Yellow

Yellow

“I don’t want any shenanigans this time.”

Chandler crossed his arms and glowered up at Harry standing before his desk.

“You have got to realise that this is serious business we’re engaged in here, that much more hangs in the balance than you understand.”

“I appreciate that,” replied Harry, spreading his hands, palms outward, in appeal. “We did everything expected of us and kept the operation moving forward.”

Chandler snorted. “Hah, that’s just the point. You did much more than expected. Getting romantically involved with your partner is expressly forbidden, you know that. Yet you and Natalie were going away at it like a pair of rabbits.”

“That’s hardly fair. It was just a bit of fun. And we were both bored out of our minds. It seemed the logical thing to pass the time. There’s nothing else to do in Prague with the cold war on. And we agreed it wouldn’t get serious.”

Chandler pounced. “There, you see? It wasn’t serious, by your own admission. Why can’t you stick by the rules, Harry? You’ll get us all killed, the way you’re going.”

“You know that won’t happen, Boss. I’ve been at this game long enough to know what’s what.”

“Pride comes before a fall, Harry. Anyway, I’ve taken Natalie off the case so your bit of fun is ended. Sent her off to some godawful place in Yugoslavia. That should keep the natives amused, at least..” He pointed a finger at Harry. “I’m sending you a new partner. Fresh out of Langley, so look after her and, for pete’s sake, keep your hands off her.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Another female? You sure about this?”

“She was all I could get in a hurry. But don’t you worry, I know you and she’s not your type.” For the the first time in the interview, Chandler smiled. “Oh no, not your type at all.”

He laughed.

The next day, Harry sat on a park bench in the rain, in Prague, a dull and wrinkled raincoat, and a grim mood. He was waiting for the appearance of Chandler’s choice for his new partner, armed only with the information that she’d be wearing yellow. Harry supposed that was to make her fairly obvious among the hunched and colourless citizens that hurried past. Sometimes he wondered if Chandler had any idea of the subtlety required to pass unnoticed behind the iron curtain.

And then he saw her, a tiny woman in a bright yellow outfit, yellow boots and a bulbous yellow umbrella held defensively above her head as she made her way unsteadily around the puddles. Harry rose to meet her.

He stood patiently in the rain as she made her way to him. Harry towered above her, fully a head taller, and he looked down at her as she stopped before him.

“Pamela?” he asked.

The umbrella moved back a little and a pert, elfin little face, surrounded by a fashionable bobbed haircut, looked up at him.

“Yes,” she said. “Are you Harry?”

“That I am,” he replied. “I see you managed to find something yellow to wear.”

She looked down at her attire and then into his eyes again. Her smile seemed to light up the sodden park with sunlight from another world. “Yes, I was so glad they chose yellow. This is my first assignment and I’m so excited, I wanted something to express my feelings at this first meeting. Yellow is such a happy colour, don’t you think?”

“Yes, it is,” said Harry. “Absolutely. Although I’ve never thought of a colour being happy before.”

He smiled as he thought of how furious Chandler was going to be.


Prompt: Write something with the color yellow as a dominant theme, topic, or idea in honor of the July 21, 2022 promotions to Preferred Author.
Written for "The Whatever Contest." "The Whatever Contest -- Closed for Now" 
Word/Line Count: 609
Fiction/Nonfiction: Fiction.