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Open Lens

By Lisa Buffaloe

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Ice blocks, naked rears, and drunk frat boys do not mix. Alyssa Nelson chuckled as she walked down the hospital corridor. Living in a college town made the times she worked in the emergency room night shift rather interesting. Several fraternity guys had decided to ride ice-blocks down a large hill outside of town. To top off their interesting outing, one of them decided to go au-natural. After his not-so-brilliant move, his friends brought him and his bright-red rear to the hospital’s emergency room. Frostbite wasn’t a problem, but the guy would have a heck of a rash from skidding the last third of the hill on his bare derriere.

Alyssa turned the corner and waved to her friend, Victoria, who worked in the cafeteria. “Good morning!”

“Hey, cute thing, how was your shift?” Victoria wiped off a table then pushed chairs back into place. Although Victoria was a grandmother, she still turned heads. Her outward appearance shined from her caring smile and friendliness that always saw the best in others.

Alyssa grinned and walked toward her friend. “The ER is never boring.”

“You had ER duty overnight? You sure are chipper for working there; you’re usually dragging.” Victoria resumed her position behind the cash register and handed Alyssa a large to-go cup.

“The usual stress was there until a few hours ago. Then…well, let’s just say college guys have amusing ideas.”

“Girlfriend, I had way too much fun in college. I could tell stories that would make your hair stand on end. Fortunately, life calmed down once I started dating my husband.”

“How long have you been married?”

Victoria beamed, her gaze lingering on the small diamond on her ring finger. “Thirty-three years this month.”

Alyssa smiled at her friend. “Good for you.” After paying for her purchase, she walked over to pour her coffee and add a healthy dose of cream and sugar.
“We’ve had some great times and raised some wonderful kids.” Victoria held up her hand and hurried toward the kitchen area. “Let me get you a shot of whip cream. Don’t want you to go out into the cold, cruel world without the proper needs for survival.”

“Thanks. I’m heading to the Payette river to take photos.” With any luck, she’d get that perfect shot as early-morning clouds radiated a delicious rainbow color.

Sam, working at the grill, bobbed his bald head to greet Alyssa. “Hey, stop by in the next few days; I’d love to see your latest photos. I’ve got my drone working again if you’d like to use it sometime.”

“That’d be great. Maybe we can get together soon, and you can fly the camera up for some new angles.” She'd be a world-renowned photographer if people appreciated her pictures like Sam did. Sure, she’d won a few contests in the area and even sold her prints at craft fairs during summer months, but not enough to provide a living.

Whip cream canister in hand, Victoria stopped in front of Alyssa. “Make sure you eat breakfast.”

Alyssa gave her friend a mock curtsy. “Yes, ma’am. I have a cinnamon roll in my car.”

“I guess that’ll do.” Victoria swirled a shot of white froth onto Alyssa’s coffee. “I’ve got to keep you healthy. You still haven’t met my youngest son.”
“I’m sure he’s great, but I’m happy being on my own.” Her broken heart was not ready for a rematch.

“Right.” Victoria’s head-tilt said more than her comment.

“There are tons of positives to being single.” Alyssa straightened her shoulders. “I don’t need a man. I’ll just get a Beta fish.”

“I tell you, you need to meet my son. Jerry’s a keeper.”

“The one in Coeur d’Alene? He doesn’t even live here.”

“He’ll be back. And when he returns, he’ll need a good woman like you. He said he’d like to meet you.”

“Oh, please. You didn’t tell him you wanted him to meet someone with a great personality, did you?”

“You do have a great personality.”

“Ugh. That’s like telling a guy I’m ugly as sin.”

From the kitchen, Sam looked up with sympathy in his eyes and responded with a knowing nod.

Victoria took Alyssa by the arm and led her to the cash register. “It is not. I told him you were pretty too, and I know he likes red-heads. With your gorgeous strawberry-blond hair and your great personality, he won’t have a chance.”

“Did you tell him I was pretty first or a good personality first?”

