Colby really didn't want to go with his mother to the picnic downtown but she had dragged him from his dark room and into the car before he could do anything about it. To Colby the picnic was boring, as he had attended the one last year. Everyone from the community comes together and grills hamburgers and hotdogs, little kids get to sell lemonade for a dollar and they have an apple pie eating contest. Colby had grown old of the event a few years ago when all his friends stopped going and after his brother died. It was just more human interaction that he hated. He somehow managed to get out of going a few times but each year his mother would try to pry him out of his room and into the world. She had succeeded this time.
So Colby leaned against the door, a frown on his face as his mother drove past the field where the picnic was taking place. Kids were already running around in the heat of the day, adults mingling by the grills talking like they hadn't seen each other yesterday. He knew most everyone in his neighborhood so it made no sense for him to come. Tables were set up sporadically, some with plates and food, others vacated.
"Now Colby, act like you want to be here," his mother said once pulling into an empty parking spot. Colby rolls his eyes and opens the car door. He walks around to the trunk as his mother starts handing him trays of food. He holds the three trays while his mother carries two more.
"This way," she calls him. He follows behind her slowly, dragging his feet, wishing he could just go home. They pass a few people on their way to the tables. "What did you bring this year?" They all asked and each time his mother would reply, "The usual."
The usual was two trays of macaroni and cheese, one tray of green bean casserole and the last two trays were her famous chocolate chip cookies. Everyone always loved Colby's mothers cookies, so she always brings two trays.
As Colby walked behind his mother, he glanced at the tiny playground near the pond. He had many memories playing there as a child with his older brother, swimming in the pond with his friends. Colby missed those days where he didn't have a care in the world and he could play until sunset. He noticed little kids running up the steps to slide down the slide, kids climbing the monkey bars. They shouted to one another and he envied their smiles and laughter. A movement near the oak tree by the pond caught his eye.
A smaller boy with blonde hair was bent over picking at the grass by the trees roots. He was clothed in black jeans and a white shirt. And it looked like he was wearing a hat of some sort. Colby's never seen him before and he wondered where he lived.
"Colby, hurry up," he heard his mother shout. Colby turned away from the boy and saw his mother had already made it to the table. While he was looking at the mysterious boy, Colby had stopped in his tracks. He hurried and caught up with her, setting the three trays down. He watched her organize them with the other trays. Colby's mother was very friendly unlike him and he watched as she chatted with the people near her.
"Colby dear, why don't you get yourself something to eat," his mother said. It was about an hour later, Colby had found himself a shady spot and was laying on his back. He left his mother to do the talking. Colby sits up to see a soft smile on her face, she herself was holding a bowl of salad.
He doesn't respond instead gets up and makes his way over to the grill, where most of the men are. He spots the blonde boy again and this time Colby can fully see him. He had baby blue eyes that shinned in the sunlight, dimples when he spoke and sitting atop his blonde locks was a flower crown, not a hat.
"Hotdog or hamburger son?" A deep voice broke his attention from the smaller boy and he looked at the man. The man who spoke was pointing down at the plate of food, waiting for Colby to make a decision. Colby points to the hotdog and the man picks one up and places it on his plate. Colby walks to the condiment table and loads his hotdog with ketchup.
He searches for the blonde boy again but doesn't find him. So he makes his way back to his mother. She was sitting next to a woman he didn't recognize when he returned. She had long blonde hair and green eyes. Her smile was wide and her teeth were perfectly straight. Colby sat criss cross next to his mother.
"Ah this is my son, Colby," his mother announces. "Colby this is Mrs. Golbach. She and her family moved in last week."
Mrs. Golbach extends her hand for Colby to shake which he does. "Nice to meet you Colby," she says brightly showing her teeth. She was expecting Colby to say it back but he didn't. Her smile fell.
"Oh he doesn't talk," Colby's mother explains to which Mrs. Golbach raises her eyebrows. This is why Colby hates going out. His mother was always left explaining why Colby doesn't talk, why he doesn't speak to anyone.
"His older brother drowned a couple years back. Unfortunately Colby saw the whole thing and was scared for life. He hasn't spoken a word since."
He internally groaned at his mothers explanation. Although the story was true she doesn't understand the full effect. Colby did watch his brother die in that swimming pool years ago. He had screamed his lungs out trying to get help and no one came. He shouted for anyone that could hear him. And nobody did. Colby would have jumped in himself if he knew how to swim. So ever since then Colby decided he wasn't worthy of speaking anymore. If he couldn't save his brother, he shouldn't be allowed to speak.
"Oh my God, that's terrible. I'm so sorry," Mrs. Golbach extends her condolences to Colby's mother. After a few more moments of them talking, the woman notices someone behind them.
"Oh look here comes my son," she squeals excitedly. She calls him over. Colby ate the last bite of his hotdog as he hears the grass crunch under the boys feet.
"This is Sam, my second child," Mrs. Golbach says. Colby glances up at the boy, squinting his eyes because of the sun. Standing in front of him was the blonde mysterious boy he's been seeing. A small smile was etched across his face and his flower crown looked like a halo with the way the sun was shinning on it.
