exposure: the amount of light allowed to fall on the photographic medium
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Driving fast up the side of a mountain, she laughs with the sound of the camera’s shutter. Another smile of yours burned into a square of film. You keep your eyes on the road and hear the crank of film advancing.
New frame: you roll the window down a bit, let the wind blow your hair back from your forehead, smiling at the feel of cool air on your skin, the radio playing loud bluegrass.
She’s sideways in her seat, seatbelt disregarded so she can point her lens at you. The lens of the camera she bought at a thrift store last Saturday because she thought she’d like to take pictures of things now, maybe enroll in a photography class. The camera’s old and only half works and you ruined her first roll of film when you falsely assured her you could rewind the film. But you couldn’t really and it all got exposed as you reddened with embarrassment and she put a hand between your shoulders and kissed you on the cheek and said, ‘It was mostly just pictures of me naked anyway,’ laughing as you reddened even more.
You have a flash suddenly of taking one of these turns too quickly causing the world to turn into a sudden blur. The camera crashing on the pavement, the film spilling out of it, all of those smiles vanishing with the sun. You ease off the gas and she advances the film again.
New frame: you look over at her with her tongue stuck between her teeth and you say, ‘You should really put your seatbelt back on,’ trying to keep your face solemn but then she leans forward to bring the lens closer to your face and you’re laughing again, turning your eyes back to the road.
You wonder what she’ll do with them all when she’s done. You wonder what she could possibly want with 27 of your smiles, some just half smiles, some just you looking like an idiot when she surprises you, some just blurs of color and warmth. ‘I’m working on a Jim wall,’ she explains with a matter of fact tone in her voice, battling her seatbelt so it will allow her to still sit facing you, the strap on the camera getting all twisted up with it. She wins with a triumphant laugh and cranks the film.
New frame: you shake your head, biting back a smile, and you tell her she’s adorable as you reach across the seat with one hand to tickle the bottoms of her socked feet. The car drifts a little and you’re quick to come back with both hands on the wheel, but still grinning. She says, ‘You should really pay more attention to the road.’
Your ears pop with the changing pressure and she’s turned her camera to the window, watching the passing scenery through its lens. Mountains like paintings with the treetop colors blending all together. A town down below turned into models on a train set. You pull over at the next overlook and her thumb moves the film ahead again.
New frame: you turn the car off and her face is more serious now as she turns the lens back to you. You smile softly at her and wait for the open and close of the shutter. She says, ‘Close your eyes,’ and it isn’t the first odd request she’s asked of you since she got the camera so you indulge her, lowering you lids slowly as the smile on your face widens a bit. You hear the shutter release and before you can open your eyes again, her mouth is on yours, soft but insistent.
The words come out of her mouth slowly and for the first time as she’s pulling back. ‘Love you,’ whispered with her eyes still closed and her lips still against yours. You run your thumb along her cheekbone, nodding with your forehead bumping gently against hers. You mirror her words, ‘Love you,’ before kissing her again as her hands grip the collar of your shirt.
New frame: you take the camera from her and she looks into the lens with a smile playing on her lips, her cheeks still flushed pink from kisses and declarations. She turns her eyes away shyly after a few seconds, biting her bottom lip as she looks through the windshield. You press the button down as the smile breaks free and the sun comes out from behind a mountain top, lighting her up.
