Love in a Photograph
Jean and Lucien walked down the streets of Adelaide, she clinging to his arm as they wandered aimlessly. They didn't speak.
Lucien had just informed Jean that he had bought a bus ticket to return to Ballarat. He'd been gone for an entire week, and he knew he couldn't reasonably be away much longer. Of course, she knew he was correct. He had responsibilities in Ballarat that he couldn't abandon, especially since he'd left so abruptly. He'd gotten on the bus with her to Adelaide so he could tell her he loved her, and they had spent the last few days in romantic bliss during every moment she could spare away from baby Amelia.
And even though she knew the necessity of his departure, it didn't make her happy to see him go. She didn't know what to say, so she just quietly enjoyed his presence, knowing it would be the last time they could be together and unobserved for likely a long time.
As they walked, Lucien began to doubt his decision to go home. He'd been feeling some anxiety about leaving the police and his patients so abruptly, but he was also loathed to leave Jean. They'd been having such a wonderful week, swimming at the beach, dancing at cafés all around the city, picnicking in the park, and freely holding hands and kissing everywhere they went. Lucien had never been so happy in all his life. Not only that, he didn't even know that happiness like this was even possible. The idea of leaving suddenly felt incredibly stupid.
Jean was trying not to think about their sad parting in only two days' time and instead tried to look at the shops they passed on the street. She would, in all likelihood, remain in Adelaide for some time, and it would serve her well to remember where she could go for whatever she needed. They came upon a photographer's studio and she paused.
Lucien was pulled out of his own thoughts when she abruptly stopped walking. "Jean?"
She didn't respond. She was lost in thought.
"Is there something you need from the photographer?" he asked, hoping to catch her attention.
"No, not really," she finally answered. "I suppose I was just thinking of how I'll miss you when you go back to Ballarat. I don't know when I'll be able to return, you see."
"Yes, I know."
"Well it made me think…no, never mind. It's silly," she said with a shake of her head, cutting off her own comment.
Lucien realized what she'd been thinking. "We should go in and have some photographs taken of the two of us. That way, we can have a souvenir of sorts of our time here together."
"I'm sure we'd have to make an appointment," she resisted.
"Nonsense. We'll go in right now," he insisted, taking her hand and leading her toward the shop. "I, for one, would love to have a photograph of us like this."
"In our everyday clothes, sweaty from the heat?"
"You look lovely. And no, I mean blissfully happy and in love. I have to go home in two days, and I don't know the next time I'll get to see you smile or hear your voice or kiss you until we can't breathe."
Jean blushed and couldn't hide her smile. "Alright." She followed him into the shop.
Lucien went right up to the front desk and rang the bell on the counter. Within a minute, a young blonde woman came to greet them.
"Good afternoon. How can I help you?" she asked politely.
"We would like to get some photos taken," Lucien told her.
"Are these engagement photos?"
"Not as such," Lucien replied awkwardly.
Jean clarified, "We're going to be apart for some time, and we'd like some pictures together to remember each other."
The young woman immediately understood. "Of course. If you'd like to follow me back to the studio, I can take your photos right now."
"You?" Lucien commented with slight surprise.
"Yes, me. My father, Tim Harris, opened the shop before the war. I've been his assistant all my life, and now that he's mostly retired, I'm the principal photographer. Gina Harris, nice to meet you," she explained, extending her hand in greeting.
In the back studio, Gina had Jean and Lucien stand against a blank backdrop and pose together in a rather formal fashion. She took a few shots before then moving them over to the staged sofa.
"The formal photos will be nice, but I'd also like a few of you two sitting. That way you can decide which poses you like best." Gina took a few more shots of various zoom. "I need to change the film in my camera. You two just sit comfortably, and I'll be right back."
Lucien paid little attention to Gina when she ducked into the back room. "This is quite fun," he noted to Jean.
She smiled at him. "Yes, actually, it is. And it's even nicer that the photographer didn't ask any questions."
"Well, I think you explained the situation rather well," he pointed out.
They beamed at one another. Gina returned to the room with near silence. She was able to get one surely-beautiful shot before they noticed her. "Big smiles!" she instructed, taking the last photograph.
In the end, Gina told them to return the following day in the late afternoon and she would have the photos ready for them. Lucien paid for the photo session. Jean realized what time it was. She'd be late returning to Ruby and the baby. Lucien walked her back to the entrance to the army base and kissed her one last time before she hurried back to her family's house.
