La Photographie Moderne

by Neil Crenner

wanted you to go to college, and I picked California Polytechnic University in San Luis Obispo. She was so happy for me. When I was finished with school she had planned to come out here and live near me, but my Aunt Annabelle got sick and she needed to take care of her. Well Annabelle was so stubborn that she refused to come to California.

  Mom was going to send me a letter and explain all these things to me, and then my Aunt Annabelle became very sick. Annabelle had asked her to promise she would never have anything to do with the Gauthier-Straussburg name and not to tell me of my heritage. She hated Grandpa Eric because he had forbidden our mom, Laura to marry Keith, then our lives would have been so much better.

  And the winter of 1955, she got influenza and lost part of her hearing. She had wanted to be a pianist and because of her loss of hearing she hated Grandpa Eric, as he was the blame for them living there in cold Louisiana and not in Sunny California.

  Annabelle was always a sickly girl and never married for this reason. Had she gone out to California when she was ill, she would be alive today. So she had been waiting a spell to tell me about my family after she died, but it was just not in her thoughts at the time. Then I called her up and wanted to know all about it."

  "So let me ask you, what do you think of it all?"

  "I am so glad and relieved that I have found this out I told her. How could we have ever been in the dark for so long? I am just in shock about the entire thing."

  "Well now you know."

  "I think Grandmother Stacy Died sometime in the 1990's. So as far as I know we don't have any living relatives. I was very distraught about that, except for my father's family, which I know nothing about as well."

  "Boy that is some story. I can't believe it myself. Well I took that photo of the lighthouse about three years ago."

  "Maybe that was Grandmother Stacy in the lighthouse. Maybe she needed help and was trying to get my attention?"

  "I am in shock still. Could that have been your Grandmother Stacy waving in the photo to me?"

  "Or was it a ghost? Now I have to write this down a bit to figure out who is who."

  "I'll get a paper."

  "I already wrote it down somewhere," Didier fumbled for a piece of paper in his pockets. "Here it is." He pulled out a folded up paper and smoothed it out. "I was just writing down their names one after another as mom was telling me the story. I still can't believe it."

  "Yes me too."

  "Well we can look up the death certificate for Grandmother Stacy and I can check out my credit card receipts and see when I was up there at the beach, I keep all my records filed by month and year. This is all coming together now. I can't wait to see what happens next. It's like a good Agatha Christie mystery. What I don't understand is why your name is Gauthier?"

  "My mother told me that when she was born that her mother Laura had not given Annabelle and her, their father's name, but Gauthier-Straussburg. So when I was born she just shortened it to Gauthier."

  "That is why your Aunt Annabelle said she didn't want to use Gauthier-Straussburg anymore. I didn't get it at first. Wow, amazing."

  "Yes it is and I feel more alone now that I know about my past. Here I have been living just about 4 hours away from where my great grandparents lived."

  "That is so sad."

  "I am a bit upset with my mom as well, she should have told me many years ago. I could have gone and met my great-grandmother. I was here in California."

  "Well maybe we can find out more tomorrow?"

  "Mom is going to be flying in next week, I want her to come out here to California and live with me now that she doesn't need to be there anymore."

  "Well that's great. She will love it here."

  "I can't believe it's taken so long for her to make it here to California."

  "I am so glad that you will have your parents close to you."

  "I think it's good to live close to your family. They can give you a lot of strength to lean on when times are rough." They both got ready for bed and as Reason laid there holding Didier, Colbert at their feet, he wondered about the vision again. Would it come true? Had he "stepped in" enough to change it? He fell asleep wondering.

  The next morning.

  Reason woke up and Didier was already up, he smelt coffee. He wondered how he could ever rise before the sun. He decided to get up and meet Didier half way, sitting in the kitchen and drinking morning coffee. He climbed out of bed and slipped on his robe. His slippers were in the closet somewhere unattainable, so he put on some socks instead.

  "Good morning!" Reason clamored as he strolled into the kitchen, "I am meeting you half way and drinking coffee in the kitchen."

  "Well you didn't have too," Didier said politely, "I would have brought you coffee in bed."

