Photographs in Time

by Terry Segan

  “I believe I am, Grandma.” A little more nervously, she asked, “Is it time for me to go?” Checking my watch, I walked over to the slide and looked at the timer. Holding up two fingers, we all waited. Finally, the light activated, signaling the slide was completely powered up. “Yes, it’s time.”

  The older woman went to her granddaughter and wrapped her in a warm embrace. Pulling back, she then removed her half-moon necklace and fastened it around Cecily’s neck.

  Grasping the silver and turquoise pendant, her granddaughter tried to protest, “Grandma, I can’t. This is special between you and Grandpa.”

  “As are you. It helped keep me focused on what was important after my first journey back. May it bring you that same clarity.” With a quick kiss on the cheek, Dede whispered, “Good luck, sweetie. I’ll be here when you return.”

  “Good-bye, Grandma. I love you.”

  “Love you too!”

  “Come have a seat on the bench here.” I patted the cushion.

  As Cecily walked over and sat down, she straightened her back and looked directly into the camera. I reached behind and depressed the thirty second timer on the slide holder. Despite not needing the farce anymore, I still stepped behind my camera and grasped the cushioned button. It helped give the Betrothed something to focus on while the seconds ticked down.

  A flash came from behind her and the seat was empty. Releasing the button and turning around, tears streamed down Dede’s face. Without a word, I wrapped my arms around her and gave a quick hug. “Would you like some more tea?”

  She smiled and wiped at her cheeks with the back of one hand. “I think I’d like to go walk on the beach for a while. It was always my happy place when I lived here. See you at this time tomorrow?”

  “I’ll be here,” I said. “We can greet Cecily together and see what she thinks.”

  Dede nodded as she preceded me out of the studio and through the entryway.

  As I turned the knob and opened the front door for her, I said, “You did the right thing, Dede.”

  With a smile she said, “I know.” Turning to walk out, she nearly bumped into a young man standing in her way. “Lionel!” she shrieked.

  Chapter 50

  Dede retreated a step, bumping into me.

  “Where’s my wife?” he demanded. “I saw Cecily come in here.”

  We were both speechless. The menace in his voice frightened me—it had a very familiar tone.

  Not being a stranger to such anger, it didn’t fluster me long. Stepping around Dede, I put my arm in front of her and gently pushed backwards, as if to shield the woman. I mustered as much authority into my voice as possible, “She’s not here, young man.”

  “Don’t lie to me,” he shot back, taking a step forward.

  “I’m not lying,” I held my ground. “Your ex-wife is not in this house.”

  “She came inside carrying a bag, probably with clothes. Cecily is staying here, and I want to see her,” he said. His anger began subsiding—probably shocked I stood up to him. Men like Lionel rarely take it well when a woman goes toe to toe with them.

  “Lionel, why can’t you leave her alone?” Dede spoke up, inching even with me in the entryway. “She divorced you. Move on.” From the timber in her voice, I could tell she was very shaken at his appearance.

  “Never! She is my wife, despite what the courts say about it. Cecily will always be mine and I won’t stop until she’s back living under my roof where she belongs.”

  “Once again,” I said, “she isn’t here. Please leave.”

  “Not until I search the house for myself.” He put a hand on the door jam, ready to force his way inside. “Get out of my way.”

  “I believe the lady asked you to leave,” Jimmy said, standing at the edge of the porch. We were so wrapped up in dealing with the young man, I hadn’t heard his car pull up.

  Turning to look at Jimmy, then back at us, Lionel obviously realized he was outnumbered. He stood there with his brow wrinkled, as if undecided how to proceed. Finally, he started to walk across the porch toward Jimmy.

  I was afraid Lionel intended harm, but then simply walked past him. “I’ll be back for my wife,” he said stomping off the porch and down the driveway to his pick-up truck at the curb. The engine revved harder than it needed to as he stomped on the gas and drove away.

  Dede slumped, and I threw my arm around her shoulder. She leaned into me, garnering strength and support.

  “As usual,” I said to Jimmy, “your timing is impeccable.”