The next morning, after the fourth night in a row when Amelia hadn't woken the whole house at two in the morning, Jean left the house as early as she could manage. She wanted to get to the photographer before she met Lucien. This would be their last full day together, though she tried not to think about that fact.
Gina Harris had some of the prints ready when Jean arrived. "I have three ready for you to look at. The last one won't be ready for a little while. Take a look at these and let me know if you'd like to buy any of them." She put three pictures of Jean and Lucien out on the counter for Jean to inspect.
Two of the three were of them standing. On was very stiff and formal; it was a beautiful photograph, but it didn't quite capture the feeling she wanted to cherish during her time with Lucien in Adelaide. The next photo was the two of them standing, arm in arm. They smiled softly. Again, a lovely image but not entirely correct. The third available print was Jean and Lucien sitting on the sofa together, each angled toward the other and holding hands. They both smiled brightly at the camera. "Oh this is the one," Jean announced.
"This is my favorite of these as well," Gina agreed. "I can make copies for you, just let me know how many. And I'll have the last print available for you to look at later today, if that's acceptable.
"Yes, I think that will be fine. I'd like to purchase two copies of this picture for now. I'll be back later to pick them up and look at the last picture."
Gina picked up the chosen photo. "Why don't you take this one for now? I have the original negative, so I'll be able to print more."
Jean paid for the two photos she was buying and took the first copy with her. She went straight to Lucien's hotel.
"Hello, love!" Lucien greeted happily. He gave her a quick kiss. "What would you like to do today?"
"Unfortunately, I haven't got too much time today. But I wanted to give you this." Jean took the photograph out of her purse and held it out. "I'm getting a copy for myself, but this one is for you."
Lucien regarded the photograph and was mildly shocked. "Oh good lord!"
"What's wrong?" Jean asked with concern.
He began to chuckle heartily, pointing to his face in the picture. "I hardly recognize myself! Have you ever seen me so happy?"
"Yes," Jean replied softly. "All this week."
Lucien leaned in to kiss her lips gently. "All thanks to you," he murmured to her.
He walked her back to the army base, taking his time so she wouldn't have to leave him so soon. Jean did return to the Gina Harris later in the afternoon, after she'd put Amelia down for her nap. The final photo was ready for her.
"I hope you like it. I think it's the best that I got," Gina said sincerely.
Jean gazed at the photo and was slightly taken aback. In the picture, she and Lucien were sitting on the sofa, holding each others' hands. Lucien was telling her something, and she was looking at him with the most love-struck expression. They were both smiling, though neither was looking at the camera.
"I took this as something of a test shot after I changed my film. But I think it turned out really lovely. It's very clear that you two love each other very much," Gina quietly remarked.
"I'd like two copies of this as well. As soon as possible," Jean requested.
Gina nodded. "I can have them ready if you'll just wait here for about twenty minutes." She disappeared into the darkroom closet in the rear of the studio space. Jean waited.
Unfortunately for everyone, Lucien's bus was set to leave Adelaide somewhat early in the morning. Jean awoke, made herself up as elegantly as she could manage and went to the bus station to see him off.
They didn't say much. There wasn't much to say. Neither knew when they would see one another again. They each vowed to write or call as often as they could manage. But they spent most of the time passionately kissing beneath the street sign where the bus was set to depart.
Far too soon, the bus driver called for all passengers to board. That was Lucien's cue to leave.
"Wait, before you go, I wanted to give you this. You can open it when you get going." Jean pressed a sealed envelope into his hand and gave him one final kiss. "Give my love to Mattie and Charlie. And all my love to you."
Lucien nodded. He didn't say anything, afraid to ruin the moment. But they had already said everything that needed to be said between them. He put the envelope in his jacket pocket and boarded the bus.
He waved out the window to Jean as the bus pulled away. He watched as she became just a small blur in the distance. It was at that point that he decided to open the envelope.
To his surprise, it was another photograph. It must have been taken just before the posed photo Jean had given him the day before. But this one was, in a word, magical. The two people in that photograph were so blatantly in love. It warmed his heart to stare at the way Jean was looking at him in the picture.
But another surprise came when Lucien noticed the back of the photograph. Jean had written, in her very precise handwriting, Wait for me to come home. She'd also drawn a small heart at the bottom.
Lucien read the short message three times over before he leaned his head back and closed his eyes, fixing the image of Jean in his mind during the entire journey back to Ballarat.