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I frowned. “Sorry, Serenity. I think this call has to end. This looks like an important message.”
“I get it. You have a demanding job. Just make sure that it doesn’t keep you from your boyfriend too much. You won’t get anywhere if you don’t spend time with him.”
“Thanks for the heads up,” I replied.
With that, we ended the call. I opened the text from Mr. White, only to find that he had been entering photos in various contests because it would mean recognition for the paper. Apparently, my tourism photos had come in just in time for a tourism contest.
When I clicked the link to go to the contest page, I learned that not only was it one of the largest competitions in photography, but that they had announced the winners. For tourism, a very familiar photograph sat in first place. The angles of the sun, the angle of the photo, the brilliance of the reflection off the entirely unexpected art installation…
I had won with a photo from Corinth that had been taken because I wanted to share the art with Gabe and had thought this would be an interesting addition to the photos of the more well-known sites in Corinth.
I could only hope Gabe was still up as I dialed his number. This was too much good news not to share.
“I didn’t expect a call so soon,” Gabe teased me when he answered the phone. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?”
“Do you remember when we went out to take photos together in Corinth?”
“How could I forget? It was… one of the most eye-opening experiences of my life. I’ve always wondered how photographers get those shots… why do you ask?”
I texted him a link to the page, while on the phone with him, and let that do the talking. He laughed.
“It looks like you’ve got a great career in photography ahead of you if this is the first time you’ve done tourism photos, and you’re already winning awards,” he said when he realized what the page was. “That’s a beautiful photo. I recall seeing it in the article here in Tulsa when it came out.”
“Gabe, I couldn’t have taken that photo without you. Thank you.”
***
A few months after our original trip, we were taking photos in one of the many lighthouses around New York’s coastline. This was going to be one of the pricier trips we had featured in the tourism column for the summer, but I had wanted the summer column to end with a bang. With fall coming up, the next location had to be somewhere that the weather would still be decent. I was thinking Charleston, South Carolina for early fall. There were a few historical sites around the city, and there was probably plenty to do in the city that we could take pictures of.
“The view from the lighthouse is incredible,” Gabe said as I laid on the floor to get a better view of the area around us without the metal safety bars.
“It is, but I want to show this angle. All the fun stuff to look at is down. To show this angle will offer them a chance to see it all without them having to crane their necks… there we go!” I found the perfect place to take the picture – where the bars were not in the way of the picture and the scenery but where we could also see some of the town below us.
All nestled against the coastline, this would be the eye-catching picture that was featured in the thumbnail for the article.
I stood up from the floor and realized that Gabe had walked off towards the other side of the lighthouse’s small balcony. Well, it wasn’t really a balcony as it was a circle that went around the entire top of the lighthouse so that the keeper could change the lights or light the gas when it was gas so many years ago.
“Gabe, our time is almost up. They’ll be letting the next group of tourists come up in about five minutes,” I said as I went to find him. “We’ll need to…”
What I found on the other side was Gabe waiting for me, looking out against the sea.
“I know. I wanted you to see this side before we left,” he said. “Put the camera down and look with me for a moment.” He turned to face me, chuckling. “You always forget to look for yourself instead of through the viewfinder. Come here and look.”
I couldn’t entirely argue with him. I was still upset that I hadn’t been able to really pay attention to Corinth because of the storm, but he had promised to take me again one day when we were both free from our duties for our jobs. We’d have to coordinate a vacation, and just hadn’t done it yet.
I walked over and stood beside him. He put an arm around my shoulders, and I leaned into his chest. The view here was indeed beautiful. The ocean sparkled in the sunlight, in a way that I would never be able to capture on the camera.
It was here that Gabe pulled away. I turned to face him but was not prepared for what he had decided to do. He had knelt down to one knee and held a small black box in his hands.
“Grace Overstreet, I know we have only been dating a few months, but since our first trip together, I have felt this electric connection to you. Though I’m still working on showing it… I love you. Completely. You taught me the importance of dreams when I thought all that mattered was making sure that I could do what I wanted safely. Grace, will you marry me?”
He now opened the box to reveal a rose gold band with a deep, dark green emerald in the middle. It was surrounded by a halo of chocolate diamonds. It almost looked like a tree.
I knelt beside him, careful not to knock the ring out of the box. If it fell, there was no guarantee we’d find it before the tourists arrived.
“Gabriel Delaney, I would be the happiest woman in the world if we got married. Yes.”
He smiled widely as he placed the ring on my finger.
