Author's Preface: Everyone in this story is eighteen years old or older. The story is entirely fictional. Any similarities to real people or events are purely coincidental. Constructive comments are always welcome.
Enjoy
Life after Divorce - Taking Pictures of Dogs and Their Moms
Frank had been married for close to twenty years when he found out his wife had been cheating on him. Not only was she having an affair, it wasn't her first one. This was just the first one he'd found out about. There had been many men over the years. He was devastated both by what she'd done and that she'd fooled him for so long.
To make matters worse, his fifteen-year-old dog Ranger had died while he was going through all the legal procedures. The only argument he ever won with his wife was over having a dog. She didn't like dogs. That should have told him something about her. She only agreed because he wouldn't have married her if she hadn't allowed him a dog. They had two during their marriage, and she hated them both.
Frank needed to change his life after he was rid of her, but he didn't know how. He was forty-five years old, divorced, overweight, out of shape, and depressed. His self-esteem was at an all-time low. He started rebuilding his life by joining a gym, working out, and running to get rid of the fat he put on when he was married to his cheating bitch wife. In six months, he was the weight he'd been in college and had more muscles. Unfortunately, he was twenty-two years older than he was when he graduated.
As part of the divorce, he bought his exes half of the house they had lived in because he liked the house and the neighborhood. Now, he was in the process of going through some old boxes that she'd left behind when she moved, getting rid of anything that belonged to that bitch or reminded him of her. His new dog, Ruby, lay beside him as he went through the boxes.
Ruby was a cute young Lab mix, and she was devoted to him. He found her at the shelter, and they bonded instantly. If he was in the house, she was by his side.
Most of the boxes were full of the detritus that one gathers in marriage and were thrown away, but in one box he ran across some good memories. It was full of photographs he'd taken in college and had not seen since he married. He had gone to school to be an engineer and was good at it, but his passion was photography.
Engineering school took up most of his time, but he had some electives. He took all the photography classes he could in the art department and discovered studio photography. The engineer in him enjoyed studio work because of the control he had of the lighting. It was there that he developed a love for nude figure studies.
At the bottom of the box, he found his most prized possessions. 16" x 20" nude photographs of two of his college girlfriends. They were the best pictures he'd ever taken. Even his professors were impressed. As he went through them, he remembered the sessions as if they had happened yesterday. They sparked something in his spirit that had long been dormant.
Seeing those photographs gave him an idea. He now had the time, money, and space, to pursue studio work again.
Frank began planning a home photography studio without being sure what he would photograph, but he knew that he'd find something. Making money with his studio wasn't an issue, he had plenty even after his divorce. He hired an exceptional lawyer who kept his engineering patents which brought in substantial income, and he received a good-sized inheritance when his father died shortly after he filed for divorce. That money his ex-wife couldn't get her claws into.
He resigned from the engineering firm he'd founded and bought a top-of-the-line digital camera. Cameras and equipment had changed in the last twenty years, so he took courses at a nearby college to learn about the changes. For the studio, he started small. He cleared everything out of his dining room, hung background paper from the ceiling, and set up three inexpensive studio lights.
His first model was his dog, Ruby. She was the perfect model. She would never talk back to him, get bored of his fumbling, or doubt his abilities. For a small morsel of food, she would pose for him any way he asked. He posted his pictures of her in the online neighborhood newsletter. When he took Ruby on her daily walks, neighbors would stop him and ask about her and her pictures.
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While on one of his daily walks with Ruby, he met a cute young woman who live in the neighborhood named Pamala. She admired his pictures of Ruby and was the first neighbor to ask him to take a portrait of her dog, an adorable little Yorkie named Lucy. Taking pictures of Ruby had improved his skills to the point where he had confidence in his abilities, so he agreed to take Lucy's portrait the next day.
When Pamala asked what he charged for a sitting, he told her there was no charge. If she liked his work, she could donate to a local dog shelter or rescue. He had a soft spot for shelters. That's where all his dogs had come from. He also didn't want to deal with the paperwork involved in running a business.
Pamala came by his house the next day with little Lucy. Ruby was excited to have Lucy over and was mad at Frank when he put her away so he could take Lucy's picture. Lucy was a pro, and he got some great pictures of her. After they were done, he asked Pamala if Lucy and Ruby could go out and play in the backyard. She was more than happy to let them get some exercise. Ruby was ten to fifteen times heavier than Lucy, but she toned her play down for her. She'd try to keep her head on the ground so Lucy could reach her.
Frank and Pamala sat in the backyard, watching them play while they chatted. There is no better way to get to know someone than sitting with them and watching their dogs play.
They were both dog people, so conversation came easily for them. Dog people smile when they see others with their dogs. They congregate at dog parks, talk, and watch the dogs play. It's a bit like a cult. If you have a dog, then you must be OK.
Frank opened a bottle of wine for them. He and Pamala started talking about what was going on in the neighborhood, mostly centered around people and their dogs. Once the bottle was half-empty, they started talking about themselves a little.
Pamala told him that she'd been divorced for two years. He told her a little about his divorce too, but neither went into details. It wasn't a day for dwelling on unpleasant matters.
Frank said, "I've lived in this neighborhood for twenty years and I don't know most of the neighbors. Before I retired, I worked late hours and would walk my dog, Ranger, late at night when no one was out."
"What happened to Ranger?"
"He died in the middle of my divorce. He was sixteen years old."
"I'm so sorry." She saw he was holding back tears.
"So why did you retire?"
"After my divorce, I had enough money to live comfortably, and I needed a change in my life. It's nice to meet all the dogs in the area and their owners. What about you? What do you do?"
"Not much. I graduated from college with a major in English literature. That of course is useless. I got married right after college and was a housewife, god I hate that word, for a couple of years. Then came my divorce. My ex made a lot of money and came from a wealthy family, so I ended up with plenty of money to live on. I looked for a job for a while, but it seemed like an encyclopedic knowledge of English literature didn't have a lot of value in the job market. I gave up looking. Mostly, I try to keep in shape, have lunch with friends, and take Lucy to the dog park. I do some volunteer work for several charitable groups, Habitat for Humanity, the local PBS station during pledge drives, etc."
They spent a couple of pleasant hours watching the dogs, sipping wine, and talking. Pamala was going out to dinner with some girlfriends, so she gathered up Lucy and promised to bring her back to play. The dogs had given up their romping and settled in the shade. They were worn out. Lucy had her head resting on Ruby's leg.
Frank went through the pictures of Lucy that evening and took two 8" x 10" prints along with a memory stick to Pamala's house the next day. She wasn't home so he dropped them into her mail slot.
Later that day, she called to tell him how much she loved the pictures and wanted to pay him for them. He again told her to just donate to a shelter.
"I hope you don't mind but I've shown her pictures to friends in the neighborhood with dogs and posted Lucy's picture in the online neighborhood newspaper. You may get a lot of requests for photo sessions."
"That's fine. I love taking pictures of dogs. By the way, I wanted to tell you what a nice time I had with you yesterday talking and watching the dogs play."
"I enjoyed it too," she said. "We should do that again soon."
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Frank was overwhelmed with people wanting pictures of their dogs and had to start keeping an appointment book. He tried to limit his customers to within a few miles of his house because he didn't want dog portraits to take up all of his time. There was no need to advertise; his reputation grew by word of mouth.
