Lights, Camera and Love

Proposition

Erin's features never changed over the last six years I last saw him. His face only became mature due to puberty. His hair and eyes were the same dark brown. I never even imagined that I used to spend time with him when we were younger. He was still as good looking as ever.

Erin and I have known each other since I was little. My mom and dad worked for his parent's advertising company. My mom was the sales and marketing director while my dad was the corporate manager of the marketing department of the company. My parents died along with his mother due to a plane crash going to Brazil six years ago. His father never handled the depression so the company lost all the resource and funds and completely went bankrupt. Erin and his sister, Jane moved to England along with their father where his parents still kept a small business to still manage their living.

I admit that I liked him before. He was my first love when we were younger. His family was very nice to me and my parents. His and my parents all went to the same college together and started the whole company. Erin's parents were the one who provided the funds since his father was born in a very rich and well known family when it comes to business.

I was stirring up the coffee that we made for the two of us tonight. It was ten o'clock in the evening and its Saturday tomorrow, so it didn't matter if I stayed up all night. Erin was watching television, goingg through channels to see what good may be on for tonight.

"Why were you following me?" I asked and handed him his coffee.

He took a sip and said, "I wasn't, although I did ask everyone at school to know where you lived earlier. They only told me the place where they think you lived. I was walking around there taking the chance that I might see you walk through the streets."

"Then why were you asking everyone where I lived? Why didn't you ask me?"

"You still ask too many questions, just like when we were kids," he chuckled. "I was actually thinking of surprising you. You know, just like old times sake. I was also observing you through the classes that we have together. You hardly smile, unlike before."

"It doesn't matter if I smile anyways. What's the point?" I said apathetically.

"Liz, I know it's hard, but it was six years ago. It was hard for me too, to loose my mother. I mean, she was the greatest woman I've known. My father never cared for me like my mother did. But wouldn't your parents be much happier if you were still enjoying life like before?" He said those words with great concern in his eyes. It made my heart stop for the moment. However, talking about my parents made tears start to swell through my eyes. I held them back and pretended to take a drink on my coffee so he wouldn't notice.

"Erin, I've gotten over it – not completely but at least on most of it. So don't worry about me. No offense, but you can worry about your own life," I told him while I lazily looked at my coffee.

"You make a good coffee, you know." He completely changed the topic. That was the most I liked about him. When I start to get too sad, he finds a way to make me feel happy again.

"By the way, are you still into film making?" He was staring at my video camera that was sitting on the dining table. He quickly dropped his cup and took it. I was about to protest but I let him rummage through the buttons.

"Jane would love to see you again. She's enrolled in a university that's far from here. When we first came here, the first person that she mentioned was you. Both of you are such film making addicts, hahaha!" he laughed but was still fumbling through the buttons of the video camera.

"What is she taking?" I asked while I took the video camera and pushed the on button for him.

"Theater and arts. My father was thinking that she should have taken something useful. Something business related. But you know Jane, she gets what she wants."

"How's Uncle Jerry?" Jerome Erickson Russell is his father. He's my father's best friend. Although Uncle Jerry is very strict and bossy, he still became my father's closest and most precious friend of all. When my father died along with his wife, he was devastated and almost lost his mind. The last time I heard, he was confined in a correctional facility for the mentally ill people in England.

Erin hesitated for a moment and said, "He's fine. He's getting better. Actually, he's was out of the hospital four years ago. He was trying to kill himself by overdosing his medicines the other month. He said that he wanted to see mom and your dad. But he's getting a lot better than before. It's better than his attempt to jump off the building three years ago." He smiled half jokingly.

I was so dazed and full of thoughts that I never noticed that he was not in the living room anymore. I tried to look for him in the kitchen, but no sign of Erin. I then heard music that was coming from my room across the hallway. I half ran through the living room into my room and saw him turning on my computer and my projector.

"Who told you to go in here? Don't you know the word 'privacy'?" I was irritated at the fact that he went into my room without permission. He didn't pay attention to what I said and looked through my film making gadgets.

"I have a proposition for you, Liz. No offense but your things for film making is getting way too old, your bills are way too high, and the receipts you keep for the things you buy for your hobby is too much." He held up the paper that was supposed to be on my refrigerator door. My bills were too high because I was mostly using up all the energy for the films that I make. Plus, gadgets for film making were too expensive and I have to save up all I got to make it through life.

"What proposition are you talking about? And who told you to put your hands on my things despite the fact that you're just a visitor here?" I snatched the bill papers and receipts I kept. I was trying to count every expense that I make so that I can keet track of what I earn and loose.

"You never get tired of asking, don't you?" He smiled and sat on my bed putting his hands below his chin as though he was on a negotiation. "I'll buy you some new gadgets and I'll answer all the expenses here except for the food and your personal expenses. You need to earn money to win the contest that you want, right?" He was holding up the paper I filled out for the application on the contest.

"Are you some kind of spy or something? Just cut to the chase and say what you want," I yelled in annoyance and snatched the paper from his hands. He was right, I needed to earn more and my savings for ten years may just last for a year and a half due to the expenses that I make. I was actually trying to search for a new job earlier but none of the places I applied for would take me because I was still in high school.

"Ooh.." He faked a scary ghost sound. "Scary, Liz. You are always so hot headed. You should avoid that."

"Can you just please get on with it?!" I yelled.

He crossed his arms with confidence. "Starting tomorrow I will live here with you."