Living My Best Life

by Claire Frost

  ‘Yes, he is. And Graham, of course,’ Bell said, reaching for her sunnies again despite the clouds that were now starting to litter the sky. Millie merely grinned at her.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Bell

  Bell arrived at the community centre on Wednesday, both eager to start her class and sad that this was the last time she and her classmates would all be together in one room discussing their weekly highs and lows of taking photos. While she’d been on a high after receiving lots of praise from Sheila and the whole class last week for her picture of Wolf and Graham in the park, she had ummed and ahhed about which shot to submit as her favourite of all the pictures she’d taken over the past couple of months. She’d finally decided on an image she’d captured from behind of Millie with her arm around little Wolf, who was wrapped in a towel, as they stood in front of the pool watching people swim up and down the lanes, the sun glinting off the water. When she’d shyly showed it to Suze that morning, her friend had been really impressed and made everyone in the office come over to her computer and see some of her other shots, too.

  ‘I wouldn’t be surprised if you left Style It Out and started up your own photography business, Bellster,’ she’d said, nodding her head vigorously at Bell. ‘Have you shown Ade these?’ she’d then asked with a wicked glint in her eye. ‘I’m sure he’d be up for showing you his focal length!’

  ‘Suze, you are ridiculous,’ Bell laughed. ‘Though, actually I have had a few messages from him this week and he’s been really encouraging. And, no, not the kind of encouraging you’re thinking of! He was asking after Ben as well.’

  *

  Bell couldn’t wait to see her shot framed and hanging on the wall, along with the rest of the class’s favourite photos, and was even looking forward to standing up in front of everyone and explaining why she’d chosen it and what she wanted to do with her photography next.

  After class last week, she’d emailed Millie the picture of Wolf and Graham and Millie had messaged back almost immediately telling her how much she adored it and asking if she minded if she put it on her Instagram. Bell had hesitated only to wonder whether Graham’s owner would mind, but quickly decided the old man was never likely to see it anyway and even if he was a big Insta user, surely he’d be only too pleased to see his dog immortalised in Millie’s feed. Millie duly posted it, along with the caption:

  Boy and dog: a portrait. It fills my heart to see the pure, unadulterated joy on Wolfie’s face as he plays with Gray the greyhound in the park. Although no one mention the word puppy to him . . . ! Photograph: @With_Bells_on #playtime #parklife #puppylove #thisisfive #myboy #allthelove

  Millie’s post had got thousands of Likes and Bell herself had been inundated with new followers after her friend had tagged her in the post. Millie had messaged the next day, saying:

  Oh my god, your picture has had 25,000 likes – that’s more than any other photo I’ve ever posted. Clearly I’ve found the perfect formula: cute child, cute dog and amazing photographer! Please can you take all the photos for my Insta feed from now on (and I’m not even joking!)?

  The strong but oddly comforting smell of instant coffee, chlorine and damp greeted Bell as she entered the centre and made her way through the corridors. She smiled and waved at the other early bird members of the class as she crossed the floor and deposited her bottle of Bordeaux on the drinks table – there was no tea or coffee today! Bell was intrigued to see what exactly Rita and Tony brought with them. Laura had bet her a pound it was Advocaat, but Bell was leaning towards Black Tower. (‘In the name of the wee man, let’s hope not!’ Laura had replied. ‘No wine should only have five per cent alcohol.’) In the event, they were both wrong; Rita and Tony were hot on Bell’s heels and plonked a very respectable bottle of prosecco down on the ‘bar’ before saying hello to the uniform brigade who were the biggest eager beavers of the evening but didn’t seem to have brought much to the booze table other than a couple of sad-looking cans of too-cool-for-school IPA. Next, just-good-friends Lynne and Marcus came in, bearing gifts of rosé and white wine, and even Sheila contributed a bottle of Baileys, which elicited ‘oohs’ from quite a few people. Finally, Laura and Ben walked in together, and while Laura proceeded to produce miniature after miniature of whisky from her bag, Ben drew the biggest cheer by presenting the table with not only a large bottle of gin, but also some posh tonic and a couple of limes.