  "I am up and here, so I will enjoy it."

  "Here you go." Didier handed him the piping hot coffee, with milk and sweetener. "I was thinking this morning about my great grandmother and all of it, and maybe I should just leave it alone. Let lying dogs lie." Reason was in shock, he could not believe his ears. But he was not going to say anything negative to Didier, at least right now anyway. He would hold his tongue.

  "Why do you feel this way? Is there something I should know?"

  "No, no, you know the entire story. However, if the negatives were stolen at your gallery because of something to do with my past, I think maybe it's time to drop it. Forget about it. I don't need to know anymore than I already do. Maybe that's best, for all of us." Reason wanted to stop him in his tracks.

  "Shut Up!" He didn't. He sat there and drank his coffee and looked like he was concentrating about this new idea, and looking like he was absorbing it.

  "Well I cannot tell you how to live your life and if this is how you feel, then I am fine with it." Yeah Right! Reason thought to himself. I will find the underlying cause of this. There is an ulterior motivation for this, I just know there is. Reason thought.

  "Well I need to be off; I have to finish up some details about a project I am working on." Didier rose from the table.

  "Okay, well have a nice day, and don't worry about all this. Just let it go, like you said."

  "I will try." Didier stood up and hugged Reason, "I will call you later on. Okay, around lunchtime?"

  "Sure," Reason nodded his head. Didier left. Reason was so glad he was gone, because he could not hold in the frustration any longer. He went to the bathroom and splash ice-cold water on his face. He needed to calm down. Why would he say that this morning? Maybe he just wants to get me off the subject. Who knows?

  Reason undressed and got into the shower, he turned the water so it was a cool lukewarm. This would calm him down. Colbert was sitting on the floor just outside the bathroom when Reason slid the curtain back. Oh Colbert, I forgot to unlock your doggy door. He dried off and put his robe on and went an unlocked the doggy door. Colbert was out in a flash. He sat down at the table to have another cup of coffee.

  Chapitre 20

  A few days later.

  Didier did not speak of his past. Reason was going crazy. He dared not bring it up to Didier in fear that it would upset him and they would have their first fight. Well fights are not so bad, everyone has them. When you make up, then you feel closer to each other Reason pondered.

  There must be a way of approaching the subject, must be a way. He repeated. When Didier's mother arrives in town, I will invite her and Didier over for dinner, or take them out to a nice place, to show good California hospitality. Then surely his mother will bring it up or maybe not. He might be self-conscious around me, a private matter not to be discussed with strangers.

  I am a stranger in reality. I have only known Didier a short time. Well I will just have to wait and see if I connect with his mother.

  They were getting ready to go to Trevor's exhibition, they would have champagne. I will just have a glass or two. Reason was not so distracted with getting dressed as he wanted to be. Didier would be arriving soon, and he needed to finish getting dressed.
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  There was something slowing him down. His body was just not moving in its normal speed. Maybe he did not want to go to the showing. Maybe sub-consciously he resented Trevor for getting a show, and no thanks to him, although Trevor believes he did try to help him out, and he saved his life, he should be very grateful for that.

  Maybe he should tell him about the visions. I am going to ask him if he has had any more close calls since that day, if the timing is right.

  He was just sitting on the bed, he had just put on his shoes, and he did not tie them. He had an under shirt on, charcoal slacks, black belt with a silver buckle. What to wear? He grabbed a turtleneck and slipped it on. There he was finished. A dollop of gel on the hair, and that's finished too.

  He was in the kitchen feeding Colbert when Didier arrived. Didier was wearing black pants and a black turtle neck.

  "We are twins tonight, that's great, we think alike," Reason quipped, all smiles.

  "Well I did not put much thought into this," Didier said. He smiled and winked at Reason. Reason new better, but didn't say anything. He would let Didier believe that he believed him.

  They were off to the exhibition in just a matter of minutes. They were not going to be fashionably late, as it was a work night. The gallery was on the upper side. On a very fancy street with boutiques and shops that sold high-end clothing, trendy clothing. Reason had no part in it, anymore. He had only ever been to this gallery a few times before. It was always so crowded; he really