Page 33 of The Wedding Run
“Did they fit?” Charlie asks.
But Elle shakes her head and rolls her eyes. She takes over the conversation with, “When is Dad coming to Atlanta?”
“He’s not there yet? Maybe he had more to do at the B&B.”
Charlie shakes her head. “We cleaned everything out.”
“Maybe,” Elle says, “he needed some time. You know how he handles drama.”
Knowing Dad, I add, “He never does anything for himself. Hey, look what I found.” I hold up the Polaroid. “Dad must have slipped it into my suitcase.”
Leaning close to the screen, they ooh and ahh.
“Look at us!” Elle exclaims. “We’re so little and cute!”
“The framing is crooked,” Charlie states. “Maybe I could scan it and fix it in Photoshop."
“It’s perfect the way it is,” Elle declares.
“If only I’d taken the picture,” Charlie continues.
“You were too young,” Elle chides. “Besides, then you wouldn’t have been in it!”
“I wonder where it was taken,” I muse aloud.
“Ask Dad. He probably remembers,” Charlie says, sipping from a cup of tea. “He probably took it.”
“Or Aunt Barb,” Elle says.
We go silent for a moment.
Charlie clears her throat and moves past the awkwardness. “Mom always insisted we take pictures and more pictures. And don’t forget the clunky video camera!”
All the picture-taking to make memories, along with Charlie’s aversion to it, probably inspired her to step behind the camera and become a photographer. “Well,” I say, “I’m glad Momma wanted all those pictures. It’s all we have of her now.”
“That and the letter,” Elle says. I detect the not-so-subtle hint in her tone.
Charlie nudges her out of frame. “So, how are you doing, Lib?”
“I’m okay. Staying with Luke?—”
Elle whoops as she pops into the picture. “Go, Lib!”
“With his parents,” I add. “I just got out of a relationship. I’m not looking for another.” That last statement is decisive. And I mean it. I do. “Although,” I say, “we had an… incident.”
“Ooh,” Elle coos. “Tell, tell.”
“It was nothing. Really.” But I feel my cheeks burning with the memory.
“Have you spoken with Derek?” Elle asks.
“Not since…” I struggle to find the right words.
“Since you dumped him?” Charlie supplies.
“It wasn’t like that,” I protest. “It sounds so terrible to say it that way. Am I terrible?”
“No!” Elle protests as Charlie counters with, “Yes!”
