Thursday Afternoon
I groaned and pushed the photographs away from me. I had been staring at the same set of prints for ten minutes and I still hadn't chosen the one I wanted. I glanced at the digital clock on my desk and groaned again. It's only 2:30! Today was definitely a slow day. The entire week was slow and I was ahead of schedule. I looked at the photographs again and chose the one I had picked up the most. I walked down the hallway to my boss's office.
"Here's that cover shot you wanted Steve", I said, placing a picture of Panic! at the Disco on his desk. Steve, a middle-aged man with shoulder-length hair and a wardrobe of neon clothing, observed the picture with a smile.
"Excellent choice Isabelle", he said with a smile. "Did I ever tell you that your one of the best photographers in Strobe Magazine's history?" I laughed and rolled my eyes. "Only every day", I giggled.
Even though I started working for Strobe as an intern only a year ago, I quickly made my name and talents known and I eventually earned the position as head photographer for the alternative rock magazine. This job definitely has its perks. What kind of job allows you to hang out and take pictures of your favorite bands? I've made plenty of famous friends during my time here. There's something about photo shoots that makes the atmosphere really relaxed and fun. Or maybe it's just the free alcohol.
Steve observed my face. "Are you okay?" he asked with concern. "It normally doesn't take you a long time to choose prints. You have some sort of natural instinct to choose the best photo."
I shrugged tiredly. "Sorry, it's been a long week." Steve sat back in his chair and twirled his ponytail. Uh oh. Whenever he does this, that means Steve is thinking of something crazy.
"Take the rest of the week off", he suddenly said. My eyes popped open. Was I hearing him correctly? "Wait, are you serious?"
Steve nodded. "Why not? You've been doing such a great job and you're ahead of everyone else, including me! You deserve this." I stared at Steve, flabbergasted.
"But what about the photo shoot with Brandon Flowers tomorrow?" I asked. Steve smiled. "Just received a phone call from his manager. He has a stomach virus and the shoot has been rescheduled to Monday." That's too bad. I'll be sure to talk to Brandon tonight.
Steve gave me a stern look and pointed to the door. "Don't let me see you around here until Monday morning!" he ordered. "Sir, yes sir!" I said, marching out of the office. Heading back to my studio, I felt a strange sense of freedom and excitement.
"Bye guys!" I announced to my coworkers. "I'm going home for the weekend!" A few of my fellow photographers cheered me on.
"You go girl!" Daniel, the magazine's music critic, hooted. Once I reached my desk, I put the remaining prints away and grabbed my camera. I take my camera wherever I go. You never know when a good shot will come up.
As I made my way out of the door, Daniel shouted, "Do something wild and crazy!"
Oh, I will!