We learned in art class that technically, black is not a colour, but rather, the absence of. Black was in fact, a shade—one that held its presence in every gradation of grey, only departing completely, with the transition into white. I always thought of white as a clean slate, an un-written page. A snow covered field or a wedding dress. White is starting over, an absolution from all your sins. That day, I was the furthest away from white that I could possibly be.