  ‘I don’t think anyone is going to go thirsty this evening,’ Sheila declared, clapping her hands in excitement. ‘Seeing as we have so much to choose from, let’s get stuck in now!’ Rita and Laura whooped before Sheila added, ‘And then before we all start seeing double, we’ll each present our favourite photo and hang it on the wall.’ There were a few good-natured groans as the class realised they hadn’t got out of that part of the evening.

  Bell sipped her G&T and laughed as Laura downed two ‘wee drams’ that were anything but wee in quick succession, muttering, ‘Och, if I’ve got to stand up in front of everyone I might as well be a bit pished first.’

  Sheila tapped her huge glass of Baileys and clapped her hands again. ‘Before we start, I wanted to say a huge thank you to everyone for making this one of the best groups I’ve ever taught.’

  ‘I bet you say that to them all!’ Tony heckled.

  ‘Well, maybe, but I actually mean it with you lot,’ Sheila smiled. ‘We’ve all learned a lot and I think the photographs we’re going to see now really show that. So, without further ado, Tony, why don’t you go first!’

  ‘Serves you right for shouting out,’ Rita giggled, giving him a push out of his chair. Tony walked towards Sheila who presented him with a large frame turned towards him but hidden from the rest of the class.

  ‘Oh, well now,’ he said quietly. ‘Is that really my picture?’ When Sheila nodded at him and sat back down in her own seat, he stood in front of them all for a few seconds, just gazing at the framed print.

  ‘Are you going to show the class?’ Sheila prompted.

  ‘Oh, yes, right, well, this is my photo.’ Tony turned it round so the thirteen faces in front of him could see the beautiful head and shoulders image of Rita. Although few people – least of all Rita – would describe her as ‘classically beautiful’, the photo was striking, and the whole class gave a collective ‘wow’.

  ‘Wow indeed,’ nodded Sheila, happily, as Tony stood there still too overcome to speak. ‘You may not have used all the fancy settings on your camera to get this shot but you have managed to capture the most important thing – the essence of Rita.’

  ‘If that’s what capturing my essence is, then he can do that every time!’ Rita called out. ‘Tone, you’re a genius – a photo of me that I actually like!’

  ‘It’s bloody brilliant,’ Laura said. ‘The way you can see every line and wrinkle on her face – sorry, Rita! – makes it seem like the photo’s telling the story of her life.’

  ‘Exactly, Laura!’ Sheila beamed. ‘Well done, Tony, you’ve nailed it.’

  ‘Well I never,’ he muttered, then added louder to the group, ‘I’m available for private bookings if anyone else wants their wrinkles photographing,’ and everyone laughed and clapped as he hung his photo on the wall and went back to his seat.

  Rita had chosen an image of her baby grandson as her favourite (‘To show my sons I won’t be cutting the kids’ heads off in pictures from now on!’ she declared), while the uniform brigade had all gone for more abstract images of buses on the move or graffiti in the local skate park. Next it was Lynne and Marcus’s turn and they stood up together and showed the black and white shots they’d taken on a beach on a timer of them holding hands and of a heart shape they’d created in the sand with shells.

  ‘It’s to signify what we feel about each other,’ Lynne said shyly. ‘And, um, coming to this class together and working on our homework has made us realise that we want to be together-together properly.’

  Laura let out a wolf-whistle and the whole class cheered and whooped hap
pily.

  ‘Ah, young love!’ Sheila breathed, clapping her hands in joy. ‘Congratulations, you two, now go and hang your photos on the wall – side by side of course!’

  Laura grinned at Bell and nudged her. ‘I told you they were shagging, didn’t I! It warms the cockles of my heart, it does. Shit, it’s my turn now – wish me luck.’

  Bell gave her a thumbs-up once she was standing at the front with her photo, and thought she’d never seen her feisty friend look so unsure of herself.

  ‘So, this is my photo,’ she said, turning it round to face the class. ‘I wanted to create something a bit graphic and Warhol-like, more a piece of art than a straight photograph if that doesn’t sound too wanky. I took this photo of my friend’s lips – she has the most amazing lips you’ve ever seen and if I wasn’t so attracted to the wrong sort of man, I’d be kissing her myself.’ She grinned lasciviously as the class tittered. ‘And then I played around with the image in Photoshop a bit, blurring the edges and sharpening the fleshy bits, adding some colour and a background, until, well, I made this.’

