Painting our Life - 6 Colors

   It's a normal work day. I take the order, bring it to the cook, then wait for him to cook it, then I deliver the food and provide any other service the customer requires. Buisiness is booming. It becomes harder to take every single order in least amount of time possible. The owner installed another stove and hired more cooks to speed up the process. The restuarant had quickly climbed up to the top of the best eateries list in Guelph. It was something to celebrate for. I hand the chef the orders and he passes out the slips of paper to each cook. My salary has grown from 30 dollars per hour to 35 dollars per hour over the 3 years' time. I am the oldest employee here so far. Not in age, but in years of working. Many leave the job for new interests and higher salaries. But my salary is more than enough.

   As I deliver the food, Klo, a waitress passes by and winks at me. I think I developed a small crush for her over the past 3 years. I might ask her out this week. I mean, many people would say, you have Dash! It's not like Dash and I are dating or anything so I think it'd be fine with her. Besides, it won't be biologically correct for me to date anyone that isn't my species. And that's just gross.

   "Hey! Are we gonna get our food or not?" A grouchy old man slams his hand against the table to wake me up. I turn red, I didn't realize I had completely zoned out. I set the food down on his table and him and his wife start eating.

   "Sorry," I mutter and head back to the kitchen where I "hang out." Another perk of being a waiter is there are other waiters and waitresses, at least 2, doing your job for you. Normal waiters and waitresses work 5 hours, but I need to work 8 hours since I'm at the top. So while the other waiters seat people, take orders and that, I sit around in the kitchen watching the cooks make food. I've picked up some cooking techniques and Dash praises my dishes that I make for dinner each night.

   8 hours pass quickly. I drive home. After some fumbling with keys, I open the front door. Dash isn't home. It's Friday night, meaning she's probably out flying. She got a bit lazy before we bought this new house. Back then, she was cooped up all day mostly because of my fears that someone may see her. Now, she can fly as much as her heart desires. I begin making dinner. Cheese lasagna with garlic bread. I bring out a box of frozen lasagna, take out the pan and place the pan of lasagna inside the oven. Then I set a few slices of garlic bread wrapped in foil on another pan. Setting the timer for 30 minutes, I head to the living room and flick on the television. I lose myself in the world of South Park and didn't realize Dash had snuck inside the house. She sniffs, and licks her lips.

   "What's for dinner Kyle? I'm famished!" She started to call me by my first name. Sometimes my tongue slips and I call her Dashie. But Dashie doesn't seem to flow right. I mean, she's not my family, we aren't in a special relationship so we're just friends. Friends that live together. So Dash seems like the best suited name for me to call her.

   "Cheese lasagna and garlic bread."

   "You cook it?"

   "Nah I got lazy tonight and decided to heat up the frozen boxed food we have in our freezer."

   "Good, your cooking is horrible anyways," She jokes. I put on a false face of shock.

   "Dash! I'm hurt!" I clutch my heart. And whip my head to face her. "Devastated!" I have my best puppy eyes on. Her expression changes.

   "Hey, I'm sor-" I stick out my tongue and snort. She falls to the floor laughing. When she gets up, she punches me on the shoulder. "Hey, I was scared there."

   "Scared of what?"

   "That you've turned into a sensative wussy." Ouch. Not really. I'm pretty sure I can retort to that but decide to keep my mouth shut. We warmed up to each other pretty quickly in the past three years and aren't afraid to share feelings and thoughts with one another. We often joke around and don't take many things seriously. I pull the lasagna out from the oven and set it on the table.

   "Dinner's ready!" I call to Dash, who had turned her attention to the television. It was turned to the news channel.

   "In other news, Tim McDan has been released from jail after three years for assault of a young man and attempt robbery at the local Galaxy Cineplex." The words just flow out of the reporter's mouth. "He plans on catching up with old friends and is eager to continue his life." I shiver, surely he does not know where I live. But I can't take risks. He's dangerous. I leave the lasagna with Dash who has already begun to eat, and walked into the washroom. I stare into the mirror. 3 years. Did you learn anything Tim? I hope you came out as a better person. If you have, I wish you luck, in life. I close my eyes, and sigh a deep breath of relief.

