La Photographie Moderne

by Neil Crenner

fuzzy now. The visions are so quick and short. You were talking about being on a boat in a storm."

  Didier was silent but his face was serious. "You okay?"

  "Yes, when I was young I stayed on a friend's boat and we slept thru a storm.

  "Well you see there it must have been you in the vision."

  "I was sitting next to you on your bed? I have done that a few times, but have never spoken of the boat or the storm.

  "Yes I know. There is one more thing. I think that I may have stepped in and changed that, how I don't know." Reason said and looked down, sighing.

  "It's okay, it's fine. I am glad that you did. I am glad that I met you. I love you Reason."

  "Reason looked up tears in his eyes, "I love you too and am so happy that I met you."

  Didier hugged Reason and held him. "So are there any more visions that you want to share with me?"

  Reason let go and saw a smile on Didier's face, "No, not right now, but there are a couple." Reason heard the deliveryman, "Lunch is here, I'll get it." Reason went out to the front of the gallery and paid for lunch. He asked the repairman if he wanted a refill of coffee and he decline. Reason took the sandwiches to the back office.

  They sat in the office and ate the pastrami sandwiches almost in silence. Reason was feeling better and after lunch, Didier could go back to work. He would not be worried anymore. He now believed that Didier and the lighthouse were somehow involved and he wasn't just a bystander. This made him feel so much better. "Do you feel better?" Didier asked.

  "Yes I do, that pastrami really was delicious and you made me feel better."

  "Good, I have to go back to work. I will call you this afternoon."

  "Okay, I will walk you out, check on the repairman." They hugged once more and Didier kissed Reason on the lips a sweet, soft kiss. "Love you."

  Didier left out the front door, where the repairman was still working. He nodded at him and said 'Keep up the good work.' The repairman thanked him. Reason watched Didier walk to his car, get in and drive off, Didier lifted his hand as a wave, but he didn't actually wave. Reason smiled and went back to the office. "Colbert as soon as he is finished, we will go for a W A L K."

  Reason sat at his computer and logged into America Online, he heard the modem making that funny noise, he got excited every time he heard this; He typed in 'Lisa-Maebelle Crowe' into the search box. He couldn't remember the name of the café. He was thinking. The address was like Coast Highway. But what was the name. Maybe Didier could remember. Maybe his search for Lisa-Maebelle Crowe would bring something. Nothing. He was getting frustrated and decided to give it up for a while. He would return later and look it up. He signed out. Didier would remember the name of the café they went to. He would ask him this afternoon.

  He needed to check his messages, as he failed to do this, this morning when he had come in. He wasn't in the mood to listen to them, but he knew he had too. He grabbed a pen and pad, for which he bought to take messages, dialed the number and began listening. There were two calls from reps and one call from Trevor. He was calling to invite Reason to his gallery opening the following Wednesday at Joe Handel's Donnie-Jane's, he had gotten an earlier date than Joe Handel had promised him. Reason was happy to hear this.

  He called him back and left a message that he would be there at sevenish, with Didier. Now what could he do. He called the reps back and took their orders, one, he would send some stock photos of men and women for a bank advertisement they were looking for, for a client, the other rep wanted photos of food. He would have to actually work. He would do it tomorrow he thought, too late now for the postal service.

  The glass repairman hailed him and he came out to see. The door looked brand new; it looked as if it weren't there. "Well that looks great, how much do I owe you."

  The glass repairman gave him a bill and he pulled out his check book from the desk drawer."

  He finished up with that and then decided to take a break. He called Colbert, and she came out running. Let's go for a walk. When she heard the magic word, she began wagging her tail and jumping sideways back and forth.

  He put the extend-a-leash on her and locked the new glass door. The air was cooler and he pulled his collar together to feel like it would be warmer. When we get in the sun, it will be warmer he told Colbert, who didn't understand but just began to walk. He just needed to get away from that place a while, even though he knew that he was safe now. That no one was coming after him, directly. Colbert kept her distance of about ten feet in front of Reason, she was happy to be out walking.

  20 minutes later.

  He had returned and was just about to close up, the phone rang. It was Trevor.

