Love Is Our Weapon

Pictures. Still images. Visual representations. Photography was my everything, and my Canon was my best friend. The hundreds of files that fill my laptop keep me sane. They make me happy. Without them, I don't know what I would do.

Now I stood in the woods near my new house, taking a gander at my new surroundings. The air is chilly, and the sun is beginning to fade away. Birds sing as soft breezes carry their melodic tunes away. It is then that I spot a tree. It's bark is darker than the others around it, and its leaves are much brighter. This tree would be the opening chapter to my new life away from Florida. With determination, I strut forward, making sure the strap that hung around my neck was attached to my camera before I reach my destination.

Leaves crunched under my feet as I kneel-ed closer to the ground, my right knee threatening to make contact with the dirt trail. The muscles in my legs strained themselves to hold my weight as I struggled to switch the lens on my camera. I sat my camera case down before turning the lens to zoom in on the tree that towered above me. Pressing down on the small silver button in the corner of my camera, I captured the image, satisfied with my efforts. The picture on the screen revealed the perfect contrast of red leaves on the branches with the background of a cloudless blue sky. It was proof that Joplin was beautiful, though it still was not my home.

Switching my camera off, I rose back to my feet. The sound of a small creek echoed in the quiet...sending chills down my spine. It was then that I realize wearing a jacket would have been a good idea. For a second I had forgotten I was no longer in Florida. Missouri's October was much cooler than the peninsula's. Finally, the cool air began to get to me. Collecting my camera case, I hurried back home, teeth chattering as goosebumps shown on my skin.

Just as I was about to climb the steps to my back porch, the soft sound of an acoustic guitar rang in the air. A few more strums, and a voice joined in. Curiosity getting the better of me, I creeped around to the side of my house. Next door, through a small patch of trees, I spotted a boy. His brownish red hair hung in his face as he focused on the music.

“Girl you got style, and that's what I love about you...” His voice grew stronger, grew louder as he began to lose himself in the rhythm. Incapacitated by his beauty, I didn't even notice that my camera was up to my face, my finger hovering over that silver button. Just as I was about to press down, the boy looked up, startled as his eyes found my body behind the trees. “Hello?”

Embarrassment flooded through my veins as the camera fell from my grasp, the strap tugging at my neck as it caught the weight. I was stuck in the “deer caught in headlights” pose, unable to move, eyes focused on the boy. Furrowing his brow, he stood from the steps he had been sitting on. Slowly, he made his way across his yard, closing the distance between us. I couldn't think, unsure of what to do. Suddenly, I turned around, bolting back to my house, up the steps, and through the back door.

“Honey, is everything okay?” My mother asked from the kitchen. Staring out of the window, I nodded my head, struggling to catch my breath. Sure that the boy would not follow me to my house, I removed my camera strap from my neck. Setting the device down on the washer before joining my mother. “What happened out there?” She asked, her eyes focused on the raw meat that lay on the cutting board in front of her. Wrinkling my nose in disgust, I shrugged my shoulders.

“It was just cold. I was cold.” I muttered, not caring how dull the words leaving my mouth had sounded. Clearly, she was annoyed, and she continued to chop up the meat that she, and my younger brother had planned on eating for dinner. “So, what am I suppose to eat?” I was vegetarian, converted by PETA as a young, naive teen. Now, I just stuck to the diet. I figured it to be much more healthy that the stuff the rest of my family had called food.

A soft grunt left my mother's mouth as she sat the knife down, turning to away from the beef to face me. “Autumn,” she stated, “Your soy foods are in the freezer. So don't go thinking I forgot about you...”

“Or that I left my Vegetarian diet in Florida?” I interrupted. Pursing her lips, she shook her head.

“Look. I understand that you are upset about the move, but you don't have to be disrespectful to me. If your father wanted you and Conner to stay with him, he would've fought in court. So, if you want someone to be angry with, why won't you give him a call.” If there was one thing I disliked, it was making my mother upset. It was stupid and childish of me to pick fights with her because of my own issues with this divorce. It was more selfish that anything.

“Mom, I'm sorry, it's just, hard I guess.” Biting my lip, I hoped she would accept my apology. Focused on the meat, she nodded her head.

“I understand, dear. I went through something similar as a child, and I'm sorry you have to go through this as well. Why won't you head upstairs and unpack some more. You start school tomorrow, and it's gonna be cold. Try to find something warm.” Her voice cracked, and I decided to leave the room. Walking into the laundry room, I grabbed my best friend before hurrying to my bedroom, the boy's face still lingering in my mind.