  “You just can’t stay out of trouble when I leave you alone,” he joked, trying to lighten the situation. Acknowledging the other woman, he added, “You must be Dede. I’m Jimmy. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” he said extending his hand. The floor boards creaked as he walked toward us.

  Dede stood up straight and I released my hold. “Nice to meet you too,” she said with more confidence. “And I second the motion—your timing is impeccable.” Grasping his hand, she firmly shook it.

  “Let’s go back in the house,” I said.

  “Thank you, but I’m going to the hotel. If he followed me here, then he must know where we’re staying and will probably be watching. I’ll pack our things and change hotels.”

  “I have a better idea,” Jimmy said. “Pack your things and come stay here in the guest room.”

  Beaming at my man, I nodded agreement.

  “I don’t want to put you out,” she started to say. “With Cecily safe for today…”

  Cutting her off, I jumped in, “You’re not putting us out. No need to put yourself at further risk. Jimmy and I will go with you.”

  “Thank you, but I’ve been through this before. No need for you to babysit me. Lionel will be so hot and bothered right now, that he’ll go off and sulk. Probably find the nearest bar and throw a few down. That’s his style. He swoops in and blusters but doesn’t always follow through. I’ll be fine, don’t you worry.” Despite the emotion of losing her granddaughter forever, she rose to the occasion.

  “Good enough,” said Jimmy. “So, I take it your granddaughter chose to take her first journey back?”

  “Yes, she’s there now,” Dede replied.

  “We have until 2:00 tomorrow afternoon,” I added. “Dede, wait a minute please.” Going back into the house, I ran to my office and grabbed a blank form. Returning to the porch, I handed it to the woman.

  Looking at it she said, “Of course, the information sheet. I remember this before I went back.”

  “Fill it out as thoroughly as you can. This will speed things up when she returns tomorrow. We can get her credentials expedited. From the looks of the situation, the sooner the better.”

  “You’re sure she’ll take the final journey?” Jimmy asked.

  “She will,” both Dede and I answered in unison. This elicited a hearty laugh from all of us, more from a release of tension than humor.

  Dede gave me a hug and said, “I’ll be back tomorrow.”

  “See you then and be careful. If he shows up, please call me. Jimmy and I will be right there.”

  “I’ll be okay. A pleasure to meet you, Jimmy.”

  “You too,” he said.

  Dede continued across the porch. Her steps on the boards made a much quieter whispering than the pounding Lionel’s feet had. At the curb she got behind the wheel of a white Dodge Ram. It was quite a bit of truck for a woman of her stature, but she seemed to handle it like a pro as she maneuvered down the street.

  “Do you think she’ll be all right?” Jimmy asked me.

  “From what I can tell, she’s good at assessing a situation. If she thinks he’ll leave her be for now, he will.”

  “All right then,” he said as we walked into the house and back toward the kitchen. “Tell me about Cecily.”

  “She’s very much like her grandmother. A spunky little thing, with an artistic flair. It’s her grandfather’s gift for painting that was passed on to her though. Her forte is cityscapes, which lends itself perfect
ly to New York City. Honey,” I said as I began to pull things out of the refrigerator to prep dinner, “I believe we’re about to complete our quota.”

  “Now don’t get too hasty. Let’s see what Cecily’s thoughts are on the match, before we pop the champagne cork,” he laughed.

  “I know. But look at how perfectly it’s all coming together. The process will be completed.”

  “Not totally,” Jimmy said cautiously.

  “What do you mean?” I put my ingredients on the counter and turned toward him. “We’ll have finished all thirty.”

  “Our thirty,” he said, putting a hand on the small of my back and pulling me close.

  “Yes, and that’s all we’re responsible for,” I said defensively. “It isn’t our job to complete Paolo, Jr.’s matches.” I placed my arms around his neck.

  He tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear and placed a hand on my check. “No, honey, it’s not. But Grandfather did say we could assist.”

  “I still don’t understand that. How do we get removed from the process, yet are expected to assist?”

