by Karen Einsel
“Chris this is my nephew Steve, Steve this is Chris a friend of Sue’s.” Steve shakes her hand and tells her hello.
Chris smiles while looking up at him, “Wow you’re tall.” He blushes. She’s guessing he’s maybe a couple of years older than her, with brown hair and brown eyes. “How tall are you?”
“6’3” he tells her.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be nosy.”
“That’s okay”
Charlie pats the bench. “Chris sit down and relax for a bit. I didn’t know what kind of soda you like so I brought out a diet cola, and a root beer.” Chris takes the diet cola and tells him thank you. They’ve been sitting there about 15 minutes when Charlie looks at his watch, “Well, we better go get the proofs printed up, so they can dry, because Linda will be getting antsy and calling here pretty soon, wanting to know where we are.” Just as they go to get up the phone rings and Charlie looks at Steve, “Go talk to your mom and tell her we will be there in about an hour and a half.” As they walk towards the dark room Charlie tells her, “We will get the proofs printed and then while they are drying, I think we’ll get some lunch, because you sound like you are starving.”
Chris blushes and smiles at him, “Yeah, I am getting a little bit hungry.”
Printing up the last of the photos Chris points to one with Linda sitting in the chair with Princess on her lap and Sir Peter lying at her feet.
“Can we blow this one up?”
“You mean like an 8x10?”
“Bigger….”
Charlie smiles, “15x17?”
“Can we go bigger?”
“Well, how about an 18x20, will that work? Because that’s the biggest photo paper I’ve got.”
“Yeah that will work. Linda said she wanted a portrait to hang above the fireplace and I think this one will look great. All she needs is a beautiful frame.”
Charlie smiles and putting his arm around Chris’ shoulder he gives her a squeeze. “You have a good eye for the details.”
Chris gives him a bashful smile, “Thank you.”
Linda opens the door. “So how did we do?”
Charlie grins, “She is a natural.” And he hands Linda the proofs. “In fact she has a special surprise for you.”
Linda opens her eyes wide. “Really” Chris is holding the portrait behind her back and pulls it around in front of her holding it up by the edges for Linda to see. “Oh! Chris it’s perfect! It is just what I had in mind. Pay her Charlie.”
Charlie laughs and pulls a $100 bill out of his pocket and holds it out to Chris. “Oh, I don’t have change. Maybe we can stop somewhere on the way, when you take me back to Sue’s.”
“No, you earned it. Think of it as your first bonus. I know my sister and she is going to be showing off these photos and telling everyone just how great you are. I’ll have people lined up at the door wanting you to come do their portraits. Right Linda?”
Linda smiles, “Oh you bet I will. Chris are you as good with kids as you are with dogs?”
“I guess.”
“Do you like kids?”
“Yes, I do.”
“Well there’s an opening for a health clerk at one of the elementary schools, if you go take the test at the district on Monday and you pass, I think I can pull some strings and get you hired. That is if you want.”
“Yes, I’d like that very much, thank you.”
“Hey don’t go putting in too good of a word or she won’t have time to work for me.” Chris swallows trying to keep the lump down in her throat.
Charlie pulls up in front of Sue‘s apartment. “So what do you think? Would you like to come and work part time for me? Maybe two days a week? A few hours a day”
“I’d like that.”
“Okay, how about you come in Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. Will that work for you?”
“I’ll be there with bells on.” Chris grins and shakes his hand. “Thank you.“
Chris walks into the apartment and before she can even sit down, Sue wants to know everything. “So…How did it go?”
Chris hands Sue the $100 bill. “I think it went well.”
“Whoa a $100? That’s cool, but you need to keep half of it.”
“No, you have done so much for me already.”
“Chris, all I did was buy you some necessities and they didn’t cost that much, besides you’ll need more clothes.”
“Thank you. You’ve been great. I don’t think I can ever thank you enough. And I have a question.”
“What’s that?”
“Where’s the school district?”
Monday morning Sue walks in while Chris is scrambling eggs. “Good morning, you are up early.”
Chris smiles. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“Are you nervous about the test?”
“A little.”
“Don’t be, it’s a pretty easy one.”
“But I haven’t taken a test since high school.”
“You’ll do fine.”
Chris thought she was nervous about taking the test yesterday but today she feels twice the anxiety and excitement as she walks into the photography studio just a few minutes before 10 a.m. Steve smiles as he brushes past her, heading out the door.
“Hi Chris. Bye Chris. Catch ya later.” Chris smiles and nods at him before walking up to the counter.
“Hi Charlie. Am I too early?”
“Good morning Chris. How are you today?”
Flashing him a big grin Chris exclaims. “Nervous”
Charlie chuckles. “You’ll do okay. We are kind of quiet this morning, so I thought I could just go over some things with you.”
“Sure, I am all ears and here to learn.”
Charlie walks her through all the rooms and shows her where everything is kept while explaining some of the equipment that she’s not familiar with.
“Now Chris, I think I am going to keep your hours and days flexible.” Charlie sees Chris’ shoulders slump. “No, it’s not what you think. I’m not reneging on my job offer. I want you to do the in home portrait sittings, working with kids and animals. You‘re quiet and shy and yet you have this enthusiasm that they can relate to.”
