He walked up to the shop door and past the sign that read "Cine Films to Video", amongst other things. He'd been here a few days earlier with a bagful of Super-8 films. They were probably boring shots of Spanish Beaches and family Christmases but, for posterity, he thought that he'd have them converted to video. They may be worth a laugh and it wouldn't hurt to check out the beach shots for revealing bikinis.
He approached the counter. There was no-one there but he heard machines humming from a back room. In a moment the a woman emerged; slim, about 30 years old with long black hair and wearing a black T-shirt and blue jeans that looked as though they had been sprayed onto her slim figure. She smiled at him.
"Hi, John." She said.
"Hi." He said, surprised, as he didn't remember leaving her his first name. "I left some films to be converted to video a few days ago."
"I was just checking them." She replied. "Could you give me a few more minutes as I really want to see this one to the end." She gave him a broad grin which puzzled him.
"You're that interested in my holiday photos?" He asked, puzzled.
"Oh. Were you on holiday? There wasn't much scenery apart from the bed itself on this one!" She smiled again, amused at his reaction. John's jaw had dropped as he suddenly realised what she was talking about. He and a former girlfriend had made some home movies of themselves and she, Miranda, used to love watching them especially when John worked away from home. John had thought that she had taken them all but one must have slipped through the net.
"I...I'm so sorry." He stammered, embarrassed. "I really didn't realise that they were in there."
The woman gave an easy laugh. "Hey, don't fret. We see all sorts of things here. Actually it makes the job quite fun. She moved from behind the counter and locked the door behind him. "Come on." She said. "Don't be shy, I was just going to take a break and I'll show you a few enhancements that I've made to the picture quality."
John followed her, intrigued by seeing the film but still embarrassed. His curiosity and the woman's relaxed approach won him over though and he felt excited about seeing his ex-girlfriend again. He remembered her short, blonde hair and her firm tits with their large, dark nipples. Fucking her tight, shaven pussy had been an adventure of which he had never tired. She had moved away but he still missed her.
The back room was dimly lit, probably, John thought, to reduce reflections on the screen. An editing suite was laid at along one wall with various machines and a bank of monitors. The opposite wall contained a white backdrop, chair, couch, high-intensity lamps and a tripod.
"That's where I take family portraits and other photos." The woman explained. "By the way, my name's Andrea. Take a seat in front of the screens here."
She pointed to a pair of armless swivel chairs and John sat down. Andrea sat down next to him. "I'll just rewind the to the start of this segment." She said, pressing a button. The machine whirred into life and a counter started to move backwards. "I like the film." She went on. "Do you two still make them?"
"No." Replied John, a little ruefully. "She's an 'ex', I'm afraid."