  ‘That is so cool,’ said one of the uniforms, followed by a further five echoes along the same lines.

  ‘It is cool,’ Sheila agreed, ‘but it’s not so cool that it’s lost the heart at its centre, and that’s what makes it so clever. Excellent work, Laura.’

  The class clapped hard and Bell took a large swig of her G&T as Sheila invited her to take her place at the front to present her image to the group.

  ‘Okay, this is my favourite image,’ Bell said, turning the frame round to show her picture of Millie and Wolf. ‘It may not be technically brilliant, and it’s definitely not cool like Laura’s, but I think it sums up what coming here has done for me over the last few months. I wanted to include the pool in the shot, as swimming outside in the water that’s always a few degrees too cold, even though it’s almost summer, feels like a big part of my life now. Through it I met not only Millie and her son Wolf who are in this picture, but also all of you, and at the risk of sounding overemotional and twee, I really value the community this centre has created.’ She stopped as she could feel a small lump forming in her throat and looked up to see Rita brushing away tears and even Laura looking a bit emotional.

  ‘I think it’s a brilliant image that captures all of those sentiments beautifully,’ Sheila smiled. ‘Congratulations, Bell.’ As Bell walked over to hang her frame, the rest of the class composed themselves and clapped hard.

  ‘Well done, Bell,’ Ben whispered when she got back to her seat. ‘Not sure how I’m going to follow that!’

  Sheila nodded at him and Ben slowly got up and stood at the front with his picture.

  ‘Erm, well, I second everything Bell said . . .’ The class cheered in agreement. ‘But I also wanted to say that coming here every week and talking about light and shadow and how to frame your image has reignited my love for photography. This is my favourite picture, I hope you like it.’

  Ben turned round his frame to show a striking image of a girl walking down the street just as dusk was falling. There was something both atmospheric and very personal about it. The class was silent for a beat, and then everyone began talking at once.

  ‘Ben, this is amazing. By using a large aperture, you’ve used what light you had in the best possible way to create an atmospheric silhouetted image that draws you in. Well done!’ Sheila said.

  ‘And by turning it black and white, you’ve emphasised the atmosphere and the contrast,’ one of the uniform brigade said.

  ‘It’s bloody brilliant!’ Laura chimed in.

  Ben smiled shyly as everyone clapped and cheered and gathered round him to offer their congrats and ask technical questions – or in Rita’s case, just, ‘Bloody hell, Ben, how on earth did you get your camera to do that!’

  Bell stood a little apart from the rest, her eyes fixed on the frame that now hung on the wall.

  ‘Sorry, I should have asked your permission before I submitted the photo to Sheila,’ Ben said quietly, appearing by her side. ‘But after that shoot with Ade, I was playing around with my camera settings as he suggested, and I realised it was the perfect light just at that point. So I took a few frames of you walking off down the road to the pub to test the settings, then I saw the shots and knew they were a bit special. I really hope you don’t mind.’

  ‘Of course not,’ she replied. ‘I was just a bit surprised, that’s all. It’s beautiful. Well, I’m not beautiful, obviously, but you know what I mean.’

  ‘You are beautiful. You just don’t know it,’ Ben said in a voice barely above a whisper.

  ‘Bell, is that you in the photo?’ Laura boomed, breaking the moment and making Bell think she’d probably misheard what he’d said. ‘I thought so! Ben, you are naughty!’

  ‘It’s fine,’ Bell protested. ‘And it’s an amazing picture. The way the evening is closing in and the silhouette is framed is brilliant.’

  Sheila clapped her hands and they all returned to their seats. ‘Congratulations, everybody. Seriously, some of these images wouldn’t look out of place on a professional photographer’s website.

  ‘Now, I have a few words to say, but first I think it’s time for another drink as there are too many empty glasses in the room!’

  Once they were all topped up with their drink of choice, Sheila stood and took her place in front of them.

