She bit me! I couldn’t believe it as I pulled my hand away. I was pointing in her direction and she just grabbed my hand and bit my finger. As I sat there in disbelief looking at her, she just stood there smiling. Over the years she would bite me numerous times in numerous places. All told she has bitten me more than all the other girls I have known combined. I would complain to her mother but all she would say was that she does it because she likes you. I kept wondering if she liked me any more than she already did I would really be in trouble. Some of her bites really hurt…
There she was lying on the sofa smiling up at me from the computer monitor. The moment I saw her, I knew she was it. I was looking for a child model to add to our portfolio. We had lots of girls and some men but no children. I contacted her mother and arranged to meet them at a Starbucks. On the appointed day I sat outside in afternoon sun enjoying the nice weather. In the distance I noticed a tall, striking woman walking in my direction. She had on a flowing blue summer dress which provided a nice contrast to her long dark hair. She walked with a casual elegance, long sure strides. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her as most of the men sitting around. As she approached I kept looking at her, definitely European, tall, slender, tan, well dressed… For a moment I started thinking how I could stop her but then I saw the stroller she was pushing and said to myself she had to be married. The truth was, even if she wasn’t I would have been too intimidated to approach her. Even in flats she was easily taller than me. As I was being distracted by all of these thoughts it took a moment for me to realized she had stopped in front of me. I looked up at her trying to figure out what was going on. She just stood there smiling. Ok, this was definitely getting strange now, then I looked down into the stroller and saw her. She looked exactly like she did in the photos. It was the little girl I was planning on photographing for our portfolio. Then it hit me, Jesus, this must be her mother!
The little girl got out of the stroller, smiled at me and started running around. The mother sat down and just kept looking at me. When she sat down and leaned forwarded her dressed opened up a bit revealing her small, tan breast. I became even more self-conscious, I was sure she could notice me staring at her breast but she didn’t lean back. This was how we met. Originally my plan was to just shoot the little girl but once I saw the mother my plans changed and I told her I wanted her to be part of the photo shoot too. We agreed to do the shoot and I told her I would contact her with the details. A few days later I contacted her and asked if we could meet to discuss the shoot – an excuse to see her again. She said yes, so I told her let’s meet at a sushi restaurant close to her apartment. As I approached the front of the restaurant that night I saw her standing outside with the little girl dressed in a suit. I approached and said hello to them and as I started to walk into the restaurant the little girl reached up and took my hand. I looked down at her and she just looked up and smiled. In that moment I felt an electrical charge shoot through my body. It was like I was suddenly walking on air and there was an intense feeling of happiness. I didn’t know it then but in that moment a bond was forged. One that would transcend both time and space for years to come and give me some of the happiest moments of my life. In that moment she had already stolen my heart I just didn’t know yet. In the next month I would end up practically living with them and she would give to me one of the greatest gifts that I had always heard about but never experienced: the love of a family.
I come from a broken home. I grew up without a father. At the age of two my father left to be a rock musician and I never saw him again until 14. I never understood the concept of family or why some men felt so strongly about their kids and wife as they do. Most families and marriages I knew were dysfunctional. But spending the time I did with this little girl and her mother made me realize that when this works it’s some kind of powerful thing. When you have a woman and child who loves you and you are just sitting there at the table looking at them you come to know the ultimate expression and power of the concept of family. When it works it's a feeling unlike anything else you will ever experience. It’s not something that can be really put into words, it’s something you can only experience. This little girl would give me some of life greatest experiences: the love of a child and the magic of a family. In the years that followed I would travel to more countries with her than any other woman and I have had the great pleasure of watching her grow up. She has given me so many great memories and priceless moments (more than any other woman): her singing in the car on the long drive over the mountains in India, or ice sledging in Finland, demanding that I carry her around Paris, dancing for me, the list goes on. I thought I had love before but I had no idea how much deeper it could be – until I met her.
