Chapter 30 #2
As we took turns giving the kitten pets and cuddles, I took in the decor of their apartment.
I’ve never sat in their living room yet.
It definitely feels like two best friends live here.
They have pictures of each other on the walls and brightly colored art.
House plants are stacked on window sills, and I notice an easel tucked in the far corner past the kitchen.
Annika has some photographs she’s taken framed on the wall.
I recognize one as Pacific Beach, the same spot where we had our first date.
I tear my eyes away from the photo and over to a large framed poster of postcards above her couch.
“Hey, Anni, do you still collect postcards?” I point up to the frame.
She smiles, a spark lighting in her eyes. “Sometimes, it was getting a little out of hand.” She laughs.
“She donated like three shoeboxes before we moved,” Chloe adds.
“It was heartbreaking, but I decided to frame some of my favorites and display them, so I can see them every day.”
Tyler asks, “Can I ask why you collect postcards?”
Annika opens her mouth to respond, but before she does, I chime in, “She likes seeing the notes people write and the old postcards. Like a little time capsule on six by four paper rectangle.” I look over at her, and her eyes soften, blush blooming on her cheeks.
“Exactly.” She stands up and walks over to the frame.
“Like this one. Someone was so excited to write to Linda Anne, they took up the entire postcard. And this one, I love the green color of the stamp. Oh, and this on up here.” She reaches up, pointing to a postcard in the top corner.
“Chloe sent that to me one year my family visited Brazil.” The postcard has “Southern California” in block letters with a retro beach scene.
“Yah, these are cool. I never would think of collecting them. That’s a pretty cool hobby,” Tyler says.
Annika spins to look at me, and we both start cracking up.
The kitten suddenly jumps off Chloe’s lap and starts dashing around the living room.
“She looks like a dandelion flying around in the wind,” I say as the kitten tumbles through the coffee table and twists between our legs.
Chloe looks up at me.“She does! I’m going to call her Dandelion, Dandy for short.”
This weekend, Annika has a big photo shoot out in the woods. She is taking photos of a couple who are celebrating their fiftieth anniversary. Her studio scouts the location, and she works with the set designers to plan the shoot. She asked the friend group to tag along, so naturally, we did.
As we pull up, all piled into Tyler’s SUV, our casual chit-chat stops.
We are speechless about how they’ve transformed the area.
The location is a popular hiking spot, an easy twisting path through the redwoods, surrounded by ferns and wildflowers.
I remember hiking here with Tyler last spring, but they’ve transformed the park into a fairy meadow.
They have a spot set up just off the entrance and textured fabric drapes from the branches mixed with twinkling lights.
The couple both are wearing wildflower crowns and a matching off-white suit and dress.
I realize this was the couple that walked in that first day I went to the studio to see Annika.
Crazy to think how surreal it felt to see her again after all these years, and just a month later, we are building a friendship again.
It feels different this time. I can picture us staying close friends for years.
“Reid! Chloe! Tyler!” Annika chants off and appears from behind a redwood tree.
Annika quickly shuffles over to us as we get out of Tyler’s SUV, which is filled with cat hair now because Chloe refuses to leave Dandy at home. She spent the entire trek to the photoshoot telling us about how Dandy learned to climb their new cat tree.
“Hey, this place looks incredible! I feel like I’m in a Wes Anderson movie,” Tyler says.
“You wish you were in a Wes Anderson movie,” Chloe fires off a reply.
The two of them have a unique banter. They are always quick to say a snarky reply, which I know Tyler enjoys. With Chloe, on the other hand, I can’t tell if she despises Tyler or also enjoys their banter. She always scrunches up her face in her retorts.
I greet Annika with a fist bump that’s become our special handshake.
“Anni, this is so magical. Dandy likes it too.” Chloe lifts the flap from the sling she has wrapped around her torso where Dandy is curled up.
I must say, it is a pretty well-behaved cat. Most of the time, no one realizes she even has a cat with her.
“Thanks, guys…” Annika's smile lights up her whole face, and she turns to the set and then back to us. “It is so fun. I didn’t realize work could be enjoyable.”
“Seriously, Anni, you were always meant to do this. You are capturing those precious moments in life. I can’t wait to see you in action today.” Chloe looks like she’s about to start crying.
“Okay, sappy hour is over. I can’t be crying into my viewfinder,” Annika replies, moving her arms to the side as if to wave off the emotional sentiments out of the air.
“There’s a bench a few yards off to the side if you guys want to set up there.
We are about to start soon, and the shoot should last about an hour, depending on how many poses they want to do. ”