  ‘As I said earlier, it’s been a real privilege to spend the last few months with you all on your photography journeys, and I think everyone will agree that you’ve all produced some truly exceptional work.’ More whoops and cheers from the class. ‘It’s been lovely to see you all help and support each other. And now I wonder if there’s something you could do for me.’

  ‘Ooh, depends what it is, Sheila!’ heckled Tony.

  ‘Shut up, idiot!’ Rita shout-whispered affectionately then added louder, ‘Of course, you name it and we’ll do it.’ There was a general nodding of heads from the group as they looked at their teacher expectantly. Bell could see Sheila’s smile was much stiffer than before and she cast a worried look at Ben, whose face reflected her own, before he spotted her glance and tried to give her a reassuring grin.

  Sheila took a deep breath. ‘As you’ll have noticed over the last few months, the community centre is a little rough around the edges and could definitely do with a lick of paint.’ Again, the group all nodded. ‘Well, unfortunately, it turns out that the changing rooms could do with a whole load more than a lick of paint, so much so that health and safety have said they need to be completely refurbished.’

  ‘They are a bit of a mess,’ Lynne spoke up. ‘I tripped over a broken tile when I went in there the other week!’

  ‘Then, it’s a good thing they’re going to be refurbished, right?’ Marcus added.

  ‘Well, it would be if it didn’t cost such a lot of money,’ Sheila said quietly. ‘The problem the council have is that, on the one hand, the changing rooms need thousands of pounds they don’t have to get them up to scratch. On the other hand, without the changing rooms they can’t keep the pool open, and the pool is the biggest revenue generator in this place, especially now the weather is warmer and the school holidays will be starting in a couple of months. Without the income from the pool, the whole centre is under threat.’

  ‘You mean both the pool and the centre might have to close?’ Bell asked, horrified.

  ‘The council haven’t made any firm decisions yet,’ Sheila said calmly. ‘But if they can’t find the money for the changing rooms, then, yes, I can’t see any alternative.’

  Bell sagged in her chair. She felt Ben reach for her hand and give it a gentle, reassuring squeeze, and despite herself, her stomach performed a mini backflip. Shaking herself upright, she frowned.

  ‘Can’t we raise some money to help?’

  ‘That would be amazing, of course,’ Sheila smiled sadly at her. ‘But we’re not talking a couple of grand, serious cash is needed. At least twenty-five thousand pounds at the last count.’


  Bell slumped back into her seat.

  ‘What does this mean for you, Sheila?’ asked a subdued Tony. ‘Will you still be able to run these courses?’

  ‘We were due to have a new class start next month, but they’ve contacted anyone who’d signed up and told them it’s on hold for now,’ she replied. ‘Don’t worry about me, though, I’ll just have to find somewhere else to hold classes, it will be fine.’

  ‘Somewhere else more expensive, I bet,’ Rita harrumphed. ‘The reason me and Tone were able to sign up to this course in the first place is because it’s affordable and local.’

  ‘Us, too!’ chorused the uniform brigade.

  ‘What the fuck is wrong with this country?’ Laura sighed, knocking back another large whisky. ‘Seriously, it’s like the government wants to take all the fun out of life.’

  ‘There must be something we can do, though,’ Bell said. ‘We can’t just give up!’

  ‘Well, no decision has been made by the council for definite yet,’ Sheila explained. ‘Which is where you all might come in. I know it would make a real difference if everyone wrote to or emailed the council to let them know your thoughts. I can give you the details of who to send to.’

  ‘Good,’ Bell nodded. ‘Surely if enough people complain, they’ll have to listen.’

  ‘Well, they have to listen but they don’t have to act,’ Laura pointed out.

  ‘But we should at least try,’ Ben added quickly. ‘Sheila, would you be able to send the details to us all and we’ll get the word out as far as we can locally too?’

  ‘Of course,’ she smiled. ‘Right, sadly it’s time for us to pack up and go home, class. Don’t forget to take your framed photos, and divide the drinks table up between you, although it looks like we’ve added a fair few bottles to the recycling box tonight!’

  Bell, Laura and Ben said goodbye to everyone and helped Sheila tidy up, then loitered outside chatting.