When a family works, it’s a magical thing. It’s a different kind of love that you will never experience in any other way and I have experienced just about all the different kinds of love there are. I have never believed in marriage and still don’t but she showed me that you don’t need to be married to have a family and a family that works is a priceless thing. I once asked her mother, what she thought this was all about. She said simply, chemistry, you and her have a chemistry that she has with no one else. To this day, when I walk with her my heart still soars and whenever I think of her, I smile. They say that you haven’t lived until you have found something or someone worth dying for. Now, I understand why a parent is so willing to die for their children. So this is another gift she has given me. I suppose I can say I have lived now. They say you will find yourself in the service of others. And yet again, I have found that in wanting to protect and be there for her, she has given me a reason to live – to live for something/someone more than myself and it’s a powerful thing. She has taught me that all of the things I had laughed about family etc. was no joke after all. For centuries men have lived and died for their families and now I understood why. If there is any one of life experiences I would wish for any man to experience this would be it. This was her greatest gift to me and for this she will always be my onitis…
There she was lying on the sofa smiling up at me from the computer monitor. The moment I saw her, I knew she was it. I was looking for a child model to add to our portfolio. We had lots of girls and some men but no children. I contacted her mother and arranged to meet them at a Starbucks. On the appointed day I sat outside in afternoon sun enjoying the nice weather. In the distance I noticed a tall, striking woman walking in my direction. She had on a flowing blue summer dress which provided a nice contrast to her long dark hair. She walked with a casual elegance, long sure strides. I couldn’t take my eyes off of her as most of the men sitting around. As she approached I kept looking at her, definitely European, tall, slender, tan, well dressed… For a moment I started thinking how I could stop her but then I saw the stroller she was pushing and said to myself she had to be married. The truth was, even if she wasn’t I would have been too intimidated to approach her. Even in flats she was easily taller than me. As I was being distracted by all of these thoughts it took a moment for me to realized she had stopped in front of me. I looked up at her trying to figure out what was going on. She just stood there smiling. Ok, this was definitely getting strange now, then I looked down into the stroller and saw her. She looked exactly like she did in the photos. It was the little girl I was planning on photographing for our portfolio. Then it hit me, Jesus, this must be her mother!
The little girl got out of the stroller, smiled at me and started running around. The mother sat down and just kept looking at me. When she sat down and leaned forwarded her dressed opened up a bit revealing her small, tan breast. I became even more self-conscious, I was sure she could notice me staring at her breast but she didn’t lean back. This was how we met. Originally my plan was to just shoot the little girl but once I saw the mother my plans changed and I told her I wanted her to be part of the photo shoot too. We agreed to do the shoot and I told her I would contact her with the details. A few days later I contacted her and asked if we could meet to discuss the shoot – an excuse to see her again. She said yes, so I told her let’s meet at a sushi restaurant close to her apartment. As I approached the front of the restaurant that night I saw her standing outside with the little girl dressed in a suit. I approached and said hello to them and as I started to walk into the restaurant the little girl reached up and took my hand. I looked down at her and she just looked up and smiled. In that moment I felt an electrical charge shoot through my body. It was like I was suddenly walking on air and there was an intense feeling of happiness. I didn’t know it then but in that moment a bond was forged. One that would transcend both time and space for years to come and give me some of the happiest moments of my life. In that moment she had already stolen my heart I just didn’t know yet. In the next month I would end up practically living with them and she would give to me one of the greatest gifts that I had always heard about but never experienced: the love of a family.
I come from a broken home. I grew up without a father. At the age of two my father left to be a rock musician and I never saw him again until 14. I never understood the concept of family or why some men felt so strongly about their kids and wife as they do. Most families and marriages I knew were dysfunctional. But spending the time I did with this little girl and her mother made me realize that when this works it’s some kind of powerful thing. When you have a woman and child who loves you and you are just sitting there at the table looking at them you come to know the ultimate expression and power of the concept of family. When it works it's a feeling unlike anything else you will ever experience. It’s not something that can be really put into words, it’s something you can only experience. This little girl would give me some of life greatest experiences: the love of a child and the magic of a family. In the years that followed I would travel to more countries with her than any other woman and I have had the great pleasure of watching her grow up. She has given me so many great memories and priceless moments (more than any other woman): her singing in the car on the long drive over the mountains in India, or ice sledging in Finland, demanding that I carry her around Paris, dancing for me, the list goes on. I thought I had love before but I had no idea how much deeper it could be – until I met her.
When a family works, it’s a magical thing. It’s a different kind of love that you will never experience in any other way and I have experienced just about all the different kinds of love there are. I have never believed in marriage and still don’t but she showed me that you don’t need to be married to have a family and a family that works is a priceless thing. I once asked her mother, what she thought this was all about. She said simply, chemistry, you and her have a chemistry that she has with no one else. To this day, when I walk with her my heart still soars and whenever I think of her, I smile. They say that you haven’t lived until you have found something or someone worth dying for. Now, I understand why a parent is so willing to die for their children. So this is another gift she has given me. I suppose I can say I have lived now. They say you will find yourself in the service of others. And yet again, I have found that in wanting to protect and be there for her, she has given me a reason to live – to live for something/someone more than myself and it’s a powerful thing. She has taught me that all of the things I had laughed about family etc. was no joke after all. For centuries men have lived and died for their families and now I understood why. If there is any one of life experiences I would wish for any man to experience this would be it. This was her greatest gift to me and for this she will always be my onitis…