To the Editor:
Bag Received Empty…This is not what you expect to read on the film envelope when you come to the counter to claim your precious photos. My dear Uncle Delcan’s last wish in life, back in 2005, was to visit Ardmore, County Waterford, Ireland, the old family home, and my husband and I made it happen for him.
My brother couldn’t make the trip because of business but gave him a new camera…as Declan put it, “the simple to use kind, just insert the roll, click and get it developed.” All the photos on the roll were taken by my uncle, his perspective, irreplaceable. Two years later, as he was passing, I asked him what the best part of his life was and he whispered, “Ireland.”
Sorting through his things, after the funeral, I found the undeveloped roll of film in a green velvet Waterford Glass bag which I stored in the way back of my sock drawer with sincere, someday intentions to get it developed. You know how that happens, on the front burner, off the back burner…life gets busy and you forget the simple things to do on the honey-do list.
Well, maybe it was last week’s change of summer air but I started doing a little cleaning and found the roll and brought in that very morning to finally get developed. To my great sadness, the package had been sliced open on its side and a circular sticker read, “Bag received empty”. The store employees at Rite-Aid empathized and said they’d try to figure out what happened to my pictures.
A couple of days later, Nancy phoned me to say she had successfully pieced the puzzle together. It was a human error on the part of the carrier. These things happen.
She told me the ending was a good one, though. Nancy personally developed Declan’s pictures which are, now, safe in my living room, under the photographed picture of my smiling Irish uncle. Though he and my sweet brother are both passed, now, the photographs and a grand story remain.
I thank Nancy and the awesome teamwork at Damariscotta’s Rite-Aid!
