Pappy (
backstory) and Jose stopped in the store last night. I was waiting on a few customers, so some time went by before I could great Pappy properly.
But finally I said, “Hey, Pappy, don’t think I don’t see you out there.”
“Hey, honey, how are you?”
“I’m good. How are you?”
“Oh, I’m hurtin’ and movin’ kinda slow.”
“I’m sorry, Pap.”
“Pappy, did you find any movies out there that you want. Do you want those westerns?”
“Well, yeah, I think these might be the ones stolen from me anyway.”
(I don’t think that’s true, if anything, Pappy’s kids may have taken them from him, and brought them in to us to sell. I don’t think they came in all together, nonetheless I did not argue with Pappy.)
“Well, if they’re yours, then all the more reason you should have them.”
“You sure sweetie? I don’t want to take them from you.”
“Yes, I’m sure. It would make me so happy for you to have them.
(Then I got an idea.)
“But you could do something for me, Pappy.”
“What’s that, hon?”
“I’d like to take some pictures of you. You don’t have to unless you want to. But I sure would appreciate it.”
“Of course you can.”
Pappy struck a pose.
Then I asked if I could take a picture of his hands. And he literally stuck out one hand at a time. So cute.
Then I asked him to put his hands together. He was so completely sweet and cooperative.
I talked about how much I love hands and I feel like they always have stories to tell.
That got Pappy to telling me stories, and I just quietly picked up my camera and started shooting as I listened to him, nodded and stopped on occasion to reply. I took another shot of his hands (the one I like best), and a few of his face as he talked.
He told me tales of when he was a kid. He talked about his twin brothers that have since died. He told me he was pretty ready to die, too. I told him I understood, but that I wished he would hang around a bit longer.
“Where do you think you’re going next?”
“I don’t know honey, maybe upstairs, maybe down.”
Then he let out a deep chuckle and I said, “You’re definitely going upstairs, Pappy.”
“You think?”
“Oh, yes, I do think so.”
“Well I’ve given everything I have to everyone else. And now I’m tired.”
“I know you have.”
Pappy went on to tell me how he had been burglarized and lost the only pictures he had of his late wife, Gracie. He misted up and looked away when he was talking about her.
“You miss her so much, don’t you?” I asked.
“You know I do. I sure do.”
Pappy said he wanted to write down all his memories and recollections for his kids. He asked me if I was a good writer. I said I was a decent writer.
“You think you could help me write all this stuff down?”
“Well, I could certainly try. You could come here to the store and I could help you.”
Just then, his grandson, Jose, came up to the counter and I got some shots of the two of them.
I told Jose how handsome he has gotten. He just smiled and nodded. Pappy said the girls were very interested in Jose. I asked Jose if Pappy was living with him and his Mom now. He said no, that he and Pappy were with his aunt, another of Pappy’s daughters.
“Oh, so I’ve never met your Mom?”
“No, my Mom’s in prison right now.”
‘I’m sorry Jose, I’m so glad you have Pappy.”
We conversed a bit more, and Jose wanted a game, but they did not have the money for it just then.
He and Pappy were so sweet about it as they discussed whether he could get the game.
“Not tonight sweetie, maybe tomorrow. I’ll try to straighten some things out and we’ll come get it tomorrow.”
(Apparently Pappy calls everyone sweetie, or hon. And truthfully, I find it incredibly endearing the way he drawls it out and gazes at me with those soft, kind eyes.)
“Well, I’ll hold the game for you guys. You take your time, I’ll just keep it here in the drawer for you.”
At that, they went on out, Jose holding Pappy’s arm.
So much love. Just so much love.
Postscript: Pappy and Jose came back in the store tonight to buy that game I was holding for them. I asked Pappy if he wanted to see his pictures, in fact, I was processing them when the came in. I showed him the color and the black and white versions of his hands and he just smiled. Then I switched back to the window with all the thumbnail pictures and he just stood and marveled at how many versions of him there were on the screen.
I showed him the shot of when he was talking about his wife, Gracie, where he misted up...and he misted up all over again, saying, "She was such a wonderful woman."
I asked him if I could enter his picture in a photo contest (just the weekly assignment on the Digital Photo School forums) and he said, "Why sure you can honey, you can do anything you want."
he said he liked the black and white versions and I promised to make him prints and save them for the next time he comes in. I do so love that man.
This was one of my best photo experiences so far!
