Through the lens

The old man smiled at them. “Hello, may I help you?”

The woman smoothed out her jacket, regaining her balance and composure. “Hello. I called last week. We have an appointment to have our engagement photo made today.”

“Of course, of course. You must be Sheila.” He smiled at her. “And you must be Frank,” he said, offering his arm for a handshake from both of them.

“That’s right,” Sheila said, looking around at the shoddy surroundings. “We heard you were the best.”

“Ha. Well, I’ve been doing portrait photography for a long long time, my dear,” the old man said. “My name is Henry. If you’d like to have a seat, please do. I’ll be with you in a moment.”

Sheila looked at the dusty wooden bench and decided to stand. Frank gladly perched on the edge of the bench. Sheila gave him a stern look, but he ignored her.

A wall full of photographs, some professing their age with fading images and curling edges, filled an entire wall in the front room. Frank was fascinated by the faces and time the spread represented on the wall. Sheila didn’t even notice the wall, instead glaring into the darkness, pursing her lips and crossing her arms with impatience.

In a few minutes, Henry emerged and beckoned them to the photo studio in the back. “I hope you don’t mind, but there’s a reporter interviewing me for an article in the paper. I’m set to retire in a week, and some people think that’s newsworthy.” Henry chuckled. “It’s an article I don’t plan to read ’cause I’ll be out fishing by the time it comes out. Here, this is Mr. Peters from the Dispatch. Mind if he sits in?”

“No, I guess not,” Sheila said. Frank shook his head.

“How do you do?” Robert Peters said, standing briefly and nodding, then sitting back down in a rickety wooden chair in the corner. He started scribbling in his notebook.

“OK, if you two would like to take off your coats and have a seat on these stools under the lights,” Henry said. “I just need to load the camera.” He left the room for a few moments. By the time he returned, the couple had complied with his request.

Sheila sat upright, emotionless. Frank slouched, looking bored. Henry threaded the old medium-format camera onto its rusty tripod. He glanced into the viewfinder and frowned.

“You two need to act like you love each other. Move in closer. That’s it. Now Frank, put your arm around her. Yes. Face me. OK. Sheila, lean into Frank a little more. OK. That’s good.” Henry looked away from the camera down to his control box and noted that the flash was fully charged. “OK, get ready. I’m going to take several to make sure we’ve got a good one. Ready, on three. One –” And he released the shutter.

Sheila jumped. “Hey! I thought you said on ‘three.’ ”

“An old trick I learned from photographing children,” Henry smiled. “Makes for a better shot if the subjects don’t know exactly when it’s coming. OK, sorry. Just relax and I’ll shoot a few. Mr. Peters, you might want to look at this.”

Robert got up and took a peek through the viewfinder. “Oh yeah, Henry. I see what you were talking about.” He went back to the corner.

“What? What was he looking at?” Sheila demanded.

“He just wanted to see what people look like through the viewfinder of a 43-year-old camera,” Henry said.

“Well, I would have preferred to be photographed with a digital camera, so we could get the proofs the same day,” Sheila huffed. “But Frank insisted on using you.”

“I’m sure these will suit you just fine,” Henry said without humor. He released the shutter several times, allowing the flash to recharge for a few seconds after each pop. When he was through, he stood proudly and smiled. “That should do it.”

“When will the proofs be ready?” Sheila asked forcefully. “We need the final picture by next week.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Henry said. “I can have the proofs delivered to your apartment by tomorrow afternoon. Would that be satisfactory?”

Sheila smirked at him. “Fine.” Frank got her coat and helped her put it on, then grabbed his own. He nodded to the reporter, and to Henry, and followed his fiancee out to the street.

Robert waited until he heard the front door close. “Wow, Henry. You were right. I looked through the camera and saw exactly what you were talking about. Tell me more about how you discovered your camera was ‘magic’ and how accurate it is.“

“ ‘Magic’ is a strong word, Mr. Peters,” Henry said. “More like it can see things that I suspect. It confirms my suspicions, but never creates them.”

“So you can tell whose marriage will last and whose won’t just by photographing them?”

