‘Lily!’ he snaps. ‘Give me a smile.’
I reluctantly drop my hands and tilt my head to one side, shyly. He clicks off a shot.
‘There. That wasn’t so bad, was it?’
‘It was pretty awful.’
He grins and hands the camera back to me, before spying the pile of photographs with the kangaroo at the top. ‘Freddie!’ he exclaims. ‘Can I see?’
I don’t want to make a big deal out of it by saying no, so I manage a slight nod and then sit there nervously while he flicks through the pack, chuckling occasionally and giving me positive feedback. My nerves soon die away and I find myself enjoying his commentary.
‘I absolutely love this one,’ he says eventually, going back to the photo of Freddie.
‘I’m a bit annoyed about the other kangaroo’s tail in the background,’ I admit.
‘Where? Oh, there. You can barely see it.’
‘It still annoys me.’
‘You’re critical, aren’t you?’
I shrug.
‘Is this what you want to do? Photography?’ he asks.
‘I don’t know. I hadn’t really thought about it.’
‘Well, I think these are great,’ he reiterates, putting the photos back down on the shopping bag. ‘I’d love to see your next set.’
And in a funny kind of way, I’m already looking forward to showing him.
‘What are you up to after this?’ he asks.
‘I’ll probably head back to Michael’s.’
‘Still finding it hard to call it home?’ He pauses. ‘You’ve been calling it “Michael’s” ever since you got here.’
‘ItisMichael’s home,’ I reply defensively.
‘It’s yours now, too. Hopefully it won’t be long before it feels like it.’
‘Mmm.’
‘So when did you get your camera?’
‘My dad gave it to me as a leaving present.’
‘Oh, right. That was nice of him.’
‘My dad’s a nice man.’
‘I bet you miss him.’
‘Yes.’ I look away.
‘When did you find out you were leaving the UK?’
‘My mum only told me a couple of months ago,’ I mumble.