  "Hello Reason, I got your message and am so happy that you are coming to my first opening. I have about 18 pieces to show. And a few inspired by you. I have to thank you so much for given me some direction. I can't wait to see you."

  "Well thank you, Trevor, I am so glad that I could help. How I am not sure but am glad anyway. It will be fun, and I am bringing Didier."

  "Oh yes, I can't wait to meet him and see you."

  "Well, see you soon then."

  "Okay bye." He was now off to home and wanting Didier to call him, he was suppose to call earlier. Maybe he had called his mom. He turned off the lights and locked the back door. Colbert was already in the car. All you had to do is open the door and she went running in there. "Ready for a ride?" He drove home.

  15 minutes later.

  After changing into some comfy loungers and an old t-shirt, Reason went to his computer and logged in to America Online. He had two phone lines, as he used this for faxing as well and internet surfing. He was making a wonderful snack of cut up ripe tomatoes, peeled cucumbers and avocados, doused in balsamic vinegar. This was one of his favorite snacks. He opened a bottle of wine. The phone rang and it was Didier.

  "Hi how are you?"

  "Oh a bit tired. Just got off the phone with my mother and I learned quite a bit that I never knew. Shall I come over?"

  "Yes, come over. I just made a snack. Okay bye." They both said it at the same time. Reason smiled. He cut up some more Tomatoes and cucumbers. That would be enough he thought, maybe another avocado. Now for some wine.

  Chapitre 19

  A few minutes later.

  Didier was over in a flash it seemed. "I am anxious to tell you all what I learn from mother about my past." He came in and sat down in the kitchen where the snack of tomato wedges, cucumbers and avocado sat. There was a glass of wine for him as well. He sipped it and then said that when he called his mother, at first she didn't want to talk about it. But he insisted on knowing who his family was and where he came from.

  This is their story. Didier's mother, Catherine's great grandmother was Lisa-Maebelle du Prideaux. Lisa-Maebelle married Monsieur Montague Gautier-Straussburg and they lived in New Orleans, they had a son named Eric, who Married Stacy Dauphine, her grandmother who was from Louisiana as well.

  Eric went to California looking for a winery; he loved wine and had heard of the beautiful weather of California. He believed that one could grow grapes there and they would make wine as good as the French.

  Soon Stacy came to live with him and they had a daughter, Laura Mae, who met a man, named Keith Guimond, who was also from Louisiana and wanted to marry her. Eric had brought Keith from Louisiana to be his foremen on the winery.

  Well Laura fell in love with Keith, Eric forbade Laura from marring him, so she got pregnant on purpose. This made Eric so furious that he forbade her to ever come back after they eloped and went back to New Orleans.

  Annabelle was born, my mother adored my great-grandmother's name, but Eric's mother was Anna, so they combined them. Then I was born seven years later and she named me Catherine-Maebelle. Well when I was just about ten years old, my sister and I came out to California with my father on some business, and we went to visit my Grandmother Stacy, who was dying to see her grand-daughters.

  We went to a lighthouse ne
ar the beach, right on the cliffs, it scared Annabelle to death. We went there because if Grandfather Eric would have ever found out, he would have put Stacy away. I have a photo of Grandmamma Stacy, Annabelle and me in front of the ocean on the beach that day.

  Well when Annabelle found out that Grandpa Eric had disowned our mother Laura for marring Keith, she said he would never speak her family name again or ever have anything to do with him, she wanted to be a Guimond.

  Then I promised Grandmother Stacy I would come back and live with her some day, it was so beautiful and I loved the ocean. The last day we were there, grandfather Eric returned from his business trip, he came to my room and saw Annabelle and was angry that she was so weak and fair skinned. He blamed this on Keith.

  Then he saw me and knew that I must have been his true grand-daughter. He sat at my bedside and whispered to me how beautiful I was and that he was sorry to have sent Laura, my mother away. He said that I must come back and see him again. He didn't want Grandmother Stacy to know that he had seen me. He seemed to be distraught over the situation.

  He said he was leaving quickly again on another business trip but had heard word that Annabelle and I were here. I was just ten years old. He gave me this photograph he had brought with him. He told me to pack it in my suitcase and to keep it hidden until I was an adult and then return to him.

  Well my father died and I