Bombshells by T. Elliott Brown

ends up broken, we won’t be able to replace it. I don’t even want to think about how disappointed Clay would be.
    Me, too. There’d be no way to take photographs of the new baby.
    Glancing at the clock on the kitchen wall, I realize we don’t have much time before Mellie has to leave. “Come on, girls, let’s go outside. Bring your lunch box, Birdie, and Mellie don’t forget your notebook and purse. You’ve got your lunch money in your wallet, right?”
    “Yes, ma’am. You already asked me that three times.”
    “Well, just make sure.”
    The girls get their things and file through the door Flossie holds open for them. “Why don’t I take a picture of all three of you together, Miz Adams? That would be a nice one.”
    “Okay, thanks Flossie. We’ll do that first.” I’m glad I put on something decent this morning, though I hadn’t thought of having my picture made. I just hadn’t wanted Birdie’s teacher to think I was a sloppy mother. You never know how first impressions affect the way a teacher treats a pupil.
    Outside, I tell the girls to pose so I can set the focus and get the dials where Clay told me to put them. I just hope these pictures come out. “Flossie, all you have to do is push this button. Make sure you hold the camera still until it finishes clicking.”
    "Yes’m. I think I can do that.”
    The girls and I line up in front of the bushy green azaleas we always use as a backdrop for outdoor photos. The cloudless blue sky is crisscrossed with the white trails left by the Navy jets. The sun is high and bright, making the reds and greens in Mellie’s plaid skirt look like woven jewels. Birdie’s pink-checked dress looks like strawberry ice cream: cool and sweet in a shiny white bowl. But the real beauty is in their faces, their skin glowing with health and youth.
    Oh heck, those tears are welling up in my eyes again. I swipe at my cheeks, pretending to fix my hair.
    Flossie studies the buttons on the camera. “Everybody say cheese when I get to three.” Squinting one eye closed, she aims the camera our way. “One, two, three. Cheese! ”
     
    MELANIE
     
    The day I’ve dreaded all summer has finally arrived. Here I am, standing in my front yard, forcing a smile on my face while first Flossie and then Mama snap picture after picture of Birdie and me. Birdie keeps sticking her tongue out, so Mama tells her to move. “Birdie, stand by Flossie so I can take Melanie’s picture. She has to leave in a few minutes.”
    Thank goodness this will be over soon.
    Flossie has her hands on Birdie’s shoulders, like she’s keeping her from floating up like a balloon. Flossie smiles at me. “Oh, that’s a nice one, Miss Mellie. Real nice.”
    Mama studies the camera like she thinks she can see the photograph inside. I wish Daddy had bought a Polaroid Instant camera instead of the big one he got. But he said the thirty-five millimeter can shoot slide film, and they’ll last longer than the Polaroid photos.
    I don’t know, but at least with Polaroids you can see them right away and don’t have to have a slide projector or a hand-held viewer. Right now, we don’t own either one of those.
    Hmm. I might never have to look at these snapshots I don’t want to have made.
    “Okay, Sweetie. I guess we’re finished.” She turns to Flossie, “Do you really think that was a good one?”
    “Yes’m. She was smilin’ real pretty.”
    Mama holds out her arms to me. “Well, give me a kiss, and go pick up Stephanie.” The camera dangles from the strap around her neck so that it sits right on top of her belly. She lifts it away and wraps her arm around me.
    I kiss her cheek and say, “I love you, Mama.”
    “I love you, Sweetie. Have a nice day, now.”
    “I’ll try. Bye, Birdie. Bye, Flossie. I’ll see you this afternoon.”
    Flossie smiles and waves. “I’ll be waiting to hear somethin’ good.”
    “Bye, Mellie!” Birdie shouts.
    Before I get to the end of the driveway, Birdie is beside me.