Orange Skies

It's bright, and warm. Henry opens his eyes, to the half-closed blinds, revealing the sun's scorching rays. He sits up and allows the sun to burn his charcoal, dark skin. Rising from his race car shaped bed, with sheets that used to be plump and soft but have transformed into flat, uncomfortable lumps that he still feels safe in, Henry goes to his mother's room.

He quietly opens the white painted door, and takes a few steps in, so that the door can once again be closed.

Her carpet was soft. It tickled Henry's feet, and he hated it, but this morning in particular, he let the carpet's, what he did not know the name for at the time, hug his small, child toes. He smirked and forced down his giggle as he realized, it began to tickle his feet.

His failed attempt to tippy toe onto his mother's bed, woke her up. She rolled over to stare at her son, in a walking position, frozen, hoping no one could see him.

"You up baby?" Her voice like butter, coming out of her brown, full lips, caressed Henry's ears like a mother holding her baby, singing it to sleep.

"Yes." Henry said innocently. He straightened his posture and stared down at his toes, mushing the carpet.

"Jiggly, come here. Yes stand right there, I want to see you." She moved to the edge of the bed, almost as if she didn't want to move at all. Henry stood in front of her, still grasping the ground with his eyes.

"I'm sorry for waking you. I just wanted to lay down next down to you." He smiled. Henry looked up slowly, and saw his mother's smile. Seeing it, he felt snug. His mother's smile, cuddled his soul like a child cuddling a teddy bear when they are scared, except, Henry wasn't scared. He felt, safe. He felt, okay. He felt, alive.

"It's okay baby. Climb on the bed, I'll turn on the AC. It's hot, ain't it? The news says it's gonna be around 90 degrees. Another heatwave." As Henry's mother got off the bed, to turn on the AC, Henry tried to get on the bed.

He struggled to climb on the bed since his legs were still so short. He tried jumping, but scraped his foot on the metal bed frame. He winced in pain but endured it. So he thought maybe a running start will help?

As he began to walk back, his mother asked "Jiggly, what are you doing? Come here." She walked over and picked him up and set him on the bed.

He pouted a little at the realization he couldn't get up himself but soon became confused.

"Momma, why do you call me 'Jiggly'?" He asked.

"Well, I don't know really. It was a joke when you were a baby, to be honest with you." Said his mother climbing back on the bed.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, when you were a baby, and you first began walking, you were really chubby."

"I was fat?" Said Henry in a surprised tone.

"No, not fat. Chubby. There was this one day, when I had seen you walking towards me, without a shirt on, and I noticed how much your stomach jiggled every time you took a step." She giggled.

"Oh, well okay. But don't call me that."

"What? Why?" Asked his mother hugging him.

"Because I'm a big boy now. I may only be eight, but I am a big boy." Said Henry, escaping form his mother's grasp, standing on the bed and moving into a superhero pose.

His mother giggled and grabbed him, so he began laughing too.

"Say, why don't we go out somewhere today. Hm?"

"Go where?" Laughed Henry.

"I don't know. Let's just go for a drive and see." Smiled his mother.

Once again her smile made him feel like he could do anything. Like he could conquer the world, like he could become someone great.

"Okay!" Henry said excitedly.

His mother told him to choose his best outfit.

As his mother took a shower, Henry got dressed and decided to wear a mandarin orange t-shirt, that read 'Louisiana Night' in white and pastel orange embroidery.

He struggled to put on his white shorts, but managed to do it himself. He smirked at his accomplishment of doing something on his own. He hated asking others to do things for him.

After grabbing his shoes, dotted with tiny orange slices, he runs out of his room with his bag and throws it on the couch. He runs back into his mother's room and looks at himself in the mirror.

He continues to strike poses, feeling more and more confident when his mother begins to give him compliments.

"Look at my baby. Get it girl- I mean- boy?" His mother laughed.

"Momma!" Pouted Henry. He crossed his arms and tried to hold back his laughter as his mother couldn't resist cackling at her mistake.

"I'm sorry, baby." She says while thinking 'He looks just like his father'.

His mother finished putting on her clothes. Wearing an orange sundress that hugged her curves, accentuating her fit anatomy. The bright marigolds, evenly spread across the white background of her dress, almost made it look like they were growing.

The live, orange color against her dark skin, showed off her natural glow, even more with the cocoa butter.

Finishing her hair, in a slicked, back bun she calls for Henry to grab some water to pack for the trip since it was so hot.

They are finally ready to leave, when the doorbell rings.

"Hello? Are you Miss Ellie Johnson?" Asked a husky voice.

"Yes, I am. I didn't know mail came so early in the morning." She said grabbing a stack of letters and a small box, covered with orange wrapping paper, that had a note which read: 'Louisiana nights, are something special. Living dreams and nothing else too, worry about but my love for you. Ellie, my love, I made this gift on our 14th anniversary. I gave these to my mom, to hold onto until Henry hit ten years old. As you're reading this I want you to remember...',

"...Orange skies represent the end of your sadness. We met during the sunset, and Henry was born during one. I love you, forever and always, Reed."

"What did you say? Momma, what's that box?" Asked Henry pointing at a black, velvet box. It was thin and about the size of Henry's forearm. It had a gold clip on the front that unlocked the box.

"Let's open it and see, baby." Ellie's jawed dropped in shock.

"Momma, what is it?" Henry got up from his seat to see what his mother was looking at.