  “As usual, Grandfather’s words need deciphering. Best I can figure is that he wants us to place the slides with a couple that can handle the job.”

  “That appears to be what he hinted at. While we thought our selection was completely random, there’s more to it. Either the Collector or Photographer, or both in our case, are related to one of the Four Families. There aren’t any offspring to hand it off to though,” I pointed out.

  Kissing me on the cheek, he pulled away. “My thoughts exactly. It doesn’t mean whoever gets to complete them needs to be of the right lineage. Look at April,” he said, with a catch in his voice. At this he walked over to the table and sat down.

  Gong to him I gently caressed his shoulder. “You have a point. While destined to be involved with the process, she came from an unrelated heritage.”

  “Yes, and the ability to make good matches showed in her compassion. Appropriate women still crossed her path, it’s just she didn’t have full access to the Suitors to make proper matches,” he said, recovering from the moment of melancholy over his old friend. He placed his hand over mine.

  “Do you think we should make one more trip back to speak with your grandfather or Francois?”

  He mulled this over a minute before answering. “No. I got the feeling with the last visit that our time with them had finished. They were washing their hands of it all.”

  “Honestly, I did too.” I kissed him on the forehead, then went back to the counter to continue putting together some stuffed peppers.

  Jimmy got up and walked toward the hallway. “I’m going to change and do a little research online. There’s a few ideas bouncing around my head that I want to follow up on.”

  I knew better than to push for details right now. When he began formulating things, I waited until he chose to share. “Okay,” I said, “dinner will be ready at 5:00.”

  “Noted,” he yelled as I heard him climb the stairs.

  Chapter 51

  The next day Jimmy thought it best to stick around for Cecily’s return. He didn’t want us to be alone in case Lionel came back. I got concerned when Dede didn’t show up early as expected. Five minutes before arrival time, she still wasn’t here.

  Standing in my studio alone, I watched Cecily materialize. Her face absolutely beamed with joy, sporting an ear to ear grin. No question about it—Dede would be losing her granddaughter.

  Her eyes focused on me. “Oh, Sami, I don’t know how to thank you.”

  “No thanks needed. Good first date?” I said with a mischievous note.

  “None can compare!” Her eyes scanned the room. “Where’s Grandma?”

  “Probably stuck in traffic. I’m sure she’ll arrive soon.” I hoped my concern didn’t worm its way through my voice.

  Putting her hands on her hips, she demanded, “What’s happened?”

  “You’re not easily fooled, are you?”

  “Not any more. Has something happened to Grandma?”

  “I hope not.” There was no reason to lie to this young woman.

  “Okay, Sami, spill.”

  It was as if I were talking to Dede. “Lionel showed up here.”

  “When?”

  “Yesterday. Right after you left, Dede was heading out the front door.”

  “What happened?” she looked absolutely frightened by the widening of her eyes and the whitened pallor of her skin.

  “We found Lionel on the porch. I don’t know if he was waiting or about to ring the bell. He must have followed the two of you as he said he saw you come in here. Did you notice his truck when you went outside to get your clothes?”

  “No. But I have to admit, I really didn’t look around. I was so excited to meet Doug, that Lionel could have been standing in front of me and I wouldn’t have noticed him.”

  “Speaking of Doug,” trying to pull the conversation away from worry about her grandma, “what did you think?”

  “What an amazing man for his time! While being a successful businessman, he was all about wanting a family. He couldn’t wait to see my painting. The apartment he lives in is huge and looks out on Central Park,” she started to babble. “He gave me a tour and told me the corner room, he currently uses for an office, could be my studio since it had great lighting.”

  I let her enjoy the moment. The young woman was lost in her own world and didn’t need me to interject any thoughts.

  Just as suddenly, her mood changed. “Have you called Grandma?”

  Cecily’s abruptness took me by surprise, yet I understood her worry after meeting Lionel. Despite Dede’s confidence at his being harmless, it concerned me she wasn’t here yet.

  The door bell rang and made us jump. We both hurried to the front door. Jimmy beat us to it.

  As he opened the door, Dede came rushing in. “Is she back yet?”

