Chemistry| July Self Portrait

I was 17 and shooting one of my first portrait sessions.
It was for a friend of a friend, all three of us were there.
But then this fourth guy. Who?! I didn’t know he tagged along to meet me.
And then the whole shoot, he talked  a mile a minute.
Didn’t he know I was trying to concentrate? He was throwing me off my game.
At our second photo location I had to climb a big boulder for the photo angle.
It was embarrassing because when I took off my high heeled boots,
I was wearing orange frog socks.
How professional.
Worst day ever.

I turned to climb down the boulder.
He stepped forward and offered me his hand.
Like a flash, that scene from “Sleepless in Seattle” came to mind.
Remember when Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan touch hands
at the top of the Empire State Building
and they just knew?
They were meant to be.
What if…
I reached out my hand and touched his.

Nope….nothing.

Jumped down.
Touched solid ground and shook myself off ,
laughing at my silly mind.

Later that week later I saw him again.
He gave me a failing grade on a pop quiz, wore a terrible blue sweater
and told me I needed a fire extinguisher for my piano playing.
But the way he looked at me…

All I can tell you in this short space
is that chemistry can start in many ways.

Eight months and many other stories later,
I was absolutely fascinated.
We were on our second date driving around the lakes.
When he reached for my hand again, he had already reached my heart.
And I knew
I’d never let go.

***

This is the continuation of my 2014 self-portrait series.
See other posts from the series here!