Lies, Lies And More Lies✔️

42: What Do You See?

"Wow, you really know your art." Derrek said, once I was done speaking. I could tell by the look on his face that all he could see was a bunch of colored lines.

"Yeah. I'm an artist." I told him and he glanced at me with eyebrows raised in disbelief. He seemed surprised, just like the first time I had told him.

"I never would have pegged you for an artist."

"No one does." I sighed as I recalled the night I had spent in Derrek's apartment. The night he had made me a delicious meal. I could recall all the conversations we'd had that night and it hurt that he couldn't. I was the only one carrying our memories.

"I want to hear your thoughts on this one. It's my favorite one here." He said as he led the way, back up to the first floor. He took me to a still life painting by the far right of the floor. It was a painting of a shirtless man in the middle of the violent sea on a small boat. "What do you think the story behind this one is?" He turned to me and I glanced back at him.

"I'll tell you but I want to hear your interpretation first. Why is it your favorite?"

"Well," He began. "For starters, it's the only piece here I can actually understand." He chuckled.

"Alright. Tell me what you see." I said and he took a deep breath, squinting his eyes slightly as he stared at the painting.

"I see someone who's lost and all he has to keep him from being swallowed by the stormy seas is a little wooden boat." He paused, staring intensely at the painting as if he was trying to figure something out. "What do you see?" He turned to me a moment later.

"I see fear." I said after a few moments of assessing the painting.

"What?"

"The sea is fear. He's so focused on the violent sea or his fear that he doesn't realize that the sun is shining right above him and a beautiful rainbow stretches across the sky." I explained. "His fear is stopping him from seeing how amazing life can be and until he has the courage to lift his head, he would never know."

"What if he can't see the sun even when he lifts his head?" Derrek asked a few moments later and I glanced back at him. He briefly glanced at me and I saw a confused emotion in his eyes. "What if he can't see because he literally cannot see?"

"You mean if he's visually impaired?" I asked and he nodded.

"He could be feeling the sun's warmth on his skin and the rays of the sun on his face but if he can't see the sun for himself, he would never know for sure if it was really there or it was only the figment of his imagination."

I had the strangest feeling that Derrek wasn't just talking about the painting anymore.

"Derrek?"

"I can feel my memories hanging just over my head and I'm trying so hard to see them but I just can't." He said with frustration in his voice. "The doctor says not to try too hard, that the memories will comeback to me eventually but I don't think I can wait that long."

"Why? Is there something in particular you're trying to remember?" I asked. My heart had began to pound in my chest once again. I don't know what I was expecting him to say but I wanted him to say something I wanted to hear.

"It's, um, it's nothing." He said, shaking his head. He put a smile on his face and turned to me. "I shouldn't burden you with my problems. We're here to enjoy the art, aren't we?"

I was about to tell him that I didn't mind and he could tell me what was on his mind but then I was cut off by a high pitched voice.

"Derrek! I've been looking all over for you!" Candice rushed up to him and clung onto his arm as she gave me a look that said 'Who the hell are you?'.