Milk And Cardamom | S. Brown ✔

[26]

Stephanie's camera had not been working well as it was rather old and she knew it needed either some repairing or she might have to replace it altogether. So taking the camera and her bag, she went to the camera store that she had visited a few times before as well to fix her camera.

It was a newly renovated shop with shelves full of cameras and other photography equipment, a paradise for people interested in digitally capturing the world around them. The boy who managed the shop was excellent at repairing vintage cameras so she thought of showing the camera to him first.

"Hey, Martin," she stopped by the counter and he looked up, a smile taking over his face as he recognized her.

"Hi Steph, having trouble with your camera again?"

"Yeah, it worked great for months after you last fixed it but now the reel gets stuck too often and the pictures aren't as good as before," she handed the camera to him.

"Right. I will check it but you do know it's a very old camera and there's a big possibility that I might not be able to fix it," he was checking the shutter and the lens, then opened the case to check the film reel.

"I know... But I've had this for so long. You could say I've grown attached to it."

He smiled, "I get that feeling. Why don't you look at the cameras we have here? Try a few out for yourself and I'll see what I can do about this in the meanwhile. If in case I am not able to fix it, you can buy whichever camera you like."

"Sure."

Leaving her camera at the counter, she browsed through the shelves set up with different models of cameras. She stopped by the Instant Camera section, checking the models one by one.

"Martin, can I take a picture to test?"

"I already said you could," he looked up from the camera and nodded.

"Thanks."

She picked up the light blue camera and lifted it to her eyes, scanning the shop through the lens. Since it was an instant camera, it had a self developing reel so she knew that if she took a picture, it would be developed right afterwards.

Focusing on an area, she zoomed in and took a picture.

Shortly after the photograph developed and she took it out, observing it. The quality was great but as she looked closely, she realized that it had captured someone she knew. Looking back at the place she had taken the picture of, she saw Luke standing in the corner.

He was also checking the cameras on display and hadn't noticed that she was there too. But then he turned and caught her looking at him. A smile flickered on his face as he put the camera back and approached her, "hey, Stephanie, what a pleasant surprise."

"Hi Lucas."

He spotted the picture in her hands, "any specific reason?"

"Accidentally, I hadn't noticed you were there."

"Oh. The quality's perfect," he took the camera from her, focusing the lens on her and pressed the shutter, "and considering that the picture develops right after, that's a bonus."

He handed her the picture he had taken, he had framed half of her face and half of the shelf behind her and it made the green of her eyes stand out.

"Are you a photographer? This is such an aesthetic shot," she complimented, her smile widening.

"Not a professional photographer but it's a hobby," he placed the camera back, "what about you? Buying a new camera?"

"No, my camera needed repairing so I brought it here. Martin told me to check the other models just in case," she looked back at the counter where Martin was dealing with a few customers and working on her camera at the same time.

"Oh. What model is your camera?"

"Vintage Polaroid 636."

He nodded, looking at her as if impressed, "that's cool, it must be very old."

"It is but it's my favorite."

"Indeed," he had placed his hands in the pockets of his jacket, "I've heard it was quite the rage in the nineties. Never had the chance to use it myself but judging by your fondness for it, I think it would be quite great."

They had approached the counter when Martin waved over to Stephanie.

"Any luck?" She asked, noticing that he had opened the entire system but didn't look convinced as he put it back together, fixing everything.

"None, I'm sorry," he replied, "even if I do repair it, there will be trouble repeatedly. It's very old, Steph, you should let the poor thing rest now."

"Oh," the slight trace of sadness in her tone didn't go unnoticed by Luke, "maybe I should..."

She was so fond of her camera that thinking about letting it go was almost like the sadness people went through after letting go of their favorite pets.

"Didn't you like any cameras on display? You can take one for free right now, try it out for a week and then pay me later," Martin suggested. Steph was a regular visitor to the shop so he knew the camera would be in safe hands and she would eventually like using it and buy it.

"That's a very generous offer," Luke remarked, "do you treat all customers like this?"

A smile flickered on Martin's face, "only those who I know would return the item unscathed. Do you need anything?"

"Oh yeah, just a film reel," he stated.

"Right," turning to Steph, he added, "are you taking a camera or not?"

"I was checking the instant cameras and I liked one of them."

"Great, pick it up," he nodded, "return it by a week if you're not satisfied, but I'm sure that won't be needed. All the cameras here have great results, you'll definitely love it."

Steph went to bring that light blue camera while Luke paid for the reel he had bought.

"You sure it's fine or I could pay even now, you could return it if..."

"Stephanie, it's not a problem," Martin replied, "try the camera out, pay later if you like it which I'm sure you will."

"Thanks Martin," she took her old camera as well and stepped out of the store, Lucas accompanying her outside.

"So, you visit this store a lot?"

"Kinda, Martin has fixed my camera twice before and thought he would do it again but well..."

He smiled, "you'll get used to the new one in no time."

"I guess."

But then Luke spoke up, "hey, if you don't mind, can I take you out this evening? I've been trying to ask you for long but I guess I always got a little nervous before..."

She looked at him as if surprised, "you wanted to ask me out on a date?"

"If you want to," his smile widened but he retrieved his gaze, a dash of faint pink crossing his face for a second, "in all the sightseeing I've done this week, I found a park which is excellent for photography and you could try out the camera perfectly over there."

"Which park?"

"The one near Aparo Square," he replied, "all the spring blooms are in so it looks twice beautiful. Perfect for photography this time of the year."

She checked her wrist watch, knowing that she did not have anything specific to do in the evening so she agreed, "sounds nice. Plus, it's not far from here."

"Yeah... So, you're coming?"

Her green eyes twinkled slightly as she smiled, "sure."

***