Colour Makes People Happy
‘Colour makes people happy’. It was printed on one side of her tote bag. The tote bag she took everywhere with her. Today, the tote bag was stuffed with her everyday essentials: her purse, keys, book, and a bar of quality dark chocolate.
Colour made Callie happy. She tried to incorporate some colour into what she wore daily. Her bright orange jumper, her red and white printed flares. And of course, her yellow coat. Callie had always wanted a yellow coat, especially during the cold winter months. The coat she’d had before this one was black. Black as in the absence of colour.
When the temperatures had dropped one year, she’d retrieved the black coat from the wardrobe and noticed it was just a little bit too snug around her middle. So, she’d spent an afternoon wandering from shop to shop for hours, looking at various coats. None had been quite right: too short, too long, wrong colour, not waterproof. The latter was essential, given she cycled to work in all weathers. Just as she was about to give up, she saw a yellow coat nestled amongst the rails at the back of an independent women’s boutique, and was immediately drawn to it.
It was exactly the right shade of yellow. A sunshine yellow. The other coats she’d seen were more mustard in colour. Not that there was anything wrong with mustard yellow. She owned several items in mustard yellow. It just wasn’t the right shade for her. It looked waterproof too, with a durable outer shell. One glance at the label confirmed that it was indeed waterproof, having been tested in the horizontal Cornish rain.
She took it off the hanger, feeling the weight of it in her hands. Then, she slipped off her old black coat and tried it on, right there on the shop floor.
The effect on her mood was instant. She suddenly felt brighter, more excited, euphoric even. She didn’t realise that something as simple as wearing a different colour could have that effect on her. She loved the way it made her feel; the happiness that radiated off her just from this one yellow coat.
She looked around for a mirror, and saw one just over to her right. She moved towards it, enjoying how she looked in this coat, and the way it hugged her body in all the right places. It was just the right length for her too, the hem reaching halfway between her hips and knees. Long enough to keep her warm, short enough to cycle in. Almost as if it had been made for her.
She looked at the price tag. It was a little over her budget. But she had to have it. She slipped it off, and took it to the cashier. After handing over the correct amount of cash, it officially became hers. The yellow coat.
