Work In Process for the first book in my trilogy
Lifespan
Book One: Embarking
Work In Process for the first book in my trilogy
Lifespan
Book One: Embarking
Collecting
the Pictures
‘
Now Alice, we’re gunna see your pretty picture,’ says Maggie, unbuckling Alice from her harness, leaving the big pram outside the photographer’s shop. The bell tinkles and Eli Mason looks up from the far counter where he is wrapping a big picture in brown paper and string. He looks up and smiles. ‘Ah!Mrs… er Miss … You’ve come for your photographs!’
Now Alice, we’re gunna see your pretty picture,’ says Maggie, unbuckling Alice from her harness, leaving the big pram outside the photographer’s shop. The bell tinkles and Eli Mason looks up from the far counter where he is wrapping a big picture in brown paper and string. He looks up and smiles. ‘Ah!Mrs… er Miss … You’ve come for your photographs!’
She smiles. ‘Just call
me Maggie,’ she says. ‘Yes. We’re looking forward to seeing them aren’t we,
Alice?
Alice makes her mouse
squeak in response and Mr Mason laughs He puts an envelope on the near counter.
‘There you are. Good job, though I say
it myself,’
Maggie leans over to
get a closer look. ‘Amazing. Just
perfect Mr Mason.’ She has tears in her
eyes. ‘She looks so much … herself.’’
Mr Mason smiles
‘That’s what we want from our photographs. People looking like their best
selves. Especially these days.’ He pushes a mahogany frame towards her. ‘Choose
the best picture and put it in this frame.’ For free,
Maggie puts her hand on
it and hesitates,.
‘It’s a present,’ he
says. ‘For Alice.’
Maggie smiles,
relieved. She only has the money for the photos in her purse.
He wraps the photos and
the frame and - after protesting – takes
the money for the photos from Maggie. ‘Well, if I must.’
She tucks the package
into the pram basket and makes to go. Mr Mason puts up a hand. ‘I don’t know if
you’re working, er … Maggie?’
‘Well, I work four
nights in the bar at The Welsh House. I'm staying there.’ She smiles. ‘Singing
for my supper.’
He stares at her, ‘As a
matter of fact I need a hand here in the shop. The women are signing on at the
factory and the men are in the army or at the pit,. Much better money of
course. I told you I’ve lost Bernie didn’t I?’ He hesitates ‘Would you be interested to work here? Maggie,
times to suit you?’
Maggie smiles faintly.
‘Its wonderful to watch you work Mr Mason.. But I know nothing about cameras,
or taking photographs.’
He smiles ‘I can teach
you. Took young Bernie straight out of elementary school. In six months he was nearly as good as me.’ His smile fades. ‘Not that that’s doing
him much good now at the bottom of the
Atlantic.’
Maggie finds herself
nodding. ‘Now Alice is at school perhaps I can make the time.’ He is delighted,
bustling to find his calendar to arrange when she can start. She is outside the
shop and walking down the street with Alice in her pushchair before she realises
that she had said yes to Mr Mason because he was so sad about his lost boy.