My Life in Orange
My Life in Orange is a non-fiction essay originally published in the Spring 2021 issue of 13th Floor Literary Magazine — the University of Nebraska at Omaha’s undergraduate magazine.
The essay is a segmented narrative of vivid memories throughout the author’s life and how they connect with different orange hues, from healing, grief, sexuality, and bullies to politics and cats.
Please contact the author if you would like to read My Life in Orange.
Excerpt:
In the final months of my mom’s life, she’d request that I grab her an orange soda from the fridge with crushed ice, in a Disney glass. The neon orange soda fizzed against the frosted glass that said “EPCOT 25,” a souvenir glass my family purchased when we traveled to Florida in 1997. The glasses were fourteen ounces, so the twelve-ounce can, including the crushed ice, would always foam right to the edge of the glass before settling.
My mother must have known that no amount of orange soda would have slowed her rapidly advancing cancer. She took the glass from my hands and held it to her mouth – the bright orange bubbles complimented her blue eyes. She gave me a sip and we sat there together, enjoying the tangy sweetness as it moved from the front to the back of our tastebuds. It was the last memory I have of her at my home, and I can recall it easily. All it takes is a can of orange soda, crushed ice, and a Disney glass. My mother taught me that healing is only relative to the person who is sick. Her healing just happened to be orange.
— My Life in Orange