Chapter 17: Joe

As six o'clock approached, Joe found himself watching each second tick off the clock. He stood at his dresser, looking at himself in the mirror all the while trying to calm his nerves by telling himself it was only Elizabeth, but that didn't seem to matter. He reached for his keys and some money lying on top of his dresser. He then looked for his wallet, but it wasn't anywhere to be found. He stood there retracing his steps in his mind to the last place he'd had it and then remembered he had left it in his camera bag out in his darkroom.

Joe hurried downstairs and then walked out across the lot to the barn and into his darkroom. He found his wallet right where he had left it with his camera and his note pad. He shoved his wallet in his pocket and then took a seat on the stool. He glanced to his watch; he still had a few minutes to kill, so he busied himself by reading through his notes.

He picked up the sleeve of negatives he'd brought from the office and casually held them up toward the light, then looked back to his notes. He must have been out there for about ten minutes when he heard a soft tap at the door. Elizabeth stood in the doorway in a stunning blue dress that held her tightly at her waist. Her hair was resting on her shoulders in large curls. Joe smiled at the sight of her.

"Your dad was right." She walked farther into the room. "He told me I would find you out here with your pictures."

She walked over, kissing him lightly on the cheek. The butterflies that had been filling his stomach quickly disappeared as the familiarity of her touch comforted him.

"Well, don't tell Dad he was right. It will go to his head, and we can't have that."

She looked into his piercing blue eyes and paused for a moment as she had forgotten how blue they were. Elizabeth quickly looked away, as if she didn't want to get found out.

She turned her attention to the numerous photos on the walls and then focused in on one of the few color shots hanging near her. As she leaned into the picture he watched as she brushed her hair behind her ear. She glanced back at him.

"These are beautiful, Joe." She looked around the room again. "All of them."

She walked toward him and then stepped past him as she noticed a picture that he had made the night before hanging on the line.

"Is this one of your newest photos?"

Joe had forgotten he had hung the picture to dry.

"Oh, that? It's nothing, just something I took the other morning."

She looked to Joe as she started to pull it from the line. "May I?"

Joe shifted his stance and nodded. "Sure."

She glanced over to him and then back to the photo. She rubbed her hand across the glossy picture as if she were touching the rays of sunlight. A crooked smile came to her face. "This looks slightly familiar."

Her eyebrows rose as she realized where the picture was taken. "Is this our old barn?"

Joe shifted his feet again and leaned back to his desk. "It is. It's in pretty bad shape these days."

She smiled. "This is beautiful, Joe."

Elizabeth lightly bit her lip as she looked at him. "I guess there are some places and memories you never forget." She looked up to meet his eyes again. "We had a lot of good times-once upon a time," she said.

Joe reached up to his neck and began rubbing it. "Seems like a lifetime ago, a dream almost."

He looked away from her. Elizabeth placed the picture on the counter and turned her attention to the other photos on the wall. She walked around, looking at a few of them, and then stopped by one sunrise and then the next. Then she pretended to count the numerous sunrise shots.

"So, Joe, do you like sunrises?" She teased

He looked up to the photos and then back to her. "I guess-" His voice trailed off. He grabbed a towel that lay on the counter and wrung it in his hands.

"I never look at them much anymore."

He was silent for a moment and then sighed. He gave a nervous chuckle. "I guess it's a bit of an experiment, just something I like to do."

She turned back to him. "An experiment, is it? Sunrises in black and white?"

She moved over to one of the other color shots.

"These in color are beautiful."

He looked at the photos and then back to her. "Yeah, color pictures are nice, but that's not how I remember them."

Elizabeth looked at him inquisitively, not understanding exactly what he meant.

"I guess I get a bit, well, romantic about sunrises. They affect me differently than most and, well, when I close my eyes the pictures in my mind are much more vibrant and beautiful than any color picture can paint. When I think of it, it's like, well-"

Joe took a deep breath and paused for a moment.

"Well, I guess it's like when a mother sees her child for the first time-or-or when you see your first love-" Joe's voice trailed off again.

Elizabeth studied his eyes. She could see the passion in them as he talked about the pictures, but she could also see the pain that seemed to linger behind them.

