Lisa
"Hey, Bam, it's me, Lisa." I say, calling him up after helping mama with the dishes.
"Hey, dude. Did your mama tell you the news? You're blowing up!"
My eyes widen. "Blowing up?"
"Well, not blowing up, blowing up, but I made your page just over twenty-four hours ago and you already have three bookings!" he informs me enthusiastically.
Ever since I've been back, I've picked back up my love for photography. Bambam, my best friend since grade school, always said that I had a real talent with a camera and I should take advantage of it. I always brushed him off, because photography is nothing but a hobby for me. But ever since I came back after the accident I've felt lost, and Bambam suggested that I finally take my hobby and turn it into something bigger, something more meaningful. He said that it would be good for me to get out there and do something other than farm work.
Eventually, he broke me down and created a website for people with serious inquiries to reach out me. He went to college and knows how to do all that fancy stuff, so I agreed to let him manage the website and keep me informed on who wants a booking.
"Three?" I parrot, totally amazed that many people are interested already.
"Yeah, well I may have told Mrs. Lee from church about it this afternoon when I ran into her at the store. You know how she blabs to anyone and everyone, so there's free advertising itself. Speaking of her, she's your first client." he says, and I hear faint typing in the background. He must be at his computer.
I groan softly. Mrs. Lee is a nice lady, but she can really talk your arm off.
"Yeah." Bambam says slowly, and I can picture him cringing. "She wants you to take family photos of her grandchildren."
"All six?" I ask, already regretting this. Mrs. Lee's grandchildren are like little gremlins, even after going to church their whole lives. I'm surprised that Pastor John hasn't tried to give them all an exorcism yet.
"She's willing to pay a pretty penny." Bambam sings, trying to be persuasive.
I scrub my hand down my face. "Who else is there?"
Bambam chuckles softly. "Some crazy lady who wants you to take portraits of her dogs."
"Dogs?" I reiterate, making sure that I heard him correctly. This has got to be some sort of joke.
"They're St. Bernards, if that helps."
"So much." I mutter dryly.
"The last one is from some real city slicker."
"Says the city slicker himself." I tease.
After college, Bambam ended up in the city for work. He still visits our small town almost every other weekend though.
"Ha ha." he says blandly. "Anyway, it seems serious. It's this hoity toity rich lady whose son is about to get married. She's looking for a wedding photographer but really wants to test out your chops before hiring you. I told her that you could do some shots of the couple beforehand and she can decide if she wants you to do the wedding photos or not." he says.
"I don't know." I say wearily. "Do you think she's going to be too much of a hassle?"
"Nah, she seems harmless. Entitled, but harmless." he says. "She's willing to pay really well for just some test shots, so I can't imagine what she'd fork out for you to shoot the wedding."
I let out a sigh, while contemplating, with my lips vibrating together.
"The worst thing that can happen is she says no. Or if she says yes and you're not down for it, you can always say no." he reminds me.
"Yeah..." I say, while running my hand through my hair. "Yeah, I guess so."
"It's gonna be great, dude." he assures me. "I'm happy to see you finally putting your talents to use and doing something you love. You're not going to regret it."
