The Golden Hour

Chapter 13

"Maggie?" an unsure voice asked from the doorway.

She turned around, surprised to find her brother. "Ben? What are you doing here?"

He looked around, taking in the hall and its contents, before coming back to her. "Sorry, Lisa got stuck at the hairdresser, so she asked me to pick you up instead."

"Oh." was all she could think to say. She looked at her brother awkwardly. They hadn't really spent much time alone she since came back. Usually Lisa or Logan was there to act as a buffer.

Ben glanced around the hall once more, his eyes landing on the equipment laying on the tables. "Yeah... So, what are you doing here exactly?"

Maggie cleared her throat. "Oh, uhm... A photography workshop for under privileged kids."

Ben's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You're helping with something like that?"

Maggie felt her heart twinge. Of course he would find that strange. The old Maggie would rather have eaten rotten fish before doing charity work. And she had never been afraid to admit it. She nodded. "Yep. One of my old colleagues did something similar where he lives, and I thought it could be fun."

He looked around, not looking entirely convinced. "So what did you guys do?"

At this Maggie's face lit up. She motioned him over to where she was. "First, I went through some of the basic theories with them and then each of them got one of these." She held up a disposable camera. "We went outside and tried turning theory into practice. You should have seen their faces! It was amazing. Trying to find the perfect photo, asking me questions. And some of them really has some talent. I mean, just look at this!" She pulled out a bunch of photos, handing them over. "See? I think with some more training, they could really be great photographers."

Ben looked over the photos and found himself pleasantly surprised. He didn't know much about his sister's profession, but the photos were good, even for kids. He stared at her as she examined the photos, noting the soft smile on her face. "You were always fond of taking photos."

A sad smile crept onto her face. "Yeah. If only I had chosen better subjects. Taking photos of parties and my friends isn't exactly what I would call revolutionary."

Her expression made his heart twinge. "It's not like you only took photos of those things." he offered. "You also took many, and I mean many, photos of yourself." And he gave her a wink.

At this she chuckled. "Don't remind me." She had a thoughtful look on her face. "Gosh, I can't remember the last time I took a photo of myself."

"Yeah?" he asked, surprised.

She nodded. "Years, maybe."

They looked over the photos a bit more. You know," Ben started. "I was surprised to hear you're working at the newspaper. I kind of thought you would do your own thing. Do photo shoots or something."

Maggie shrugged. "Nah, not really my style. Not anymore, anyway. I want to do something that matters."

Ben could only look at his sister, amazed. The girl he knew ten years ago would never say something like that.

Maggie looked up, a soft expression in her eyes. "This is nice. Us talking."

His brow furrowed, confused. "We talk."

She shook her head. "Not like this. Usually we stick to the basics. Like how our day was. Or what's going on at work. We don't talk about the deeper stuff." She glanced away, guilt and sadness in her eyes. "We don't really have the best relationship, and I know it's my fault. But I'd like to change that. I know it will take some time... But I hope we can get there someday."

He examined her carefully and felt guilt. Yes, he wasn't always her biggest fan, but they were still siblings. He was still her big brother. He gave her a small smile. "I hope so too, Maggie."

He saw a smile forming on her mouth and smiled back. He motioned towards the photos and equipment around them. "How about we get all this in the car? Then I'll stick you for lunch. Burritos?"

She laughed. "Sure."

Ben glanced at her as they were packing up. She was definitely not the same Maggie that she was ten years ago.