True Colors

“Hi, my name is Richard, but everyone calls me Ricky—I’m six and a half.”

“Hi Ricky! I’m Jimmy. I’m six, too.”

“I’m six and a half! I’ll be seven in September.”

“My mom says I’ll be six and a half next month.”

“Hey, we’re practically the same age.”

”That means we’ll be in the same grade. Are you gonna go to Faulkner Ridge Elementary?”

”I think so. Do you go there?”

“Uh-huh. It’s close enough we can walk there. Do you want to be friends?”

“Sure, I don’t have any friends here. That means you can be my best friend.”

“Okay!”

“Whatcha doin’?”

“I’m catching salamanders.”

“Cool. I love salamanders. Wait, what’s a salamander?”

“I don’t know. It’s kinda like a lizard. There are a bunch of them here in the creek. I catch ‘em and put ‘em in this jar.”

“They’re black. B. L. A. C. K.”

“Yep, and a little slimy”

“What do you do with them?”

“I don’t know. I just look at them, then I let them go. I don’t think they like being in a jar.”

“The lid on that jar is silver. S. I. L. V. E. R.”

”Ricky?”

”What?”

“Why do you spell everything?”

“I don’t know. Mostly I just spell colors. My dad says learning to spell makes you smart, and I love different colors. Don’t you?”

“I guess so. I’m not a very good speller.”

“My dad says you just have to practice. Your shorts are blue. B. L. U. E.”

“My shirt is red, how do you spell red?”

“R. E. D.”

“R. E. D. I spelled red!”

“Yes you did. See, my dad was right.”

“Wanna help me catch salamanders?”

“Sure, what do I do?”

“You move the rocks, and I’ll scoop ‘em up when they come out.”

”Do I have to pick the rocks up?”

”Nah, just wiggle ‘em a little bit”

“Ok.”

“Where do you live?”

“In that house right there, the white one. W. H. I. T. E.”

“I live in the green one next door. How do you spell green?”

“G. R. E. E N.”

“G. R. E. E. N.”

“My dad is really smart—he’s a dentist.”

“A dentist, like for braces and stuff?”

“No, that’s an orthodontist. My dad helps keep your teeth clean and fills cavities. What does your dad do?”

“I don’t have a dad.”

“Everybody has a dad.”

“I had a dad, but he’s dead. He was a policeman. He died when I was two.”

“Do you remember him?”

“Nah, not really. My mom shows me pictures of him, but I don’t remember anything about him. He wore a blue uniform. B. L. U, right?”

“B. L. U. E. don’t forget the E."

“B. L. U. E. I told my mom I want to be a policeman, too.”

“What did she say?”

“She said I should be a doctor. I don’t think I can be a doctor—they’re way smarter than me.”

“You can be a doctor. My dad said you can be whatever you want to be.”

“Maybe I can be a salamander catcher?”

“And I’ll be your helper. I'm Ricky the Rock Mover.”

“Ha! You’re too smart. What do you really want to be?”

“I’m going to be a dentist like my dad.”

“Can I tell you something? You won’t get mad, will you?”

“I don’t think so. What is it?”

“I don’t like dentists. I’m scared of them.”

“You don’t need to be scared. My dad helps people. If your mouth hurts, he makes it all better. Maybe you can come over to my house and meet my dad sometime. Maybe he’ll look at your teeth.”

“I can ask my mom.”

“Can I tell you something? You can’t get mad either.”

“Sure, we’re friends, right?”

“Best friends.”

“Then let's make a pact to never get mad at each other. Is it a deal?”

“It’s a deal.”

“So what were you going to tell me?”

“I don’t like policemen. My mom says you have to be careful around them.”

“But policemen help people—they keep you safe.”

“My dad says that, too, but my mom doesn’t like them.”

“I’m not sure I understand. Sometimes parents are silly. Hey, do you want to switch for a while? I’ll move the rocks while you catch the salamanders.”

“I’ve never caught a salamander before.”

“You can catch one now. Are you ready?”

“I think so.”

“You got him! First try!”

“I can’t believe it! Can I show my mom? She'll be so happy.”

“I don’t know. Moms don’t like salamanders as much as we do.”

“You’re right. She gets afraid easily.”

“One day when I’m a policeman, I’ll come and talk to your mom and tell her not to be afraid of salamanders or policemen.”

“That would be cool.”

“Then we could have some ice cream.”

“Ice cream is not good for your teeth.”

“We need to keep our teeth white. W. H. I. T. E. Just like your house.”

“You’re almost as good a speller as me.”

“You taught me how to spell, and I taught you to catch salamanders"

"Jimmy, I'm glad you were here today."

"Me too but I’m going to have to leave soon. Are you ready to let the salamanders go?”

“But why can’t we keep them?”

“I tried to keep them once, but they all died. I don’t blame them. I wouldn’t want to live in a jar either.”

“I guess you’re right.”

“Want to meet here again tomorrow? We can catch more salamanders or pretend we are pirates or something like that.”

“I’d like that. It sounds like a lot of fun.”

“Bye, Jimmy.”

“Bye!”

* * * * * * * * * *

“Jimmy, what in the world were you doing? You are covered in mud and soaked to the bone.”

“I was down at the creek catching salamanders.”

“You know I don’t like it when you go to the creek by yourself.”

“I wasn’t by myself, Mom. I was with Ricky.”

“Ricky? Who is that?”

“He’s my new best friend. He and his mom and dad moved into the house next door. His dad is a dentist. He says I don’t have to be afraid of dentists.”

“Next door? In the Johnson’s old house?”

“Yes, he was teaching me to spell and helping me catch salamanders. He caught one on his very first try.”

“Jimmy, what color is Ricky?”

“What do you mean?”

“I saw them move in. What color is his skin?”

“He’s black, Mom. B. L. A. C. K. He taught me how to spell that.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t hang around with him.”

“Why? He’s my new friend.”

“I don’t know. Your friends should be like you, do you understand?"

“I don't think so.”

“We can talk more about it later. Right now go wash up for dinner.”

“Okay, but wait Mom, guess what?"

“What?”

“I can hang around with Ricky. He’s actually just like me. We’re both six and we both like catching salamanders. We also like to pretend to be pirates. Anyway, he’s my best friend, okay?”

“O-okay.”

“Maybe Ricky can come for dinner tomorrow.”

“Maybe, He is your best friend.”

"Thanks mom."

"Go get washed up, oh and Jimmy..."

"What mom?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."