"Hi, I'm Sam. And you are?" He directed his attention to Colby. Just this once, Colby wished to speak.
"This is Colby," his mother said for him. Sam darts his eyes in her direction before looking at his mother. Sam is still smiling but Colby could see the confusion in his eyes. His eyes asked 'why isn't the boy speaking'?
"Colby, why don't you show Sam around the park," his mother said. And Colby glared at her because that was a terrible idea. She knew he wouldn't speak to the boy. But he stood up and motioned with his head for Sam to follow.
"Maybe they'll become friends. Colby needs a friend," he heard his mother whispers before going out of earshot. It made his veins boil with anger. He didn't need friends, he was fine by himself. Friends meant he had to talk and he didn't want to do that.
"So like why don't you talk?" Sam questions Colby as they walk past the playground. The kids were screaming and running around. Colby shrugs, he can have his mother explain when they return from the tour. He was used to people asking, he used to get angry when they asked but now he lets it roll off his shoulders.
Sam trails a little bit behind him, stealing glances at the brunette. He fixes his flower crown since it was tilted from the wind. And Colby wanted to tell him he looked pretty with the flower crown on but of course he didn't. The blue and white roses complimented his eyes and took Colby's breath away.
"Hey look flowers. Cmon lets go over there," Sam said suddenly tugging Colby off the dirt trail. Colby gasps at the contact of Sams hand around his wrist. He let Sam drag him over to a nearby bush where Sam immediately started picking the red flowers. Colby watched him, his tongue was poking out of his thin lips in concentration. Once he had a handful, he turns to Colby.
"Here hold these. I think there's some more back here," Sam says, as Colby holds out his hands for the flowers that Sam had picked. He knew going further off the trail was a bad idea but he, of course, kept his mouth shut and followed Sam.
He watched Sam become like a child, picking the colorful flowers without a care, handing some to Colby so he could pick more.
"If you couldn't tell I really love flowers. I made flower crowns with them. Where I used to live we didn't have very many but here... oh there's so many," Sam exclaimed turning in circles. A smile etched its way on to Colby's face.
"We used to live in LA, there's not many trees or any sort of nature there. It's just a concrete jungle, ya know," Sam continued. He knelt down to spread all his collected flowers out. He motions for Colby to lay his out too.
"Anyway, do you want one?" Sam asks staring over at Colby. Colby was confused as to what Sam was asking. All he could think about was how beautiful Sam looked in his blue and white rose flower crown. He looked like an angel with a halo.
"I can make you one. What's your favorite colors?" Sam continues, not noticing the way Colby was looking at him. Colby glances down at the colorful flowers and points to his favorite color: red.
"Red? That's it? Ok," Sam says sorting out all the red picked flowers.
As Sam was picking out all the red flowers from his stack, Colby noticed his flower crown was tilting. Gravity was doing its job and it was slowly creeping off Sams head. Colby suddenly reaches over and fixed it, making sure it was secured around Sams blonde head.
"Oh, thank you," Sam stutters, a blush forming on his face. He lifts his hands to pat the crown down. Sam caught Colby's eyes and they had an intense staring contest.
"Why don't you talk?" Sam questions again, eyes still connected to Colby's. Colby blinks.
"I wanna hear your voice," Sam said smiling softly. Now it was Colby's turn to blush, a deep crimson spreading across his face. His body got goosebumps too. Colby so badly wanted to talk but he knew he couldn't. He looked down at the two piles of flowers, red ones and the colorful ones.
"Fine, I won't force you to talk. But I will eventually get you to speak," Sam says giggling, he clearly wasn't mad at Colby for choosing not to talk. And Colby was grateful.
Colby glances behind him hoping Sam would get the message that he wants to go back. And Sam understands. He collects his red flowers and stand up. His flower crown once again almost falling off his head but since his hands were full he couldn't fix it.
"Colby, my crown," he yells in fear. Colby runs up to the smaller boy and fixes his flower crown. But Colby still thinks it looks like a halo.
They make their way back to the trail and headed back to the ending picnic. Colby finds his mother still sitting with Sams mom. His mothers eyes widen once seeing the boys approach.
"How was the tour?" She asks excitedly.
"It was great. We picked flowers," Sam laughs. Colby's mother glances at Sams full hands and laughs too. Colby smiles.
"Well Sam, we better get back home. Still have a lot of unpacking to do," Sams mother tells him. Colby watches Sams eyes fall.
"I have to make a flower crown for Colby," Sam tells her. Sams mom glances at me and back to Sam.
"Oh really? I thought you were only allowed to wear them?"
This causes Colby's eyebrows to shoot to the top of his head. Sam fiddles with his fingers after placing the red flowers into a bowl. A deep blush was on both boys cheeks.
"Well Colby can wear one too," Sam decided.
"Ok why don't you tell Colby where we live and give him your number. And once you're done he can come over to collect it," Sams mother explains.
Colby thought it was a good idea, texting was way easier than talking, though he rarely had anyone to text. So after exchanging numbers, Colby watched as Sam skipped beside his mother as they went to their car. And he wondered how long it would take Sam to finish his flower crown because he couldn't wait to see the pretty boy again.
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(there'll be a part 2 hehe)