I'll See You Next Time

Working in the photo studio was taking its’ toll on Kat. All days brought different rewards and challenges. Today was five-year-old Tyler. Kat watched as the small family left then stole a glance at the mirror. Her hair was a messy heap to say the least and little of it remained in the French braid of earlier. It was amazing that she was able to squeeze such a large sale from the parents of such a horrible little child. Tyler had pulled her hair, kicked her in the shins, stepped on her toes, and spit at his parents; and yet, somehow she managed to catch him in the most adoring poses. His parents ooh’d and ahh'd at the pictures, the mother even had to excuse herself to gather her composure, while the father apologized for the child’s normally horrendous behavior.

Thankfully, the next client was having their pictures done by her co-worker and friend Lydia. Still looking in the mirror Kat pulled the hair band from her hair and began to come through it with a brush from her bag. Restyling it in a ponytail this time was quick and easy. “ewwyuck,” Kat said aloud halfway talking to Lydia and partly talking to herself, “Twenty-three years old and I have grey hairs.” She plucked the few strays poking out from her shoulder length dark brown hair.

Lydia returned from the now clean studio, “Who knew that such a little boy could make a mess?”

Chimes from behind them signaled to the girls the next customer had arrived. Kat knew this would be an easy appointment compared to the last.

A young very blonde couple walked in no older than herself. In tow was an older blonde woman probably the mother, and a small blonde boy no older than two, possibly the couple’s child but she would soon find out.

Lydia began going over the usual spiel about backgrounds, the kind of pictures they were trying to achieve, family relations and who would be in the pictures. The motherly figure was the bride-to-be's mother, and the child was the nephew of the bride to be. Simple straight forward engagement photos. Lydia always got the easy photo shoots. The little boy, James, took to Kat immediately following her around the studio. Kat was thankful that this little boy was a million times calmer than Tyler. James wanted to sit with Kat while the family reviewed the pictures. The young blonde girl commented to her mother, “Mom, look at James he's never like that with strangers.".

The grandmother looked over and smiled, “he’s usually screaming his head off with people he doesn't know".

"Maybe I look like someone he knows," Kat offered up.

"I don't even know if his mom has a non blonde friend and you don't look like anyone on either side of the family. You must have children.".

"No, no children"

"Well, you know what they say, children have better instincts on who to trust than adults; he must know you are a good person"

Kat blushed. But she felt a little awkward.

The family proceeded to pay after choosing their pictures and began to leave. What happened next is what tore at Kats heart. Little James began screaming; he raced towards Kat and clung to her legs. She kneeled down, "it's time to go sweetie, I'll see you next time," and she led him to his family. The aunt picked him up and took him out of the studio crying all the way. Her heart was crying too and yet she had no idea what had transpired. She didn't even initiate the interaction with James. She felt so helpless but really there was nothing she could do.

Lydia spoke up interrupting her thoughts, "maybe you knew each other in another life or something.”

"Yea, maybe-" her voice and thoughts trailed off.

++++

Kat found herself in the early morning assisting her mom with the daunting task of clearing crap from her grandmothers’ house.



She didn't know what came over her when she agreed to help her mom sort through her grandmother's belongings. She loved her grandmother but never in her life had she known someone who could own so much crap, antiques, crocheted goods, paintings, and other crafts...crap according to Kat. Her grandmothers’ handiwork was truly amazing but she never gave it away, it took over her entire home.

She volunteered for the task of photos, thinking it might be fun to sort the families by pile then they would pass them onto the cousins. She found the task to be quite larger than anticipated and a little harder but she was really enjoying seeing the pictures of her grandmother in her younger years. Her grandmother was a beauty could have been a pin-up girl during the war, and some of the pictures even suggested she fancied herself to be one.

Her mother joined her, "How ya doin' Hun?" Her mom began sifting through pictures.

Kat let out a sigh, "There is so much stuff here Mam." Then something seemed to catch both their eyes, Kat tried to reach for the picture but her mom grabbed it up first.

"Hmm, I wonder why she has this one?" Her mother's voice sang out with discord.

Kat grabbed the picture from her mom, the little boy James was posed with her. They were cheek-to-cheek and smiling so happily. Based on the age of James it couldn't have been more than four- or five-months-old. But Kat had no recollection of the picture; surely, she would have remembered a picture like this. "Why do I not remember this?"

"Remember what? Your great-aunt Katerine?" Her mom asked.

"What? This is me mom and the boy I told you about," she took a breath, "the one that cried for me!"

