CBC - Origins

Steve  (by: Ree ©07/2005)

“Okay, Okay, that’s it! Let’s take a break everybody! 15 minutes!”

Everyone scattered as I announced the break. “Jesus, how many fucking idiots are there in this fucking city, anyway!” I said under my breath as I fell into the folding chair next to my gear. I closed my eyes and tried to collect my thoughts. I don’t know if I dozed off or what, but I was brought to by a voice saying, “Tough go, mate?”

I looked up to where the voice came from. There was a man in his mid-thirties, dressed in polo shirt, jacket, and blue jeans. He looked familiar somehow, but I couldn’t place where I knew this Australian guy. For some reason I knew he was okay to talk to.

“It’s just everything that could go wrong is going wrong – I needed bananas – they bring green ones. I send them back to get more. Then they bring ones that are too ripe—they’re covered with black spots. ‘They’re cheaper’ they said. I just want plain, yellow bananas. Is that so hard? Then I have an assistant who can’t keep the fucking pedestrians out of the fucking way. Jesus, I'll never get this shoot done.”

The man chuckled softly. “Want a ciggie?”

“Love one, thanks,” I took the cigarette and accepted the offer of a light, sitting back to enjoy the smoke. “Hey, I don’t mean to be going on like this; it’s just one of those days, I guess.”

“No worries, mate, we all have ’em. Anything in particular?”

“Nothing. Everything. Fuck. The whole city, man. The whole fucking city….”

“Ah, a woman.”

“Yeah,” I nodded as I took another puff. “Saw her this morning. Hadn’t thought about her for months, then I see her. Now everything I see reminds me of her. The places we went, things we did.”

“Got under your skin, did she?”

“Yeah. Big time. But it didn’t work out – it was almost like it was too intense, you know?” I paused and chuckled. “Why am I telling you this? A complete stranger.”

“Not so much a stranger. I’m Terry. Terry Thorne. And we’re brothers.” As he held out his hand, I looked him over. Brothers? The resemblance was uncanny, once I’d looked closer.

“What? How?”

Terry began to explain the reason why he found me. That he was gathering all his “brothers” to take them to a new place called Central. There we would live together with a group of women called the Sisters. I could still do photography, or anything else I wanted to do. But everyone would be there to love each other, care for each other. None of the social pressures that I lived with every day: finding the perfect woman, settling down, having kids. Other people’s idea of happy ever after.

“Sounds too good to be true.” I said after listening to Terry’s tale. “I’ve got a good job here though,” I mused.

“So? You can do it there, Steve.”

“Sisters, eh? Sounds incestuous,” I said, chuckling at the thought.

“They won’t be our sisters, mate,” he said with a wink. “Definitely not.”

“And I won’t see her on every street corner, will I?”

“No, you won't.”

“Sounds like I’d be an idiot not to go. At least check it out.” I finished my cigarette in silence, then stood up and stubbed it out on the sidewalk. “Sure, I’ll come with you Terry. Fuck the bananas.”

Terry clapped me on the shoulder and we began walking toward a car he had waiting. I stopped and turned. “Wait, I was in the middle of this job…” I began, then saw myself climb up into the cherry picker I’d hired. I looked at Terry then back at my second self. “How?” I searched his eyes for the answer.

“You’ll see, you’re part of our World now. C’mon.”

I climbed into his waiting SUV and we made our way to this place, where I met Darrin, and some of the other brothers who had come before me. Terry was right, there was a place here just for me, and a great studio where I could do my photography. And when the Sisters came, I knew I had made the right decision; this was my home now.