Through the Lens | Dodie Clark

1

/439 days/

I never thought that me meeting Dodie was anything short of a miracle, even if I didn't know it at the time. I was a bit tipsy the night we first met, and she laughed at me every time my words were slurred or I struggled to stand properly. I didn't mind, though, as long as I got to hear her laugh.

There was a series of events that occurred before I met Dodie Clark, and all were crucial.

1. I was invited to Thomas's lame ass party. I was skeptical of his reasons for this, as he had never spoken to me exclusively outside of work, and I had only known him for a month. I politely declined, having plans to stay in and not go to a lame ass party.

2. I felt spontaneous. Maybe a social outing would be good for me. Even if it ended up being a lame ass party, I'd be doing myself a favor by getting myself out. Let me assure you, it had nothing to do with the fact that my roommate, Margo, kicked me out of the flat for the night. A special date was in order for her, and she didn't think the sight of me laying on the couch in my pajamas, eating junk food, would have been good for anyone.

3. My camera went missing five minutes before I was planning to leave. I didn't expect much from this party, but on the off chance that a fist fight could break out between two guys whose images of masculinity had been threatened, I wouldn't want to miss it. So to Margo's dismay, I spent well over an hour trying to locate it, finally discovering that I had it in my backpack all along.

4. The party was as I expected: lame. I knew nobody, and couldn't be bothered introducing myself. So I sat and drank and observed for a good amount of time. Thomas came and chatted for a bit, and I did my best to look like I was enjoying myself. When he left to be a host elsewhere I decided I best be going. I could go to a diner and wait till Margo gave me the a-ok to return to my bed.

5. I began making my way towards the door, but realized that my plastic cup was running low. Might as well take one for the road.

6. I left for the second time, this time with a full cup. As I opened the door to leave, a rambunctious girl screwing around with her friends fell into my back. In my already unstable state, I stumbled forward. I managed to catch myself, but not without a price. My drink sloshed and spilled all over someone only just entering the party.

And there she was.

Later in the night I smiled as Dodie gripped my shoulder to steady me, still giggling at my inability to function. "Are you alright? Do you need a chair?" she asked, leading me to couch. The party around us was thriving as alcohol was passed around and singles found make out buddies.

"I promise I'm usually better spoken than I am now," I enunciated, becoming embarrassed in my state.

Dodie waved it off. "I'm sure sober Evie is very intriguing and thought provoking, but I'm having a lot of fun with drunk you right now."

We settled into a steady conversation, with people occasionally interrupting to greet Dodie. She laughed every time I said something slightly inappropriate. I found myself reaching for the camera in my backpack. I definitely wouldn't have done this without all the alcohol running through my system, but that couldn't be helped now.

"Do you mind if I record you?" It didn't register how creepy the question must have sounded until Dodie's eyebrows scrunched together and she looked at me with uncertainty. "I'm a film student, and, uh," I tried explaining. I was a film student, but that's as far as my excuse could go. I didn't have an actual reason, so I was pulling this out of thin air. "The dim lighting in here is really interesting, and I might be able to use this for an upcoming project. It's always nice to have extra options lying around," I improvised.

I smiled as she agreed, and uncapped the lens. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.

"Just talk."

I focused the camera and began recording. There was a moment of quiet as Dodie gathered her thoughts.

"I'm still not entirely sure why you want to record me," she started, glancing between the camera and me. Dodie noticed my unsteady movements, and offered to take it from me. I happily handed it over. She continued once she had the camera comfortably in her hands. "I don't even know if you'll remember me in the morning, but if you do, you should give me a call, so maybe we can get together another time- as long as you don't ruin any more of my shirts. And. . . yeah." She ended with her laugh that I loved oh so much before fumbling to stop recording.

/438 days/

I most definitely remembered Dodie in the morning.