ⓒLynn Wiles Photography. Click on the image for her photography blog.
Her soft hand was in mine, MINE! My hand, covered in black ink from my long day of work. I still couldn’t get over that she was my girlfriend. She must have been reading my mind because she lifted my hand and inspected it.
“Look at all that ink. Don’t you ever wash your hands at work?”
I probably blushed a bit, but guys don’t blush so I won’t admit it.
“I can’t take the time to wash my hands every time ink splatters on them! The book would never get done.”
“I know hun, I’m just teasing you. I love your work.”
She pulled me to the right and into Central Park.
“Let’s walk through the park. It’s Fall…the leaves look beautiful.”
I let her pull me in the direction of the picturesque foliage.
“It’s almost like the trees are on fire! Look at that one!” she said as she tugged me yet again as if my arm were a leash.
“Oh my God! Look at that!” she gasped and pointed at a tiny leaf that looked oddly like a heart. “Do you have your camera?”
“Nope, but I have something better!” I said as I pulled a mini sketchpad and Sharpie from my pocket. Her smile forced me into a smile as well as she sat on a nearby bench, crossed her legs and pulled the end of her plaid dress over her knees. I watched for another moment as she started pulling on the curls of her long brown hair. She caught me looking and smiled.
“Get drawing, Picasso.”
“Picasso wouldn’t – never mind,” I responded. She crinkled her nose and I got to work drawing the leaf. It turned out pretty good, I thought. She ran over after I put the cap back on the Sharpie.
“Can I see?”
“Nope.”
“Why?”
I grinned. “You can see it on our anniversary.”
“But that’s a few months away!”
“Guess you’ll have to stick around awhile then, huh,” I said with a smirk.
Special thanks to Lynn Wiles for allowing me to use her photograph.
A Flash of Inspiration 
Your posts pop into my inbox and I am drawn away from my day, just for a moment. And like the basket of chocolates tucked away in the back of the kitchen pantry, I am drawn to tiptoe in but take just one, one sweet little moment, and then it’s gone and I go back to my day, with a smile.
Wow…that is the kindest comment I’ve seen in a long time! Thank you! =]
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“Picasso wouldn’t – never mind,”
– that made me grin 😀
Lovely story…short, romantic, not boring and very charming!
You sound like the perfect guy! 🙂
I also read your ‘about’ page and I really share your views on writing and I use similar techniques when writing. I’ve never used a photograph to find inspiration but I use small details to start from and in most cases I start from observing a person and imagining a story around him / her.
Good luck with your blog, I will read more of it now!
Wow, you’ve turned Lynn’s little heart-shaped leaf into an amazing love story (or rather, a really great opening chapter of a book…hint…hint) I follow Lynn’s blog and she mine. It’s a PERFECT marriage! 🙂
aww this has to be the cutest thing ive read in a long time made me smile=]
Aw thank you!
I LOL’ed at the “never mind”. 🙂 I love how you capture specific moments in an entire story, and make that single moment somehow a window into these people’s lives. I never get tired of reading. 🙂
I love these little glimpses into characters, and their stories!
I went back to the park with the heart shaped flower and it was gone.
I’m just glad it was there the first time. What a beautiful shot. You were lucky to find it once.