"Wendy, this is the opportunity of a lifetime."
"It's right after Christmas. We're going to have returns, people using their gift cards, and unfortunately plenty of tech support as you well know. I need you here Josh."
"I'm one of the best salespeople you've had in here in years. You can lean on the kids that are out of school the rest of the week while you have them. Please." I begged.
I'd brought Issa to the store with me first thing in the morning as proof I wasn't lying about having the opportunity of a lifetime. I introduced her to Wendy. Wendy asked to see me in the office for a minute so Issa wandered off into the store.
"I need this. I'll do anything else you need. You told me I should ask Santa for this and told me to believe!" I joked.
She looked at me a long moment and sighed, her eyes rolling. "I'm sorry you're not feeling well. I'll put in sick time for you. Be back here Monday morning or I'm sending out a search party for you, possibly a firing squad."
I jumped up and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Seriously? You're the best!"
"I'll remember that promise to 'do anything for me.' I hope you do too!"
I turned to leave and she snagged my coat sleeve. "Be careful. You barely know her."
"I know her better than you might think." I gave her Issa's little eyebrow flick and a smirk.
"Shit. Be careful with that too!" She said, as exasperated as any mother.
I wandered out onto the sales floor to find Issa. Knowing the place like the back of my hand I wasn't surprised to find her in my department. I also wasn't surprised to find Bobby doing his best impression of a cool geek talking to Issa about studio lighting.
"Bobby, stop talking. She knows more about this stuff than you do." I interrupted his spiel. I turned to Issa who gave him a little smile. "She's been a model since you were twelve."
"I'd remember you." He shook his head looking at Issa.
"Ahem. My copy of Photography Traveler that you guys always harass me about? She's in it twice."
"Bobby, this is Issabella Labadze." I said remembering my manners. "Issa, this is Bobby, my young protégé in the camera department. He's studying medicine over at the university, but since his father won't let him sit around playing video games when he's not in class. He works here hitting on every pretty girl in sight."
"Dude, you have no chill." He shook his head at me.
"Do you mind if I show him?" Issa asked me.
"Please. Show me." Bobby said quickly.
"I know how it's going to end." I made a quick jerking motion with my hand while looking around to make sure I wasn't seen. "If we get going now we can be in Savannah just after lunch."
"Give me your phone." She told Bobby. She began tapping away and went to her modeling page and saved it for him. She opened the camera app and stepped next to Bobby and took a selfie of the two of them before handing it back to him. He looked at the selfie for a long moment before looking up at her again. She blew him a kiss and picked up the box from the shelf behind her.
"What's that for?" I asked.
"We do not know lighting in room. Best if you have lights in case you need them."
I couldn't fault her thinking. I went down the aisle and picked up a pop-up fabric reflector to add to it.
At the register Issa brooked no argument that she was paying for the light and reflector and put down a credit card. I didn't argue with her but made sure my employee discount was applied. I had packed a bag and my gear into the trunk knowing full well I would talk Wendy into giving me the time off on short notice.
Once in the car Issa got comfortable and started surfing on her phone when I informed her it was going to be a 4 hour drive to get there. She asked about the shopping there, if they had any of the bigger chains. I let her know it was a little bigger than Athens, and a tourist destination since it was close to the ocean, so she wouldn't have any problem finding places to shop.
"I got another job!" She declared after a few minutes. I saw her pounding away on the keypad of her phone. "I go to Boston in February." It came up in conversation that she could speak several other languages, not just English. I marveled at her ability and how it seems a monumental undertaking for Americans to learn other languages. She told me that in Europe it's a way of life. "We travel to other countries more. America is big, most of you speak same language. What would you do if people spoke different language in the next state? Would you never go there?" She had a point.
As we made our way into the city she mentioned being hungry. Once I found she wasn't opposed to seafood we found our way to one of the seafood shacks in the historic district. Being the day after Christmas there were plenty of people out and about and it took us a bit to find a parking spot. Issa was smiling as she looked around at the antebellum architecture.
I recommended she try the low country boil if she wanted to try the local cuisine. She couldn't get over that she was served on a large tray covered in newsprint and expected to dig in with her hands. She laughed as she noticed others doing the same.
We eventually found our way to the old Victorian era mansion that was the bed and breakfast place the photographer had booked for the shoot. Issa eyed the place and seemed pretty open to the idea. The rooms were bigger than I expected. We had a room that faced southwest meaning the light wouldn't come into the windows directly until afternoon.
Issa hopped onto the big bed and bit her lip, beckoning me to her.
"You are going to be the death of me."