“Well, it’s not just about marriage,” Henry said. “The camera tells me what type of people my subjects are. A warm, yellow glow shows around those with true hearts who are destined to live happy lives. The others ... well, there is only blackness surrounding them.”

The cell phone in Robert’s pocket started to ring. He dug for it and answered. He said a few words and hung up. “That was Melissa, the photographer from the paper. She just pulled up to the front. Is it OK if she takes some photos for the article now?”

“Absolutely. I’m afraid I’m not photogenic, though” Henry smiled. “I prefer to be behind the camera, but she’s welcome to try.”

The front door’s bell clanged, and Robert poked his head out into the darkened front room. “Melissa! Back here!” He exited the studio to greet her. He squeezed her shoulder and kissed her warmly on the cheek. “You doing OK?” he asked earnestly.

“Of course, honey,” Melissa beamed. “It’s a glorious day outside, isn’t it?”

“It is. And you look really nice today.” Robert paused, looking deeply into her eyes. “You’ll really like Henry. He’s a nice old guy.”

“I really like you,” she said, reaching up to kiss him.

“We’d better finish the interview. Don’t want to keep Henry waiting.” He led Melissa to the studio. “Henry, this is Melissa. Melissa, Henry.”

“So very nice to meet you,” Henry said. “I tell you what. If you don’t mind, before you shoot my ugly mug, if I can take a picture of the two of you. I’ve got a wall of photographs out front. I make it a habit to photograph most everybody who comes in here, even the postmen who’ve delivered mail here through the years are up there. I think everybody is special enough to have their photo taken.”

“Sounds good to me,” Melissa said. She sat on one of the stools, and Robert sat closely beside her, arm around her waist. They faced each other slightly and smiled into each other’s eyes.

Henry shuffled over to the camera and looked through the viewfinder. “Perfect, just perfect,” he said. He released the shutter and the flash popped brightly.

“OK, it’s your turn,” Melissa said cheerfully. After she had taken some photos of Henry beside his camera, she waited in the corner for Robert to finish his interview.

A cell phone rang again, but this time it was Melissa’s. The city editor called to send her to the scene of a house fire. She winked at Robert on her way out. He sighed when he heard the front door close behind her.

“I think that just about does it, Henry. My editor says the story will run next Sunday on the front page,” Robert said.

“The front page?” Henry laughed. “I’m not worth the front page. Really, you should hold the story and run it along with my obituary.”

Robert smiled. “I hope that won’t be for a long long time. You deserve to enjoy your retirement after working for so long.”

“It was never work,” Henry said. “I enjoyed each and every minute, no matter who, what or where I was using my camera. Even the Sheilas and Franks I've worked with taught me something! I’ll miss it, but I’m getting old now. Can’t keep doing this forever.”

“It was certainly nice to meet you,” Robert said, gathering up his coat and taking two steps toward the door. “Oh, is there any chance I can get a copy of that photo you took of Melissa and me?”

“Of course,” Henry said. “I can mail it to the paper tomorrow morning. It looks like it will be a good one. You and Melissa seem like you get along pretty well.”

“She and I have been dating for almost a year,” Robert said sheepishly. “She makes me happier than anyone else ever has. I can’t imagine life without her, but sometimes I think about our future and wonder what it holds.”

“The heart is sometimes smarter than the head. Your heart will know when it’s the right time to decide your future,” Henry said, smiling. “I’m surprised that you didn’t ask me what I saw through the viewfinder when I photographed you both with my ‘magic’ camera.”

“I already know,” Robert answered. “Sometimes you don’t need a camera to see the magic.” He headed for the door, but before he could make it Henry stopped him.

“I have something Melissa might like,” Henry said. He shuffled quickly to the studio, and came out with a small cardboard box. “I’m not going to need it after today.”

“I can’t –”

“Sure you can,” Henry interrupted. “Tell her to use it carefully and wisely. But most of all, to enjoy it. I know I have.”

“I’ll do that.” Robert tucked the box beneath his arm and shook Henry’s hand once again. Once outside, he paused to let the door close gently behind him.

He carefully placed Henry’s camera on the floorboard of his car, and drove back to the newsroom. He knew Melissa would love Henry’s gift, as well as the one burning a hole in his own pocket. He knew it was time.