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Teia Haws

Mrs. Jackie Burr, Instructor

English 1010, Section 2

22 September 2020

One Second

I never go anywhere without hauling all my stuff like a pack mule. Even to Homecoming,

I had a full bag, a tripod, and a camera-bag thrown over my shoulder. I probably should have told

my date to carry some of it, but at this point it was just a habit to load up and carry it all myself.

Besides, he had his own blanket and change of clothes to carry. It would have been nice if there

was a place to park that wasn’t all the way down the street though. So we trudged down the

street, though the overgrown plants that took up almost all of the sidewalk. They were stubborn,

as if trying to tell us “we were here first.” But we pushed through them and made it to the house.

The long curvy driveway arched in the shape of an upside down U, with a gate at the top.

It was like a scene in a movie. My date and I were the weary travelers who had just journeyed

down the street, and my friend was like the queen of the castle, opening the door for us in her

long, elegant, and very sparkly dress. Because this “Homecoming” wasn’t exactly real, and

merely just a makeup party due to us missing the real thing, I hadn’t thought much about going

out to buy an entire new dress like she had. Her and her date had gone all out in a new dress and

tie, complete with a corsage and boutonniere. My date and I were wearing some old clothes from

our closet, just nice enough that we could look like we had tried if this homecoming was real.

When having a fake dance, it means there is a lot more work to do on your own.

Especially when you’re the host’s best friend, and the first guest to arrive. We filled a shiny
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plastic cooler with water, and stuck the Chick-Fil-A catering in the oven. I had volunteered to be

the photographer for the event, both to be cheaper, and also for experience on my new camera.

Her yard was like a nice city park. A mossy pond, nearly overflowing with lily pads,

turned into a small creek that flowed all the way around the house. A large, arch-like structure

stood tall in the back, surrounded by willow trees. Off to the left was a large bush, about six feet

tall and twelve feet long. It was covered in outstretches of dainty white flowers, drooping

gracefully under their own weight. Next to it was a rustic, wooden archway, on which the

white-flowered bush wrapped and surrounded with vines. A small pear tree extended it’s

branches over the top of it all, leaving small pears to hang around the heads of those who walked

by. Behind this scene was a large barn, where music and lights had been set up.

A girl came up to get her picture taken. She didn’t necessarily have a date, due to not

being sure of the sexuality she would have wanted to bring. Instead she stood tall over her group

of friends in a bright, cherry-red blazer. Confidence radiated off of her. I looked at her through

the viewfinder of my camera. I made a mental note of my lighting and aperture, and

double-checked all my settings. My thumb spun the dial on the side, and focused in. We stood in

the shadow of a setting sun, and a cool glow settled on her face. Any photographer could have

told you that the lighting was absolutely perfect. The red blazer contrasted brightly against her

lush background. Her eyes popped with glitter eyeshadow, and cherry earrings hung at her neck.

She laughed and told her friends to look away while she posed for me, but as soon as she looked

back to the camera it was like she flipped a switch. She glowed with a complete and utter love

for herself at that moment. She put her hands up in her hair and held her chest high. My camera

clicked and turned and beeped, capturing every other second.

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A small group gathered to both watch, and wait their turn. A steady chatter had been

going all night, with small comments catching the attention of the group, or small bursts of

giggles and laughter. Due to the spreading virus, they all wore face masks over their mouth and

nose, which dampened the noise. Some stood at a distance to pop a chicken nugget in their

mouth, before pulling the mask back up and returning to the chatter. The masks were just as

varied as the people wearing them. Some were homemade from colorful fabrics. Some were

plain surgical masks, but in colors like white or black. Some matched their dress or tie, while

others clearly had not thought about it at all.

Just like the masks, all the people were varied in shape, size, and color. The big girl in the

red blazer stood next to a small, blonde sophomore, dressed in all white. One girl wore a suit and

tie that matched her newly dyed pixie cut. The school Sweethearts stood tall over some of the

younger guests. They stuck out with the girls yellow dress, and the boys bright red hair.

Everybody came from different homes and student groups from our highschool. The thing that

brought us all together was the fact that we were all missing the real homecoming for the same

event. Marching band.

I set up my tripod on a rocky gravel path and told everybody where to stand. The daylight

was dim at this point, but the weather was still perfect. The group gathered in their couples,

organizing themselves by their height. I grabbed my remote and placed myself in the group. Due

to the lack of sunlight, we had to hold very still to avoid blurry photos. But band kids aren’t very

good at listening. Or holding still. We might have gotten a single photo that was worthy of

Instagram. They all were a little fuzzy in at least one photo. It was funny how with this many

different people, they all could be so alike at the same time. The camera captures a single second
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of time, unaware of the remaining events of the night. The photos don’t know about the girl who

danced with her crush for the first time in years. Or the boy who thought it was his night to get

lucky. The camera didn’t see the sparkling lights in the barn across the yard, or hear the music

that probably woke the neighbors. The camera saw the varied group of kids, who decided to have

a fun night. The camera saw the different colored dresses, and ties. The camera saw a single

second of the kids, who came from so many different stories, who ended up together in one

place, to take a photo.

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