the age of youth // t.c.

trois

.delilah.

~.~.~

As I'm paying the fare for the ferry ride, I feel my phone vibrate in my hand.

"Thank you!" I say to the woman behind the glass, gather my purse and ticket, then step into line on the platform dock. When I check who the notification is from, I see it's a business email from GQ Magazine. Immediately, I tap on the notification.

Delilah,
We were very impressed by your recent photos with Network, so we decided to reach out with you in hopes you would be willing to shoot for us. Please reply as soon as possible so we can book you an appointment.

- GQ Magazine

I bite my lower lip to keep from screaming out loud. A smile forms and I look around at the people standing around me with their somber expressions. It amazes me that they can all be looking that sad when I've received such great news. Sad doesn't even come across my mind as an emotion right now.

Before I reply to the magazine company, I send a quick text to my manager asking if I'm allowed to do the shoot. He informs me that he received the same email and doesn't see why I wouldn't be able to do it.

Just then, the final call to board the three o'clock ferry is announced, and we begin to board. I step onto the ferry and walk into the small air conditioned room to my right, sliding into a booth by a window. I pull my ear buds out of my bag and plug them into my phone before placing them in my ears and turning on music. I send a reply email to GQ before shutting off my phone and pulling out my laptop. The ferry ride is close to a half hour long, so I use the time to edit some pictures I got yesterday. I'm visiting my parents and the drive down from New York to North Carolina was long, so I took breaks every few hours to pull over and take pictures of anything that caught my eye.

I snapped a picture of a welcoming road sign into North Carolina, and with a few filters and slight changes, I get the antique look I'm able to capture in every one of my photos I take. The look of my photos is what catches most people's attention.

Compared to most photographers in the industry, I'm very young to be pursuing such a career, but it's my passion, and luckily my parent's are hella supportive of anything I do. I really don't think I'd be where I am without them.

I stare out of the window and watch the waves roll together. The shore comes into view, so I tuck my laptop into my bag and anxiously wait until we dock. In just under an hour, I'll get to see my two best friends in the whole world.

~.~.~

"Ma! Pops!" I yell into the house, twirling my keychain around my closed fist. My mother appears down the hall, and I smile at her as I'm setting my bags on the kitchen counter.

"Lilah!" my mom cries, rushing over with her arms out and open. I pull her into an embrace and we rock back and forth, holding each other.

"I missed you!" I say into her hair.

"I missed you too, petite fille."

I look past her when I hear another set of footsteps down the hall, and my father comes into view.

"Hey!" he says, his voice full of excitement. "I didn't know you were coming!" I hug my dad then stand back to look at them both.

"Yeah, well, I didn't have any shoots so I thought it might be nice to come visit. I really missed you guys! How have you been?"