading off with Sierra and I to the line.

“I think I want pizza.” I declare looking over the menu at the different types of pizza and order one with just cheese as I hated anything else, especially pepperoni.

“I don’t know what it is you have against pepperonis.” Stephan laughs as he was handed his plate of a cheese burger and French fries.

“I just don’t like them; they freak me out and remind me of old people.”

“Okay that’s just wrong.” Sierra puts in making a face.

“So you see my point right?” I laugh sitting down with my pizza at our usual table in the cafeteria.

“Not really, but whatever floats your boat my dear.” He laughs pulling me close to him for a brief moment before taking a bite out of some fries.

That’s what I love the most about Stephan and I, we have things in common but we also had things that we had different opinions about and it’s never been a problem. We just laugh at each other’s expense and move on. It’s a wonderful feeling.

After we finish eating Stephan and I say our goodbyes for the day and he heads off to his next class, I know I won’t see him until tomorrow as he has to work tonight at the restaurant his parents own and I have a study session that will probably last a few hours.

Sierra and I head to the library to finish up an assignment before our next class had started started, I can feel myself starting to get sleepy so we decide to get some coffee before going to the library; our usual routine before a study session.

On our way to the library I pass by a flyer hanging in the hallway, the excitement grows inside me as I read the details of the flyer.

ART EXHIBIT CONVENTION

HELD IN THE AUDITORIUM, NOVEMBER 17TH

ALL ENTRIES MUST BE IN BY THE END OF NEXT WEEK

ARTISTS OF ALL SKILL LEVELS WELCOME

FREE ENTRY

WINNER GETS AN ART PIECE OF THEIR CHOICE IN THE TOWN MUSEUM

“I just have to enter this contest!” I exclaim to Sierra, it is my dream to have any of my art put up in a museum.

“Do it, what do you have to lose?” She says, always giving me the encouragement I need.

I take a photo of the flyer and make a mental note in my head to submit one of my works to the art professor before sometime today. I’m nervous but most excited to have this opportunity presented to me.

***

“Wow, what a beautiful piece of art!” My favorite art Professor Mrs. Shelly says to me as I hand her the piece I had worked on practically all night. “And you said you painted this by memory from your grandparents cabin when you where a child?”

“Yes indeed! I have a photographic memory and can remember nearly anything I’ve looked at and paint it on a canvas.”

“I think you should definitely enter this one for the art exhibit, it’s seriously beautiful and very detailed work. You’ll win for sure. I know you have my vote 100%.” She proudly tells me handing me back a test from the previous week.

I glance at it and smile because I score a near perfect 97%, I thank her and walk to my seat at the back of the classroom and begin sketching my next piece I plan to work on. Stephan and I walking in the snow on a chilly afternoon, hand in hand.

***

“Did you hear about the party at Patty Hamilton’s house next Wednesday?” Sierra asks me as we sit around a table in the library later day day waiting for some classmates to join us for our evening study session.

“Yes I did, Stephan and I were thinking of going. You should bring that Jordan guy that you’ve been seeing!”

“You mean that I WAS seeing.” She groans taking out her textbook and laptop to prepare.

“Ah, enough said. No worries, we’ll find you someone.” I tell her patting her on the back and she lets out a small smile as she boots up her laptop.

“I’ll just go solo.”

“Or you can do that.”

Just then everyone attending our study session enters the library and sits around the tables we have set up.

“I brought donuts!” Kaitlyn Mathews declares placing a giant box of sprinkled donuts on the table, my stomach grumbles just looking at them.

“Well I guess this is a snack session instead of a study session now.” I remark reaching in to grab one.

“There are rules to the donuts!” Kaitlyn declares passing around one doughnut to the other 5 members of the study group. “Everyone starts out with one doughnut, and after every HOUR of endless studying you can have another one.”

“That’s just wrong.” A boy named Devon grumbles taking a bite out of his.

“Call it, a reward system for good behavior.” Kaitlyn laughs punching him on the shoulder and sitting down after passing out donuts to everyone.

The night flys by smoothly, the group helping each other with memorizing definitions for the upcoming exam next week. I glance at the time on my phone, it is 9:35, I want to leave soon so I can take my time getting home in this stormy weather.

Everyone else has the same idea that I have as we all start packing up our things to leave.

“Wait one more thing guys; don’t forget to finish your thesis that is due NEXT WEEK for English class!” Kaitlyn says to us as we all take another delicious doughnut for the rode.

Sierra nudges me and I just sneer at her as I gather my binders and my laptop together.

“Whoa, the storm has really gotten bad! Be careful out there!” She warns me as we both head out to our cars which are parked on either side of the parking lot. I can hardly see the road as I pull out of the school and onto the road. The only light is from my headlights, all the lights on the road seemed to be burned out or broken as the street is covered in a blanket of darkness.

I drive carefully making sure to pay attention to my surroundings as I near my way home, it is going well until I pull up onto an intersection and abruptly try to step onto the breaks but they seem to be stuck and I cannot stop my car.

Before I have a chance to react I feel my car fly onto the other side of the road and crash hard into a pole, my head bounces and hits the stirring wheel abruptly. I take my glove off my hand and reach up to feel a bit of blood dripping down from my forehead, I groan in pain.

“Shit!” I swear out loud as I plan to get out and inspect the damages. But in a moment of horror I see two bright lights flying into my direction. A truck crashes hard into me and everything goes into slow motion as I fly from the broken window and onto the cold snowy ground.

I feel flashes of my life zip throughout my vision as I lay there staring up at the wintry sky, the pain turning into numbness and then in an instant everything around me begins getting fuzzy before going into a deep dark blackness.

It’s all over for me now.