Michael isn’t one to necessarily want to draw attention to himself, which made him extraordinarily uncomfortable at having a big camera lens pointing at him all the time. However, he was extremely polite and obliging, and allowed me to pose him limb by limb as I saw fit. Kind of like a very well-behaved graduating student action figure. And I soon found out that the cool, aloof expression that seems to be the trend for senior boys these days wasn’t going to work for him. He simply didn’t have the requisite blasé attitude to pull it off, which was fine by me, because what he did have was an open, endearing smile that showed his sweet and genuine nature.
Me: How does that feel?
Michael: Kind of . . . awkward.
Me: Well, it looks good, so hold it there anyway.
Me: Now go ahead and straighten your tie. Kind of like a men’s fashion thing. And look cool and superior.
Michael: (bewildered look)
Me: Never mind. Just smile.
So after what probably felt like an eternity to Michael, I let him change into his casual outfit, and we started down the nearby trail.
Michael: Um, it’s starting to rain a little.
Me: Never mind. Just smile.
You can actually see a few of the raindrops in the last photo. Fortunately, Michael possesses the virtually impervious to moisture hair common to his ethnicity. However, between the fading light and the falling rain, and the fact that I had already gone a few minutes over our scheduled time, even I knew it was time to let the poor boy go home to his dinner.
Thank you, Michael, for your cooperation and being a great sport!
Leave A Comment