“What’s wrong with just red?”
“There’s no such thing as just red.”
She stares at me blankly, like we are not speaking the same language.
“There’s apple red,” I insist, “cherry red, pen red, sexy red, demure red, pale red, lipstick red, shy red, hot red, blood red, car-brake red, swimsuit red, New Year’s red, strawberry red, wet-paint red, gummy red, rose red, flower red—now rose is a flower but it’s not flower red, it’s its own red, rose red. Then there are other shades of red like orange red, purple red, blue red, yellow red …”