“Can we go upstairs?" she asks. "I don’t feel good.”
I let Norris know before we head up, letting him know I'm around. I hold her hand, and Olivia seems better once inside my apartment. I guide her over to a large recliner, and Olivia sits down heavily.
“Are you okay?” I ask, holding her hand again.
She nods. “I feel guilty. That picture of him is one of the best I’ve ever taken.” She pauses. “Would it be wrong of me to enter it into the show?” She misreads my reaction when I frown. “You're right, it's in bad taste.”
“No," I explain quickly. "It’s a meaningful tribute to him. You gave him his dignity back.”
Olivia walks over to the bed. “I need to lay down. I need a moment to think.”
“I understand. I’m just going to check on Norris."
Her head hits the pillow. “I’ll be okay. I just need a break.”
Closing her eyes, her breathing is regular as she falls asleep. I head back down to the bar. The cops have made an appearance, and Norris is showing them the picture. They look surprised because that photo humanizes a lost soul. I try not to wallow in my thoughts and get busy cleaning up the empties around the bar.
More details come out from the witnesses, and the only thing they can agree on is that the vehicle was traveling north on Brunswick. They can’t agree on the description of the vehicle, which ranges from a pickup truck to an SUV.
“Someone had to see exactly what happened," exclaims Norris in disgust. “Hundreds of people on a busy street—someone has to have had their head out of their ass."
Norris' ruddy complexion starts to extend up to his receding hairline. There'll be two impromptu wakes tonight if I don’t herd these people out of here.
I raise my voices above the din. “Bar's closed.”
A worn out Norris locks up, but before he leaves, he stops me on the sidewalk. “You're a good kid. You saw what happened." His voice rises with emotion. "Stay in school.”
“Are you okay to drive?” I ask.
He laughs. “I can walk, Eli.” He looks up at the interior lights, illuminating the windows above the bar. “You have a guest to look after. She looked shaken up, so take good care of her.”
I nod, feeling guilty, and he pats my shoulder before taking off. I haven't been treating Olivia like anything special. I've been letting a battered heart call the shots. I'm less sure if she knows what happened, and though the truth will cost me, it's time to talk.
“Hey," I call out as I enter my apartment. "Have you eaten?”
I walk into the bedroom, expecting to see Olivia stretched out in my bed and waking up from a deep sleep. But instead, she’s sitting on the edge of the bed with a photograph in her hand. In two steps, I'm standing in front of her and yanking it out of her hands. The black and white photo of her was taken during our last summer together. Olivia had turned into a beauty as the sun lightened her hair into a pale blonde and tanned her bare skin. She smiles at the camera with confidence and a tempting tilt in her smile.
“It’s a picture of me from ages ago." She looks at me for an explanation. "How did you get it?"
***
“Dad got a new camera,” says Olivia.
I scoff, "Why doesn’t he use his phone?"
"He doesn’t like the quality, so he uses his old digital cameras. But he’s excited about his new one. Want to see it?"
I shrug my shoulders. Olivia knows I'm into taking pictures around the lake, mainly sunsets and birds. But I don't get along with her father, so I don't want to touch his stuff.
"You should take a picture of me." She smiles broadly, twisting her waist and tilting her back in a pinup girl pose.
I laugh. "Your dad won’t like it, me messing around with his camera and his daughter.”
“Then we won’t tell him,” she says.
Chapter Fifteen
Olivia