“I don’t know. What does it matter? You are pretty with a great personality.”

Alyssa sighed and took a sip of her deliciously cream-laced coffee. “Thank you, but no thank you. I have a date with a sunrise.”

Victoria’s hand settled lightly on Alyssa’s arm. “God has someone special in mind for that heart of yours.”

Though Victoria’s comment made Alyssa’s chest ache with longing, she smiled and raised her cup. “Yeah, well, things haven’t gone too well so far.”

Turning down the hallway, she quickened her pace. If all went well, she’d spend an hour playing outside, then be home in time to say hello to her roomie, catch some shut-eye, and then go back to work the night shift again at the hospital. Not much social life, but work and photographing nature did leave her somewhat happy and fulfilled.

Maybe she’d end up shuffling around like a happy little spinster. The dull pain in her heart discontinued that thought.

In the parking lot, Alyssa buckled herself in the seatbelt of her SUV. Boise traffic would begin building soon as people started their day. Snow had fallen in the hills, and if she timed it right, maybe a few icicles would sparkle when the morning sun made its appearance.

Alyssa turned her vehicle north on Highway 55 toward Horseshoe Bend. The Payette river journeyed alongside the road, and one particular spot had a great place to take pictures of the sunrise. Or at least what could be seen after the sun made its way over the hills.

Reaching her destination, Alyssa waited for traffic to clear, u-turned, and pulled her SUV onto the shoulder next to the river.

She drew her hood over her head and bundled up, making sure every part except her eyes were covered from the winter cold. By the time she had on her gear, she was practically bulletproof.

Camera in hand and backpack slung over her shoulder, Alyssa stepped out of the car. A truck going way too fast zoomed past and blasted her with cold air. She shivered and hurried down to the river until she reached the sand bar. Air, crisp and clean, filled her lungs as she sat on a large boulder.

Working as a floating nurse had challenges. Some nights she’d be in the Emergency Room; other times, she’d help out on different floors, wherever the hospital said she was most needed. She liked the variety and the opportunity to encounter various people, but it limited her friendships and certainly limited her love life. Plus, none of her day-shift friends had any interest in getting up at the crack of dawn.

However, early, cold mornings afforded the luxury of no human visitors—just her and nature. The solitude was pleasant, healing, a form of freedom to be alone … sometimes.

Trying to ignore the empty gnawing in her chest, she concentrated on the soothing sounds of water gliding and tumbling over rocks made visible by winter’s drop in water levels.

The sky began the gradual change from midnight blue. Fortunately, a few clouds in the atmosphere could reflect whatever colors the sun would provide. Waiting, Alyssa readied her camera.

In seconds the symphony of color began. A melon tint painted the clouds above the hills. Perfectly framing the shot, she caught the reflection off the water up to the sky. The click of her shutter captured photos as God’s glory played in the clouds.

~~~

Sean Connery sighed and focused on the runway as he taxied the private jet for departure. He’d heard every joke in the book about his name. The ladies sitting in the back of the plane were probably still laughing. At least this plane had a private cockpit where he could keep some level of privacy.

Mark, his co-pilot, cast a sympathetic gaze toward Sean. “Most guys would love to have a name like yours, but man, those women sure did make some suggestive comments.”

Sean nodded. “It definitely has had challenges.” Trying to be a good guy with the name of someone who made the movie character James Bond legendary wasn’t always easy. Some days he didn’t mind having a famous name, but today it just made him lonely.

Finally cleared for takeoff, Sean accelerated the Gulfstream to full speed, waited for liftoff, and then soared into the sky. The plane’s flaps were raised, wheels retracted, and Sean set his heading and climbed to the proper altitude.
Being in the sky, above the world, gave a sense of peace and freedom.

Dance music played in the back, and a party started. He’d made far too many mistakes in the past, and he was determined to live differently now. The women he flew in their private jets wanted him to be anything but decent, while the woman he really wanted only saw him as a friend.
 

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