"It's tough for me to say how it affects me, but color just messes it up. I guess black and whites let me remember them just the way they were-You get to add the colors with your memory." He tapped one of the color shots near him. "And not the way they are here on the wall."

Joe looked around at all the pictures and then back to her. A smile came to his face as he began to joke. "I guess it is a little excessive, isn't it?"

Elizabeth crossed her arms and looked at Joe. She studied his eyes, knowing all too well she had seen those eyes a thousand times before, yet she felt as if she was seeing him for the first time. She couldn't help but understand exactly what he meant. Elizabeth didn't say anything for fear that she would give her feelings away. She looked away from Joe and began walking around, continuing to study the pictures. As she made her way over near the door, she pointed to one of the larger framed sunrises hanging there. "Where was this one taken?"

He walked over, then stood in front of it.

"I took that one while I was on a ship headed to one of those godawful islands during the war."

She pointed to another picture. "And this one?"

Joe shifted his stance. "That one is a little closer to home; it's in the backfield by the old barn."

Elizabeth turned and looked at him. "Really, I have never seen a sunrise so beautiful."

She leaned in, looking at the photo again. She studied the silvers and grays of the picture and then closed her eyes, imagining the colors. She turned to him. "You're right, your mind does put in its own colors, doesn't it?"

She turned and walked closer to him. "All those years I lived here, and I never knew what I was missing."

She stepped even closer, now only standing inches from him. She looked up to him and lightly placed both of her hands on his chest. He didn't say a word. Elizabeth could feel Joe's heart beating. The warmth of Elizabeth's hands created a sense of panic and excitement in him. He stepped back, bumping into the counter.

Elizabeth, sensing his nervousness, reached out and patted him on the chest again and smirked. "Sooo, how about that dinner?" she asked.

Joe exhaled as the nervousness he was feeling began to ease. "That sounds great."

They walked out of his darkroom and emerged from the barn into the lot that separated the barn from the house. As they crossed the lot and stepped up on the porch, they found Henry sitting there drinking a glass of tea and smiling from ear to ear.

"Good evening, Mr. Martinson," Elizabeth said.

"Evening, Elizabeth." He said

Joe was glad to see his dad there on the porch. He wasn't sure why he was glad, but for some reason, he took comfort in his being there.

Henry leaned forward in his seat and looked up to Elizabeth. "Ms. Elizabeth, can I ask you a question?"

"Yes, Mr. Martinson."

He threw his hands up and shook his head.

"There it is again," he said.

"How long did you live next door, and how long have I known you and your parents?"

She looked at him, unsure of what had upset him. Joe looked at his father.

"Dad don't start harassing her."

Henry laughed. "Well, just because you have been gone for a while doesn't make us strangers," he said.

"You can dispense with the 'Mr. Martinson stuff. It's Henry," he said.

He leaned back in his chair and looked over to Joe. "I feel like an old man every time I hear you call me 'Mr. Martinson.'" Henry said.

Joe muttered under his breath. "Well you are old, ya know."

Elizabeth scowled at Joe and then looked back to Henry. "Well then, Henry it is," she said.

A smile came to his face. "Alright, now that we have that straight, where are you kids off to tonight?"

Elizabeth moved over and took the empty seat next to Henry. She looked over to him and then back to Joe. "I'm not sure what we have planned," she said.

Joe shoved his hands in his pockets. "Well, I'm not really sure either. I figured we would just play it by ear!"

Joe turned to Elizabeth. "I haven't done this in a long time, but I figure we can find something to do."

He motioned to truck. "Shall we get going?"

As Elizabeth stood up, she patted Henry on his hand. "Nice to see you, Henry."

Henry waved to them as they started off the porch. "You kids have a wonderful time."

Elizabeth and Joe walked down the steps. They made their way over to Joe's truck.

"Do you mind if we take the truck?" Joe asked.

He looked over to Elizabeth's car. "It's not quite as nice as your Buick, but it will do for this evening."

Joe opened the door for her. She grinned at him and then took her seat. Joe ran around to his side and jumped in. He started the truck and then he looked over to her.

"What did you have in mind tonight, Ms. Thompson?"

Elizabeth grinned. "Well, I like your idea of just going to see what we can find."