The phone rings and Charlie excuses himself and goes into his office to answer it. Chris is wiping down the counter when he comes back.
“Chris, I didn’t hire you to clean.”
“I don’t mind.”
“Well I have good news for you. I am sending you out Saturday to do a photo sitting for a young lady that is turning 18.”
“By myself? No Charlie I’m not ready. Why can‘t you send Steve?”
“See this is what I was talking about. Sending Steve to do a photo shoot with a young girl might make her feel uncomfortable. Now with you, she’d probably be more relaxed and the photos would come out more natural.”
“I don’t know Charlie.”
“You’ll do fine. Now instead of you coming in on Thursday, I’ll pick you up on my way to work on Saturday. You do know how to drive, don’t you?”
“Yes”
“Okay, then after I pick you up, you can take my car and go do the photo shoot.”
“Are you sure?”
Charlie puts his arm around her. “Yep”
Steve is sitting at the front counter when Chris walks in. “Hi Steve”
“Hi Chris, what are you doing here, you aren’t supposed to be working today.”
“I know, but I was getting stir crazy sitting at the apartment and it looks like we might get rain, so the park was out of the question, so here I am.” Chris smiles. “Where’s Charlie?”
“He went to pick up some supplies. Do you want a soda?”
“Sure. Thanks”
Steve comes back with her soda and pulls out the chair next to him. “You can come sit down back here.” Chris walks around the counter and sits down. “So Chris, how long have you been a photogr
apher?“
Chris looks at him. “What’s today?”
“Wednesday, why?”
Chris looks down at her fingers. “Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. Wednesday.” Chris grins at him. “Five days.”
“What? No way. I saw the photos you did for my mom and they were professional”
“No, it’s just a hobby.”
“What did you do before?”
“I was a cashier for a convenience store and then I worked for a department store.”
“So did you just move out here from somewhere else?”
Chris looks down at her fidgety hands. “No California born. I’ve been living here all my life.”
He sees that she seems uncomfortable talking about her past, so he changes the subject. “Looks like it‘s going to pour.”
“Yeah, it was trying to sprinkle when I was walking over here. How long have you been a photographer Steve?”
“I’ve been doing this since I graduated high school, so seven years now.”
“Do you like it?”
He smiles, “It’s a job.”
Charlie comes in as they are sitting there. “Hi Chris, what are you doing here today?”
“Hi Charlie, I just came to visit. I was bored.”
“Well, I can put you to work if you want to help me bring in the supplies and put them away.”
“Sure, I can do that.” Chris follows Charlie out to the car, helps him carry in the few boxes he has and puts them away. “Well I should be going, Sue will be coming home soon.” Chris smiles at Steve. “Thanks for letting me visit.”
Steve smiles. “You are welcome, come back anytime.” Chris walks out into the soft rain that is starting to fall. Running the last block, all the memories of Brandon and her running home from school, come flooding back, washing over her with a sadness that makes her start to cry. She unlocks the door and goes in. Grabbing her portfolio Chris sits down on the couch, wanting to see his face. She misses him so much.
Friday finally gets here and Chris is waiting impatiently for a phone call from the district office when the phone rings.
“Hello”
“Hi Chris, it’s Linda.”
“Hi Linda, I wasn’t expecting you to call.”
“Can you come in to the district office today at 11 a.m. for an interview?”
Chris is exuberant when she asks, “I passed?”
Linda laughs, “Yes you did. You scored a 96 %.”
“Oh, I can’t believe it! Thank you.”
“So that means we will see you at 11 a.m.?”
“Yes, I’ll be there.” Hanging up, Chris presses her hands against her eyes to stop the tears and grins.
The interview goes okay, well at least Chris thinks it did. They tell her thank you and Linda walks her out. “We have two more interviews. We will make our decision, and then call everyone this afternoon.” Chris smiles, thanks her, and leaves.
Getting back to the apartment Chris paces back and forth waiting for the phone to ring. She knows she needs this job because the few hours a week at the portrait studio isn’t enough to support her.
Sue is putting the key in the door when she hears Chris scream. Quickly unlocking it Sue walks in. “What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Chris says “Thank You” and hangs up the phone before answering her. “I got the job!”
Sue gives her a hug. “That’s awesome! Now we get to go out and celebrate!”
“What? What do you mean celebrate? How? Where?”
Smiling, Sue is as excited as Chris. “There is a club that has a new band playing tonight. We are going dancing.”
“But, I don’t know how to dance.”
Sue grins. “Neither does half the people there. You’ll fit right in.”
Making their way through the crowd, a nice looking guy walks over and puts his arm around Sue’s waist, “Hey gorgeous, do you come here often?”
Sue laughs, “Only as often as you.” Looking at Chris, Sue introduces them. “Chris this is Phil, he’s a fourth grade teacher at the school where I work. Phil, meet Chris, King Elementary’s new health clerk.” Phil shakes her hand and then leads Sue up towards the dance floor, leaving Chris standing by herself, not knowing anyone. Looking towards the stage she sees a D.J. but no band. Someone puts their hand on her shoulder.
