His sleeves were rolled up to above his elbow .

He always had a pen behind his ear and a packet of cigarettes tucked safely by his heart.

I could see the frown lines appear in his forehead, the constant look of tiredness behind his eyes.

He never asked for help, always to proud , always set in his ways.

I tried to open up myself to wrap around his mind .

I entered it slowly , full of dull browns and greys .

I closed my eyes tight , almost straining them , they needed to be hid , he could never notice.

I did this everyday until he finally did , his very words shook me to the core .

" I never liked the colour green" he said as he buttoned up his dress shirt and walked right out the tightly bolted door.