   I return to the kitchen. Dash had brought her plate in front of the tv. She's watching Spongebob. It's hard to believe, she's 23 and still watching cartoons. But I suppose I'm not one to talk, I just turned 25 this year, and there's nothing other than cartoons I would rather watch. I scrape up some lasagna and pick up a piece of garlic bread. Then I leave with my food to join Dash in front of the television. I don't know why, but eating beside Dash while watching tv has become something I have come to enjoy. She became my best friend over the course of our time together. Not that we have anyone else in us in this lonely world. I smile when I look over to Dash, the innocence in her eyes is just, the cutest thing ever. She notices me staring.

   "What? Is there something on my face?" She wipes her mouth with her hoof. "Seriously, what're you staring at, it's kinda creepy." I shrug and begin to laugh. Don't know why, but I just feel so content right now, with her by my side. "Weird." Her only response before returning her gaze to the cartoon.

   The sun shines through my eyelids. I open them. Ugh. I knew I should've closed those curtains last night before I went to sleep. I glance at the clock. 8:40. Not that I'm lazy, I just want to sleep more. I close my eyes, ready to drift asleep again. When suddenly, my door swings open and Dash barges in.

   "Kyle, I want to show you something." She hypes. "It's awesome." She waves for me to get up.

   "Is it breakfast? I don't think burnt milk will be healthy for me," I joke and crawl out of bed to change into my clothes for the day.

   "Har har." Dash rolls her eyes.

   I trip over another root. Dash had dragged me into the forest that wasn't far from my house. I really didn't expect my Saturday morning to start off like this. The sun shines through the roof of leaves. What's in here to show? We've been trekking for a few minutes already. I brush some dirt off my jeans. Dash is leading the way. By my calculations or guess, same thing, we're nearing the center of the forest.

   "Dash, what is it that you wanna-" My jaw drops. There towering before us, was the tallest tree I've ever seen. I circle around it, inspecting it. It looks so smooth and untouched. No holes from pecking birds, no areas infested with lady bugs. A scratch in the wood catches my attention. Not a scratch. Engraved writing. The words are a bit hard to read. Kyle and... Dash. It's surrounded by a heart. I back away from the tree. This seems to be the brightest spot in the forest as the trees circle around the much larger one Dash carved our names in.

   "Pretty neat huh? I spent a while carving it." Dash flutters down beside me. "Well? Do you like it?" I smile. And pull her into a hug. The proof of our bond has been carved into this tree. I'm much happier during the trip back home.

   Today's afternoon seems pretty eventless. Dash and I flop around lazily on the couches in the living room. The tv is on, but neither of us are interested in whatever is playing. Until one particular commercial caught my attention. It's advertising Halloween candy. This year passed really quickly. To be honest, I didn't even know it was already October.

   "Hey Kyle, what's Halloween?" I freeze. I know Dash celebrated Halloween back in Equestria. But they call it Nightmare Night, and from watching the episode Luna Eclipsed, none of the ponies really had anything gory or traumatizing.

   The next 2 hours were spent on lecturing Dash on Halloween and how it began in the human world. You know, with the Easter bunnies being devil worshippers and how they offered candy to the demons to keep them at bay. Dash is fascinated by our history, I mean my story. I honestly have no idea how Halloween started so I made up a bunch of gibberish to entertain her. She ate that stuff right up.

   I turn off the shower tap and smile to myself. I feel completely refresh after my daily shower. I'm also thinking about the innocence Dash had shown while listening to my story. Her expression was something a young child would wear when listening to how Santa Claus creeps into your house. I do make a wonderful story teller. Maybe I could become a librarian when I'm old and retired from the restuarant.

   It's a surprise to see the television turned off. Dash was lying lazily on one of the couches. My cheery mood washes away. She turns her head to me, ears drooping.

   "Kyle?" Her eyes show... loneiness? "Do you think I'll ever be able to celebrate any of the holidays here on Earth?" My heart thinks. I was afraid she'd ask that. The one question I dreaded while telling my story. "Do you?" She puts on puppy eyes. I get up, and mess up her mane, like an older brother would to his younger brother.

   "Don't worry," I reassure, "This isn't the last Halloween, we'll find a way through life in the next couple of years." She grins.

   Night falls. I look out the window, in the direction of the forest. I focus on the tallest tree sticking out the middle of the roof made of leaves. That's where our signature on this world is. That's our mark. We'll always have each other till time's end. That's a promise to her and myself. One I'll fight to keep. I open the window, to watch the fireflies dance beneath the moon and listen to the cricket's music, letting the cool fall breeze ruffle my shaggy hair.