Capturing a Moment

Maybe it’s me.

Over the course of January, on two separate occasions, people asked if I’d take a picture.

“No problem,” I said. “Hand me your camera.”

“No, no, no,” they responded. “We don’t want you to take a picture of us, we want to take a picture of you.”

This was strange the first time, but I didn’t give it much thought. Strange the second time, but also moved on pretty quickly.

In February, however, the experience was so bazaar that I’d label it unforgettable.

I was guarding in the museum and a middle-aged man ran over, put his arm around me, and next thing I know his wife is snapping photos, as if she was a paparazzo. The fact that photos are not allowed in the museum aside, I was mortified that a stranger was touching me, and that without asking someone was taking photos!

Just as I began to yell, the woman said, “It’s okay, it can’t be a bad thing. You just look like a creature from another planet, who will only be here a short time.”

Ummmm... Puzzled, the only words I could muster up were, “I don’t really know how to respond to that.”

Unphased, the woman asked, “I’ll take one with you too?”

Blown away by having just been told that I’m an alien, I was speechless.

Her husband took several photos of her standing beside me and then they proceeded to continue looking at the works on the walls, as if our extremely odd interaction never occurred.

Later, the couple found me again, guarding in another room, and proceeded to ask me questions about myself like what I’m interested in, where I’m from, how old I am, etc… They refused to tell me much about themselves, but they did note that they are from Romania and that she paints as a hobby.

Next, they went outside and took dozens of pictures of Peggy’s grave, from every angle.

Seeing as guarding galleries provides far too much time to think, I spent the next hour contemplating all of the reasons these people might have found me intriguing. I came to the conclusion that perhaps their deceased child looked like me.

Or maybe…

I’m a stolen child! Mom and Ab, did you kidnap me in the 80’s causing the news and the entirety of popular culture to spend these past couple of decades looking for me? Nah, probably not…

Anyway, despite having recharged my internet less than a week ago, as is monthly ritual, today my internet ceased to work. Bright and early, I walked my computer over to the Vodafone store and sat on the Rialto Bridge until the shop opened.

Lo and behold, a group of tourists came over and asked if they could take photos with me!

Finally used to this now fairly frequent request, I responded “of course, but let’s take one with my camera too…” So above, is a picture of me with my very own group of strangers…

Call me a narcissist, but was that movie The Truman Show based on my life? If so, I better stop those silent raves I’ve been having in my room, because that’s just embarrassing.