Camera Flare

 We all need different things from each other. What do you need from the people around you?

They appeared happily married but only they knew what came between them. He was a television personality and his clothes were his schtick. He used them to make a statement because at heart, he was a shy kind of guy. Then the camera came on and another side of him emerged. For a man who could walk down the street unnoticed in his blue jeans and t-shirt, he had a work uniform that sometimes denied description. He mixed checkered shirts with paisley ties and wore a beige cord blazer with a purple shirt on a Friday nowhere near Easter. His wife on the other hand, was a subtle dresser, everything matched and was in varying shades and textures of beige. She looked classy and expensive.

One Sunday evening, she couldn’t bear it and said that she wanted a divorce. She couldn’t stand his clothes any longer. He was dumbfounded, he couldn’t utter a sound, he who reveled in performing ad lib in front of a camera. She started to scream in frustration and in her anger she said words that included circus, clown, idiot, joke and embarrassing. He was quiet, crossed his arms and played with the frayed edges of his short sleeve t-shirt. He couldn’t wait to get to work. He was happiest on Monday mornings.

They divorced and years went by and he continued with his style. People tuned in just to see what he was wearing, they ignored his female co-host.

Through a mutual friend, he was introduced to a single woman on a Friday night at a pub. He was wearing a mustard coloured shirt and orange pants. The bow tie was an extra. They talked all evening  and she didn’t glance at his clothes not even once. She threw her head back and laughed at all his jokes.

They liked each other but he was hesitant. Later on in the week however, he would fall instantly in love when he found out that she was colour blind.