8. Mia
MIA
Not being at the office for days on end had cost me.
Even though I’d tried to stay on top of things, I was extremely behind and had to work late.
I wanted desperately to just go straight home, but I’d promised Hadley that I would come by and take a few pictures of her daughter Willa.
She was about to turn two, and she wanted to get a few pictures made for the birthday invitations.
I’d agreed to take them weeks ago—long before I spent the night with her brother.
Even though I felt a little awkward about it, I couldn’t break my promise.
When I got to her place, I grabbed my camera bag from the backseat and headed up to the front porch.
I was just about to knock when the door flew open, and Hadley appeared with a grimace on her face. “I was just about to call you.”
“Oh? Is something wrong?”
“We’re going to have to reschedule the pictures. Willa is teething, and she’s in a terrible mood. There’s no way she’ll ever settle down enough to let you get any good pictures.”
“Are you sure?” I pushed. “I don’t mind trying.”
“I just hate to put you out.”
I loved Willa. She could be a handful, but she was an absolute doll.
Besides, I’d dealt with fussy kids before, and while it had been tough, I’d always managed to get a few good shots.
With that in mind, I gave her a smile and said, “You aren’t putting me out at all.
I want to be here. I want to try and get some great pics for you. ”
“Okay. You’re very sweet, but don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”
“Consider me warned.” I followed her through the front door, and as soon as I stepped inside, I heard Willa fuss, “I want my binky.”
“You haven’t had your binky in months, Willa.”
“I want it!”
“Well, I’m sorry, sweetie. You can’t have it.” Hadley knelt in front of her as she explained. “It’s gone.”
“I want it.”
She stomped her foot with a huff, but Hadley remained calm and collected. “Mia came to see you... I was thinking we could take her outside and show her your new playset. What do you think?”
Willa glanced up at me, then looked back to her mother and nodded.
“Great!” Hadley told her with a smile. She scooped Willa up into her arms, and I followed as she carried her outside. She put her in the swing and gave her a little push. Willa lowered her head and stuck out her bottom lip, trying to put on that she was the most miserable child on the planet.
Hadley shook her head and let out a frustrated breath, then gave Willa another push.
While she was preoccupied, I took out my camera and took a few quick shots.
I looked them over and made some adjustments to the lens, then turned the camera to Willa.
The second she noticed that I was about to take her picture, her little face scrunched up in a permanent pout.
There was something about that look that reminded me of her uncle. It seemed his stubborn streak had gone down the family line and had taken root in his sweet, precious niece. It was clear that she wasn’t in the mood for a silly photo shoot.
Nevertheless, I was determined to capture the perfect shot for her mother.
I lowered my camera and gave Willa a reassuring smile as I asked, "Why don’t we give your momma a little break, and you and I can have a little fun? Whatcha think?”
She nodded, and after a little coaxing, Hadley finally agreed. “Okay. I’ll go grab us some lemonade.”
“Oh, that sounds great.”
“I ‘ant my sippy cup.”
“Okay, you got it, sweet girl.”
Once Hadley had gone inside, I stepped over to Willa and asked, “So, where do you think we should take our first picture?”
She stared back at me with wide, skeptical eyes, her tiny hands grasping the ropes of her swing. I crouched down to her level, trying to make myself less intimidating. "I forgot... I have something special for you."
I pulled out a small, plush piglet from my bag and held it in front of her. "See? It squeaks!”
She looked intrigued, so I offered it to her.
As luck would have it, she refused to take it, and her pout deepened. She let out a soft whine, making it clear that she was completely unimpressed by my efforts. I knew this wasn't going to be an easy task, but I was determined to coax her into a better mood.
I scooted a little closer, keeping my camera ready, hoping to catch a candid moment. "Do you want to see how this camera works?"
I held it in front of her as I told her, “It makes funny sounds when I press this button."
I pressed the shutter button, causing the camera to click loudly. Willa's eyes widened in surprise, momentarily forgetting her grumpy demeanor. I did it again, and her chubby cheeks dimpled as she let out a giggle, a sound that instantly melted my heart.
It was the perfect opportunity, and I quickly snapped a photo, capturing her infectious smile. Hoping to keep the moment going, I pointed to her mother’s garden. “How ‘bout you show me your garden? We might find some pretty flowers to take pictures with?"
“Okay.”