“You want to dance?” Looking towards where the voice comes from, she sees Steve, Charlie’s nephew.
“Hi Steve what are you doing here?”
“I was bored sitting at home, so I thought I’d drop by and check out the new band tonight.”
“But there’s no band up there.” Chris says nodding towards the stage.
“They won’t play until 10 p.m. What are you doing here?” He asks smiling down at her.
“Thanks to your mom, I got hired by the school district today and Sue suggested we celebrate.”
“Congratulations, now would you like to dance?”
“I have to warn you, I’m not very good at it.”
Smiling Steve tells her, “That’s okay, neither am I.” Chris dances two dances with him before Sue whisks her off to meet some more people. Evidently this is a popular hang out for the single school district employees wanting to have a good time. The band finally comes on and Chris finds they are quite good, but after 4 songs, she is beat and ready to go home. Steve walks up next to her. “I’m going to leave. You look wiped out so I thought I’d see if you want a ride home.”
“Yes, thank you, I am definitely ready to go. Just let me find Sue and tell her. Chris makes her way through the crowded dance floor and has to yell so Sue can hear her over the music. “Hey, Steve’s going to give me a ride home.”
Sue yells back. “Okay, you have your key, right?”
“Yep”
“Okay I’ll be home later.”
Pulling up in front of the apartment Steve lays his arm across the back of her seat. Chris starts twiddling her fingers afraid Steve might try and kiss her goodnight. He’s really a sweet guy, but… She’ll have to keep an eye on herself when she’s around him, so he doesn’t get the impression that her friendliness is an attraction to him. “Charlie says you have a photo shoot tomorrow.”
Chris smiles, “Yes I do. He’s going to pick me up on his way to work and then let me use his car. Well I better get inside. Early day tomorrow.”
“Okay, then I will see you at the studio in the morning. Night Chris”
“Night Steve drive careful.”
Chris puts on a pot of coffee and then goes in to change into her sweats. Sitting down on the couch she opens her portfolio and talks to Brandon.
She’s still awake when Sue comes in a little after midnight. “I see Steve got you home okay, did you have fun?”
Chris thinks about her question for a moment before answering. “Are you asking if I had fun with Steve, or at the club?”
Sue smiles, “Both, I guess.”
“Sue, how well do you know Steve, I mean, are you close to him?”
“No, not really. I see him every once in a while when he comes by the school to take his mom out to lunch and then at the club, now and then, why?”
“I was just wondering.”
“Are you trying to tell me you like him?”
Chris opens her mouth and then closes it, trying to think what she wants to say. “No, he’s not my type. I kind of see him as a take what you can get, kind of guy. No, maybe that’s not quite right. To me he’s the type of person that has no ambition. He feels he’s fine right where he’s at, just kind of sliding through. No initiative to move forward or find…I don’t know.”
Sue laughs, “You describe him perfectly and just to let you know, he’s a momma’s boy too. Now, I am off to bed. Night Chris, sleep well.”
“Night Sue, thanks for helping me celebrate.”
“No problem. Anytime.”
Waking
up early Saturday morning, Chris wonders if she will ever sleep in past 6:30 a.m. It doesn’t seem to matter how late she goes to bed, she is always up bright and early. She puts on a fresh pot of coffee while thinking, “Just what I need, more caffeine, when I’m already nervous, edgy, and jumpy.” She sneaks through Sue’s room, trying not to wake her, and goes into the bathroom to get ready. Coming back out, Chris hears Sue snoring and whispers. “Must be nice.” as she heads back through to the living room.
Chris writes a short note, letting Sue know that she will be back later and quietly slips out the door to wait for Charlie. Only waiting a few minutes, Charlie pulls up and reaching over, he opens the door for her. “You ready?”
Chris smiles. “I hope so and good morning to you.”
Charlie smiles and replies back, “Good morning.” Once they get to the studio, Charlie pulls out the film. “I think four rolls will be plenty. In fact you might only need two rolls, but just in case…I wouldn’t use less than two though. I see you brought your camera.“
“Never leave home without it.“ Chris smiles and pats the camera bag.
“It’s a good camera, top of the line.“
“Really? I didn’t know that. It was a gift.“
“A very expensive one, I’d say. Well here’s the directions and the address. Do you know your way around very well?”
Chris looks at the paper. “Yeah, I should have no problems finding it.“
“ Well then you’re all set.”
Steve walks in as Chris is walking out. Smiling he tells her, “Hello and goodbye again.”
Chris smiles back. “Same to you” and continues on her way.
Chris finds the address and parks on the street in front of the house. She glances around the neighborhood as she walks up to the door and comments to her self. “Hmm…Nice place.”
The mom leads Chris out to the back yard. “Lynn, this is Chris. Chris this is my daughter Lynn.” Chris shakes Lynn’s hand. “Okay you two, I have some things to take care of in the kitchen, so I’ll leave you alone. Have fun.“
“Your mom seems like a nice down to earth person. She didn’t have to leave. She’s welcome to stay.”