Everything turns a beautiful blue. Sights, sounds, touch and mentalities are changed. Creativity flows freely from your mind to your hand to pen and paper. This blue is “the blue that knows you and knows you and will never forget it” (107). Blue represents the fix and excitement an addict feels from drugs. Addicts are looking for an escape. They feel that if they get this shot, they will enjoy life and its experiences to the fullest. In Kate Braverman's short story "Tall Tales From the Mekong Delta", she describes a woman's struggle with drugs and how she eventually returns to them after being sober for so many years. By examining Lenny's changing appearance, her desire to escape everyday life, and the use of blue and green, it is evident that her temptations will get the better of her and destroy everything she tries to maintain when 'she's sober. the symbol of his dependence. When she first met Lenny, she describes him with a sort of disgust. "He was short, fat, pale. He had bad teeth. His hair was dirty"(89). This shows how she is no longer interested in drugs. He then tries harder and harder to find her and talk to her. Then temptation is introduced. ""You want to go over your head. You want to see what's on the other side. I'll show you. I'll take you there. It will be the adventure of your life"" (91). But the longer he persists and the longer he's still there, the more she gradually becomes attracted to him, and consequently to the drugs she's been trying to quit. “His face seemed younger and tanner than he remembered” (93). He begins by showing up for the meeting in a small car, then on a motorcycle. Then he arrives in a red Ferrari. Over time, he... middle of paper... on his way home, but forgets the dirty needle and gets AIDS. She'll be too absorbed in the joys of the drug to not notice that everything she's worked so hard for is falling apart. With her desire for something more than what she gets on a daily basis, her growing attachment to Lenny until her first drinking and drug use, and the symbolism of blue and green, it is obvious that she does not will not be able to overcome his temptations and get drawn back into the world of drugs and alcohol, but more intense this time. She has already started using drugs, drinking and smoking again. She's been living the sober life for too long and she's not happy about it. His smoking and drinking, while not illegal, will continue to lead to his downfall. "When the glass was finished, she poured another. When the bottle was empty, she bought another."(107).