I slowly stood up, keeping my camera at the ready, and led Willa to the back of the yard. As we strolled along the colorful pathway, I pointed out different flowers, hoping to captivate her attention. Willa's expression softened slightly, and she reached out to touch a velvety rose petal.
"It’s so pretty. Just like you.”
Willa paused for a moment; her gaze fixed on the camera. And then, in a sudden burst of sweetness, her pout vanished, replaced by another precious smile. I quickly snapped a series of shots, capturing her toothy grin and twinkling eyes.
Despite her initial resistance, I’d managed to get some pretty incredible shots. I was taking a few more just to be sure when Hadley came out with our lemonade. She sounded more than a little concerned as she asked, “How’s it going?”
“I don’t know.” I flipped the camera around so she could see some of the images I had taken. “Why don’t you tell me?”
As soon as she saw the picture of Willa standing next to her pink roses, she gasped, “Oh. My. God. That’s it! That’s the picture!”
“You like it?”
“Like it? Are you kidding? I love it!”
“Oh, great. I’m so glad.”
“Mia, you are a lifesaver.” She reached over and gave me a big hug. “I don’t know how I’ll ever be able to thank you for this.”
“You just did.” I glanced down at my watch and sighed when I saw the time. “I better get going.”
“What? So soon?” She looked so disappointed as she said, “I was hoping you could stay for dinner.”
“I’d love to, but I’m wiped and I have a full day tomorrow.” I placed my camera back in the bag as I told her, “Maybe some other time.”
“Absolutely.”
I patted my bag as I told her, “I’ll get these edited and send them to your email by tomorrow afternoon.”
“That’ll be great. Thank you so much, Mia.”
“I was glad to do it.” I turned and gave Willa a quick wave. “I’ll see you later!”
She waved back, and I took that as my cue to go. I slipped through the back gate and followed the brick path back to my car. I tossed my bag onto the passenger seat, and seconds later, I was on my way. By the time I got home, I was exhausted and wanted nothing more than to go straight to bed.
So, that’s exactly what I did.
I didn’t even bother taking a shower. I just took off my work clothes, put on my pajamas, and crawled into my bed.
I hadn’t been lying there long when I realized the familiar hum of my ceiling fan had returned.
I quickly turned on the bedside lamp, and I was stunned to see that my busted fan was no longer there.
It had been replaced with a brand new, super-duper fan with gleaming blades that spun effortlessly in the air.
I couldn’t believe my eyes. When I left for work, it was still broken.
I hadn’t called my maintenance department, so I had no idea how it had gotten fixed.
I just knew someone had been in my apartment.
That thought led me to get out of bed and take a look around.
That’s when I spotted the pillows on the floor.
I hadn’t paid any attention when I’d pushed them off the bed, but after a closer look, I could see that they weren’t the same pillows that were on my bed when I left for work.
I thought my imagination was playing tricks on me, so I ran my fingers across the smooth fabric and checked to see that all the tassels were there.
And sure enough, they were.
I sat back down on the bed and tried to think of who could’ve been responsible for the unexpected changes. It was possible that maintenance had come in to do a check and saw that the fan was broken. Or maybe my father had come by, and he noticed that it wasn’t working.
Neither option seemed all that plausible.
I sat there for a moment longer, and then it hit me.
Wrath.
I had no idea how he’d managed to get into my apartment, but there was no doubt in my mind that he was the one behind it.
I wasn’t sure if I should thank him or scold him, but I knew I had to say something.
I grabbed my phone from my dresser and dialed his number.
It rang several times, and then it went to voicemail.
It wasn’t all that late, so I decided to call again.
It rang several times, and then, once again, it went to voicemail.
Normally, I would’ve just given up and left a message, but for reasons I couldn’t begin to explain, I dialed his number again. This time, he answered, “It’s not a good time, Mia.”
There seemed to be a hint of panic in his voice, so I asked, “Are you okay? Is something wrong?”
“Can’t get into it right now.” I could tell by the hum in the background that he was driving.
I figured he had something going on with the club, which led me to wonder if he was in some kind of danger.
My mind started to race, and I wasn’t sure if I should push him to tell me what was going on or if I should just hang up.
I was going back and forth in my head when he asked, “You okay?”
“Huh?”
“Is something wrong? Did you need me?”
“No, I ah... I was just going to ask you about the fan.”
“What about it?”