Color Blind

Sheila drove away from the Neuroscience Pavilion, one hand on the steering wheel as the other punched the numbers on her cell, she had memorized the color for each number and cross-referenced them to each person in her phone book. Mortimer's colors were red, orange, red, blue, orange, red, red. This is the way in which Sheila viewed the world. Numbers had colors or shades assigned to them, tastes had coordinating colors and people had color as well.

Mortimer was not answering his phone.

They met last November at the American Synesthesia Symposium. Mortimer, a neuroscientist, had been studying the cognitive processes that occur in Synesthesia with the keenest joy imaginable to a man of science. Sheila had been the panel subject of the Q and A portion to the keynote speaker's lecture, "Counting the Rainbow".

Mortimer, with his clarity, interest, and kindness had given Sheila new hope.

Mortimer felt as though he was swimming in the sky. Each inflection of her thoughts was a source of his utter absorption. He would orchestrate little touches to her hand that set his body to quiver. In his mind, through her eyes, his world opened up.

When Mortimer asked Sheila if she would consider dating him, she tossed her pretty blond hair from her face and laughed, "But, Mortimer, you're beige!"

Sheila dialed again.