“Oh Shane, where did you find it? It’s incredible.”

I shrugged, “I have my ways… I hope you like it.”

Tina went and joined Bette, both of them looking at the picture. “It’s wonderful. Their faces, the emotion…”

Bette waved her hand in front of the picture, “And look at the lighting, the framing of the picture, the contrast of light and dark… you’ll have to give me the name of the photographer.”

I looked up at them through the hair that was in my face. “So you guys really like it?”

They both turned to look at me, “Oh Shane, I think I speak for both of us when I say we love it! Thank you so much!”

The awkward moment was quickly relaxed when Tina asked who needed more wine. The conversation turned to Bette’s favourite photographers, which lead to talking about movies, which let Tina give us her list of favourite cinematographers. It grew dark outside and I began to collect myself, ready to head out the door.

Bette looked quizzically at me, “You’re leaving? You don’t have to you know. You can stay here for the night if you want.”

I shook my head, “Nah, it’s OK, I sort of have plans.”

Tina chuckled, “Shane, I don’t think Milk will be open tonight. It is Christmas after all.”

I laughed back, “No, not those kinds of plans, although you never know what could come up. Actually I have a Christmas tradition of my own to head off to.”

Bette raised her eyebrows, “Oh? May I be so bold as to ask what it is?”

I quickly gave them a brief explanation of the bonfire on the beach. Both of them started to get a worried look on their faces.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to do something stupid. I’m not going back to that life. I’ve moved on. You guys have helped me see how far I’ve come… But they are all still there… It’s been my Christmas night since I was 16. I’m not ready to give that up yet…”