#151: Ophelia's Photography Day at the Park

Meanwhile, that morning, Ophelia had said, "Okay, I'm off to the Park with Peter!" as she came down the stairs.

Peter had suggested to Ophelia that Willow Creek Park would be a good place for her to take pictures.

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"The light's not that strong yet," he observed, as they arrived.

"Maybe not for painting, but it's fine for photography," she assured him.  "It's kind of moody, which can be good."

Peter enjoyed watching Ophelia line up her shots,

but was troubled by one thing.

When he had walked Ophelia back to the door of Regina and Bill's house the night before, Ophelia had grabbed him and kissed him passionately,

then disappeared inside the house without a word.

And when she had shown up at Peter's house a half hour ago this morning, she had made no reference to the kiss.

'Maybe I'm just really not good with women,' he sighed,

 as he watched the effervescent Ophelia introduce herself to her potential photographic subjects.

Peter busied himself cleaning up spoiled food out of the backgrounds of Ophelia's photos.

Ophelia spent hours photographing some of the more notable characters of Willow Creek:

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"So, I think I've gotten enough good content today," Ophelia said, as she finally joined Peter (who had occupied himself by playing chess with a half dozen people, and grilling hamburgers for himself and other folks).

"And I'm STARVED!" she exclaimed.  "I was thinking I would catch some fish while we're here, and we could grill that for dinner," she suggested.

"You could fish right near my house," Peter told her.  "From Bill's yard.  And while you do, I can ask Regina for some fresh vegetables from her garden."

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"Well, THAT'S the most interesting outfit I've ever seen for fishing!" Bill declared to Peter.

"I have NO idea how she's walked all around town in those impossible shoes for 3 days," Peter admitted.

"Is she still going back to Greece tomorrow?" Bill asked.

"She's opening up a photography studio in Athens, and she's got a meeting in 2 days about her bank loan, so, yeah," Peter said, sounding glum.

Wanting to say something supportive, but not knowing what that should be, Bill remarked, "Well, she's sure been a  fun houseguest, so I hope she comes back soon."

Peter said nothing.

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As evening fell, Ophelia grilled the fish she'd caught,

while Peter painted.

"This is a pretty big house for one person," Ophelia observed as they sat down.

"I had a housemate till a few days ago," Peter explained, "but she moved to Newcrest to be nearer the hospital where she works."

Ophelia knew this wasn't the whole story (since she had already heard "the whole story" from her cousin, Dude).

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After dinner, Peter resumed painting, and Ophelia uploaded her park photos to the computer.

"Hey, can I stay here tonight?" she asked, out of the blue.

"Sure," Peter replied, surprised.

"Up the stairs to the left there's a big suite, and you're welcome to it."

Ophelia headed upstairs, badly in need of a bath after her day of walking around taking photos in the hot sun.

"Wow," Ophelia said upon seeing Lou's former bedroom,

and bathroom.

Peter finished his painting,

and took a shower in the downstairs bathroom.

He crept quietly upstairs to his own room, in case Ophelia was already asleep.

"What are you doing???" he asked, stunned to find Ophelia in his room, and naked.

"Leaving voicemail for Regina," Opelia responded matter-of-factly.  "So she knows I'm staying here tonight."

This was not an answer to the question Peter thought he had asked.

"How about you lose that towel?" Ophelia suggested, shutting off her phone.