FF 1/14/07 The Photograph

[benbradley]

The Arrest by Ben Bradley

I went into Target to get the pics we took this weekend. I know those one-use cameras aren't the most economical way to take photographs, but still the cost per use is so cheap compared to an outlay for a Real Camera that it always seems worth buying another under-$10 special, and they usually take pretty good pictures.

At the counter the teen-looking female smiled and said "May I help you?"

"I'm here to pick up my pictures, James Smith."

She went through the envelopes of developed photos, then she all of a sudden froze. I could see she had an expression on her face. She glanced up at me and said "Just a minute," and walked off to the right at a rather speedy pace

No more than ten seconds later I heard a man's voice to my left: "Mr. James Smith?" I look and it was a policeman.

"Yes, Officer?"

"Come with us." I just noticed there was ANOTHER policeman behind me. Having no clue what it was about, I went with them into one of the store offices, where only employees and security people go.

"Have a seat, Mr. Smith. Do you recognize these photographs, Mr. Smith?"

"Yes, they're the ones me and my wife took this weekend."

"What about THIS one, Mr. Smith, what can you tell us about it?"

"Well, that's my daughter Amanda in the bathtub, this must have been taken when my wife and and my mother-in-law were giving her a bath."

"How old is your daughter Amanda?"

"She's four years old. Why do you ask?"

"Mr. Smith, you are being charged with the creation and posession of child pornography."

I was dumbfounded. "What? You think this picture of my girl in the tub is child pornography?"

"It doesn't matter so much what WE think, it's up to the judge to decide. Here's a phone, you can call your wife. We just want to clear up who took the photograph."

I dialed nervously, thinking of what all this could mean. Expensive defense attorneys, ruined reputation at work... I had to try three times to correctly dial my own number.

Paula answered: "Hello?"

"Honey, it's James. The police are here at Target asking me about a picture of Amanda in the tub, what's up with this?"

"James WHAT DID YOU DO? The police are HERE, the Department of Childrens Services are here talking about taking AMANDA! I don't know what you did that got the police out here, but I can assure you, you're never going to see Amanda ever again! First thing in the morning I'm going to call a divorce attorney and I'm going to squeeze every last penny out of you, you slimy scum-ass!"

 

[NickDangr]

Heya

Just noting what I mentioned in the chat room - this really does hit on how we all have to be very careful these days with ourselves.

Regards

ND / Ben

 

[Shweta]

Ouch.
Nicely done.

One thing, though, I'm not quite getting the wife's motivation. Did she plant that picture in order to get away from her husband? Is she overreacting? Perhaps you could foreshadow that a bit if you redraft.

 

[Mod35tBabe]

I'm a little shocked by the wife's reaction, maybe a bit more insight into that would clear things up in the rewrite. But I thought the story was a good lesson for things we all need to be wary of - something that used to be innocent is no longer so.

 

[Cath]

I've read a lot about this kind of subject in the British photography papers, so it really struck home. Nicely done, but I'd agree that the wife's reaction is a little extreme.

Great idea.

 

[benbradley]

Ouch.
Nicely done.

Thanks. This was my first attempt at this sort of thing. I didn't see that 9PM post with the challenge info until about 10PM, and even though I was late I decided to try it. I amazed myself that I wrote something readable at all, much less within 38 minutes.

One thing, though, I'm not quite getting the wife's motivation. Did she plant that picture in order to get away from her husband? Is she overreacting? Perhaps you could foreshadow that a bit if you redraft.

I was writing it as if the wife were overreacting, assuming that her husband being arrested and the police showing up at home means he's guilty of something big and bad, but the possibility of the wife and/or mother making it a frameup may have been in the back of my mind. I could certainly see that just after I wrote it. And of course if it's a frameup, the wife would be intentionally overreacting.

 

[Pamster]

I liked this one, although the subject matter just hits the point home that it is not to be taken for granted that your innocent photographs will be seen through innocent eyes if you get my point. I like the idea of a setup somehow though, that would give this piece a nice twist, nicely done Ben.

 

[AnnieColleen]

This one weirded me out a bit! Your assumption while writing it was how I read it. Nice job for the short time period.

 

[Shwebb]

Yeah, I read it that both he and the wife were both clueless and that she was overreacting, but I wasn't 100% certain.

I liked it a lot, Ben, and it does touch on present day issues and every parent's fear of losing a child over something innocent misinterpreted. Good horror story.

 

[Pthom]

I enjoy the mystery of why the narrator is being questioned--everything up to that point is so peaceful, ordinary. And I like the surprise of finding out why the reason the cops are there. But I agree with other comments here that the wife's reaction, while not necessarily out of the norm, is too abrupt.

I think it may have to do with the timing: we don't know how long the guy's been away from home, but assume he hasn't been gone for more than a few hours, just the drive from home (or work) to Target. There isn't enough time for her to be angry with him, unless as was suggested, it's a ploy on the wife's part. But even then, why would the cops be with her if she turned him in?

Also, there is just not enough time between the taking of the photos (over the weekend) and the actions of the cops. The film in those one-use cameras is processed by machine. It's unlikely that the technician would bother screening them. It might be helpful to mention that most photos today are taken digitally, that film cameras are dinosaurs, so that the lab tech has time to browse. Yet that smacks of invasion of privacy.

I suppose it depends on the localle, but a simple shot of a toddler in the bath tub is not in itself usually considered porn.

Okay, I'm overanalyzing the imagined situation and not your story, Ben. Sorry. Really, there is little to pick at, other than the abruptness of the reactions at the end.

 

[QueenB]

Very good entry for such a limited time. You might want to reconsider the title if you revise to submit it elsewhere. "The Arrest" gives too much information to the reader, I believe, and lessens the surprise element of the narrator's arrest.

Some details that you might want to revise: "young teen-looking female"...teenager? and "at a rather speedy pace"...quickly? You probably would have noticed those and corrected them if there had not been a time limit.