"No honey that's your grandmas sister and her son Jameson."

"That's his name Mam! The boy is James."

"Sweetheart the picture has a Kodak date on the back from the developing. I had forgotten how much you look like my aunt Katerine, your namesake. But Jameson passed away very young," her mother paused and took a deep breath, "he died after his dad. My aunt was never the same. She had loved them both so much, she just never recovered.".

"Can I have the picture?"

"Yes sweetheart." Another pause. "You know maybe I can help you gather some of their things to have, she did look like you and she has no children to pass any of her stuff onto, but I worry that you might develop an unhealthy attachment." Her mom gave a slightly unhappy look, one Kat was sure was not meant for her. But the picture made her feel happy, like her great-aunt in the photo with her son.

A few more hours and little progress seemed to have been made.

+++++

Kat was in the studio looking over the week’s schedule, looking for clients she recognized as her regulars, when the familiar chimes of the front door squabbled. Looking up she saw a woman around her mom’s age enter, it only took Kat a moment to recognize James Grandmother. Her thoughts briefly settled on a copy of the picture in her purse and wondered if she would say anything about the strange picture. It would probably make her seem like a strange girl; she decided against saying anything about it.

"Hello, I'm here to pick up my daughter's pictures." The women said. Kat couldn't help but wonder if it was in her mind or if the woman really was as uncomfortable as she seemed.

"I remember, we have them right here," Kat pulled the pictures from their location in the filing cabinet. Turning back to the woman she began to go through the pictures and discussing each one again. Kat watched the woman as she relaxed and smiled looking at the pictures. "And we have one more." Kat grabbed for a box near her and gently pulled out a large framed portrait of the young couple.

"It’s absolutely beautiful." The woman commented as Kat replaced the portrait in the box. Then she seemed to get "tight" again.

"This is going to sound strange but I hope that you don't think I'm crazy for telling you this," the woman began. Kat turned her full attention to her.

"I was doing some family research and came across a book that had some photos in it. My mother had a book made for my cousin she had cared for before he became sick, well I had forgotten about this cousin because I was so young at the time but when I found a picture of him I realized he looked exactly like my grandson James". Chills went up Kats neck. She didn't know what to say. The woman shifted uncomfortably, "I know this is going to sound strange but I have to show you for you to understand, "my cousins dad died very young, and things got crazy for his mom; I think she might have had a broken heart. That's when my cousin came to live with us." The woman pulled a picture and handed it to Kat, the same picture.

Kat was overcome with emotion as tears spilled over her cheeks. She went to her purse and pulled out the photo and showed it to the woman. "It's my aunt" she whispered.

Kat couldn't think. Why did all this matter?

"So we are related, by marriage at any rate. I wondered if that was a possibility. Little James just seemed so smitten by you, it didn't make since, it still doesn't but somehow it does."

Kat had to agree.

"Um I found out that my mom had kept and made two identical scrapbooks one was meant for Jameson my cousin and the other was meant for his mother your Katerine. If you would like, it only seems right for you to have one of the books."

Kat couldn't believe this stranger was offering her something so precious. "That would be so lovely"

“Now I know this is strange but I really need to ask you a big favor and this is going to sound ridiculous, but my daughter Sara saw a psychic and she's begging you to see James."

"Really? She doesn't even know me. I don't know if it would be right, after the way he was when he was in here."

More uncomfortable silence, "James has taken on an unexplainable illness, and Sara's psychic seems to think its history repeating itself, heartbreak. He was fine before he met you and now he’s so sad and sick. He just hasn’t been the same."

Kats heart sped up, "Of course anything!" Her emotions were confusing and spinning out of control.

The woman left her address and phone number, Mary. Mary was the woman. Kat knew her mom would think this whole thing was nuts.

+++++

"See sweetie I told you I would see you again". She held the toddler's hand as he shifted and turned his eyes towards her. "Kat" he said.

"Yes sweetie it’s me".

"Missed you."

"I missed you too," Kat blinked back tears.

Sara and Mary came to her; Mary spoke, "He hasn't been awake in 4 days." Mary handed her a book, the book. It lay open to a page; it was laid out like a journal entry of things Katherine said to Jameson, things she wanted him to remember and know. Written in different writing, it had a date and "Katerine said to Jameson, ‘It's time to go sweetie, I'll see you next time’". Then a note underneath listed Katerines' date of death.

Mary spoke, "The date that Katerine said those words to Jameson was the same day you spoke them to James.”