"It's a bracelet and a necklace." She placed the box on the coffee table and grabbed the necklace and allowed her weakened legs, to let her fall onto the couch.

"Momma. Does it have a picture?" Said Henry.

She opened the locket and began to tear up. The locket had a picture of her and Henry's father on the left, smiling on the night he proposed. On the right, showed Henry and his dad holding a trophy after Henry's first baseball game.

"Is that daddy?" Asked Henry innocently.

"Yes it is baby. I can't believe I forgot." Sniffled Ellie.

"Forgot what?" Said Henry picky up the bracelet from the box.

"It's your father's death anniversary."

"I thought it was his birthday today." Said Henry confused.

"Oh baby, you were too young so you don't remember. Your father died..." Ellie hesitated. "On his birthday." The statement made Henry put the bracelet down and forced him to sit on the couch across from his mother.

Henry's father, Reed Johnson, one of the greatest baseball players to touch the ground of Louisiana, had died, along with several of his teammates, on the way back from their winning game. The same day, his wife and child went out to buy a birthday cake, their love and light in the world, had died after suffering a brain injury.

"Oh, the day daddy didn't come home." Henry didn't know how to react. It wasn't like he didn't care, more like, 'How do I feel?'. "Momma don't cry. Here, look at the bracelet. What does, 'H+E+R' mean?". Asked Henry picking up the bracelet once again.

"It means, Henry plus Ellie plus Reed. It's our initials baby. Here put it on." Henry stretched out his arm and his mother clipped the bracelet onto his wrist. "Perfect fit." Ellie smiled.

Ellie, looked at the necklace, and put it around her neck. She sighed after clasping the ends together and looked at Henry.

He was admiring the golden bracelet with a smile on his face.

"Are we leaving now momma?" Henry asked with bright eyes.

"Yes, grab your bag and lets go." Smiled Ellie.

They headed out to the car and just sat in silence for a couple of minutes. Henry couldn't tell if it was awkward, and neither could Ellie, so they both reached for the radio and their hands hit each others.

They laughed, and Henry stretched from his seat in the back, and turned on the radio. They first turned to the news station where the woman spoke about another heatwave, hitting Louisiana. It played some hip-hop music, and so their drive began.

Alternating between stations, jazz played, pop songs echoed, and his mother played a lot of her gospel CDs. The time read: 3:00. They had only been driving around for two hours. They stopped at a gas station, and headed inside.

Grabbing chips and juice, Henry ran up to the counter.

"Go put that bag of chips back. You know, you don't eat those." Said Ellie, asking for a pump on number three.

"Okay." Said Henry pouting. He ran back to his mother with only two bags of white cheddar popcorn, a pack of juice, and a big bag of sour candy. It was his father and his, favorite snacks.

"That's better. Come on, baby." Ellie payed for their things, and they headed back to the car. They later went to a grassy field, where his mother used to take him, as an infant.

They laid out an old, tattered blanket, that had been stuck in the corner of the trunk of the car for at least two years. Ellie took out a radio and set down all their food. She then watched Henry run around and play with other kids.

As Ellie, watched her son play with other children she couldn't help but think about how innocent he was. How much he was growing and thriving. She couldn't help but hold back tears, knowing Reed, couldn't be there to play with his son.

"Ugh, I'm tired. Can we go home now? I want ice cream." Said Henry chugging down water.

"Slow down." Said Ellie pulling the bottle from his mouth. "And yes, we can go now. It is... 7:00. We can eat ice cream and watch some movies. But I want to play some board games." Henry began to lift the blanket, after Elle cleared up the garbage and radio.

"I don't wanna play board games." Henry whined.

"Oh my gosh, their not even that bad." Giggled Ellie. "Fine, we can play Uno instead, how about that?" She asked with hopeful eyes.

"Okay fine. But I'm gonna beat you, just like I did two days ago." Smirked Henry.

They got settled in the car, but didn't turn on the radio. It was silent but it wasn't awkward. It felt, comfortable. Henry just felt the vibrations of the car against his body. He looked out the window, just thinking. Of what? He can't remember, he has so many thoughts running through his mind, he can't remember the last one he thought of.

The sky began to turn a light pink color. And he sat up and looked at how beautiful the clouds allowed it to look. As if it was a Bob Ross painting, who Henry did not know, the sky began to develop an orange pigment. Painting the sky in yellow and a reddish orange.

"Look momma!" Henry said in excitement. His mother looked up to the sky, only slightly adjusting her head, she smiled. A smile that Henry himself could not see but feel.

"It's your father's favorite color. Lord, thank you."

Henry stared at the sky in awe, and began to drift asleep as he began remembering memories with his father. And before he completely fell asleep he softly said: "Happy Birthday daddy."

After about ten minutes, Ellie asked Henry if he was glad they left the house for the day since it was so hot, but Henry had already fallen asleep. Dreaming a dream that only he would know.

"Henry?" She quickly looked back in an attempt to see what was wrong with him, and turned back a second time. "Oh, he's asleep." She whispered.

They finally arrived home, and Ellie didn't wake Henry yet. She sat in the driver' seat of the car, closed her eyes. She touched her necklace and began to sing: "'Louisiana nights, are something special. Living dreams and nothing else too, worry about but my love for you." She sang softly. And when she finally finished humming, she looked at the time that read: 9:27.

She woke up Henry cautiously so that she wouldn't scare him, and let him fall asleep on her bed. She turned the lights off humming her husband's song, and thanking the Lord, the heat allowed them see her husband again.