  “Grandma!” Cecily yelled and threw herself into the woman’s arms.

  “Oh, sweetie! How did it go?”

  “Are you okay, Grandma? Sami told me Lionel showed up here yesterday.”

  “Sorry,” I said. “I’m not a good liar, and she knew immediately something happened.”

  “That’s my girl.” Dede encompassed Cecily in a big hug. “I just got slowed down a bit—four slashed tires.”

  “Oh, Grandma…but…”

  “Shush. It’s fixed and I’m fine. Now tell me about Doug.”

  Damn, I thought, now that’s a woman of strength and class. She doesn’t let things drag her down for long. Once again, I wished Dede and I had more time to enjoy a friendship. Maybe now that she was my age, we could.

  “Well,” Cecily switched gears quickly, “I’m going to miss you something awful.” That playful smile they both shared appeared.

  “You liked him,” Dede said.

  “No, Grandma, I think I love him.”

  The two women stood there looking at each other for a moment. Then Dede reached into her purse and retrieved a paper. “I guess you’ll be needing this,” she said handing me the information sheet she’d filled out on her granddaughter.

  “What’s that?” asked Cecily.

  “Your new life,” I told her.

  She tilted her head to one side with a puzzled look on her face. I handed her the sheet and then she understood. “What will you do with this?”

  “We’ll have credentials made that will slip you into the 1950’s and Doug’s life as seamlessly as possible,” Jimmy said. Extending his hand, he added, “By the way, I’m Jimmy, Sami’s Collector.”

  Cecily took the outstretched hand and warmly shook it. “A pleasure to meet you. What an interesting role you have.”

  “Yes, I truly enjoy it. It gives me the pleasure of interviewing the men we match with charming ladies such as yourself,” he said.

  “So, you’ve met Doug?” Cecily asked.

  “Yes, though it’s been some years. When Sami and I began this process thirty years ago, the first step wa
s for me to meet all the men and provide as much information to my Photographer as I could. That enabled her to match appropriate Betrotheds, such as yourself.”

  “Wow, that’s wonderful. You got to travel back to all those decades. What an amazing job! I envy you. Sami, did you get to journey through time also?”

  “Yes. Not as much as Jimmy.” Thoughts of my latest travels to retrieve Jimmy from Elba Island sent chills down my body. Most of my trips were not a pleasure. The journeys had more ominous connotations. Shaking it off, I knew there would be no more of those.

  As we talked, I led the women into the living room where I’d set out a light lunch on the coffee table. “Please, sit down and help yourselves.” I gestured to the couch. Picking up a steel carafe I offered, “Tea anyone?”

  “I would love a cup,” said Dede. “Earl Grey, of course?”

  Nodding, I poured the brew into one of the cups. Its delicate aroma drifted through the room. “Now, enough about Jimmy and me. I believe your grandma is anxious to hear about your adventure.”

  Cecily recounted to Dede what she’d already shared with me. Wrapping up her comments, she added, “I’m sorry, Grandma, but we’ll have to say good bye.”

  With misty eyes, Dede took it in stride. “It’s the result I prayed for when I brought you here. You’ll be terribly missed by all of us, but at least your Grandpa and I will know you’re happy and living the life you deserve. How can that make us sad?”

  “Oh, Grandma,” Cecily said throwing her arms around Dede and giving a quick squeeze. Pulling back, she looked at me and asked, “So what’s next?”

  Jimmy had followed us into the living room as well. Sitting in the love seat at the end of the table, he remained quiet during our whole exchange. I noticed him intently watching Cecily, as if assessing her. That would have to be a private conversation for later.

  He left me to field all of Cecily’s questions. “The next step is to have your credentials made. We can have our friend, Daniel, rush them through. The earlier decades are a breeze to duplicate. He’ll craft a brief, but believable background that’s close to your current life. That makes it easier for you to remember if anyone should question how you came into Doug’s life. As I told your grandma when she went back to Milton—less is more. Don’t offer any more details than necessary. Pretty soon people will stop asking and just accept you as his wife.”