Titles marked with the (FF) prefix are stories which has little to no build up of plot and character. It goes straight into the action. There are requests for stories that dive straight down into the thick of the action rather than go too much into the characters and what they do. I understand it’s different strokes for different folks, but i will try to cater to all preferences. FF, also stands for fast and furious will have shorter intros, just enough to read you into the scene before the action begins.
It will be dirtier, darker, and i may remove the preview altogether, or restrict it for subscribers only for some titles due to the nature of the story.
James’ friend, Ned, asks him to take photographs of his pregnant wife. He thought it was just a normal shoot to document her journey to motherhood, but Ned has some dark fantasies he wants fulfilled.
When i tell people i’m a photographer, the immediately assume me trotting around with expensive gear, following newly weds on their big day, or maybe giving instructions at some posh studio.
I also feel a bit awkward to tell people that my photography is actually a bit different from what you may have in mind.
Yes, most people shoot models, influencers, products and what not, but actually my subjects are just everyday folks.
What do i mean?
When you need to do passport, do student pass, need photo right?
Yes, i’m that kind of photographer.
A simple, old studio left to me by my parents. One that is still operating today in Bedok.
Most of my customers are old people, or heartlanders. I still develop photos from film, those that still buy films are mostly hobbyist. It’s a dying industry, but i’m pivoting to other services.
The usual photocopying, laminating certificates, enlarging pictures. Basically services you don’t normally think of unless there some special occasion or need for it.
So when my friend Ned called me out of the blue for my photography services, i assumed he’s going to make a new passport or something.
Ned : Yo bro, Ho seh bo?
James : Yo…good good, passing days la, how about you?
It started with some small chat, i knew Ned is a Civil Servant, the last thing he will spring on me is some investment scheme or MLM products.
Ned : Eh James, i need to have some photos taken.
James : come down la, any time, comb your hair nice nice, i make you 5 years younger.
Ned : haha. Too young i won’t be able to clear customs la.
The banter tapered off after a while then he finally dropped the bomb. It came out a bit awkward, that was when i suspect he has something he find it difficult to speak about.
James : Eh. you don’t come and say you want to borrow money ok. You know my photo shop is surviving because i rent half of the shop to the bread shop next door, i barely covering cost leh.
Ned : No la…it’s not…it’s not…actually, it’s for you to make some extra money…don’t know if you interested.
James: Eh fuck la, i thought you will be the last person to sell me investment and shit man…you work for the government leh, can like that moonlight one meh?
Ned : hahhaa…fuck la, it’s not that la…it’s about a photoshoot…
James : You don’t CB i tell you, shoot passport i charge only $12, you tell me want to give discount i will fucking slap you.
Ned laughed even louder, perhaps to mask his embarrassment for what he was about to drop on my lap.
Ned : Bro, i was wondering…if you can help document my wife’s pregnancy…
James : Oh…chey…what the fuck…just say la…haha
I may be taking passport pictures on most days, but i do have the skills to shoot some decent pictures. I also do family portraits and graduation photos.
Ned : Here’s the thing…erm…i was thinking of doing …something more …like a boudoir shoot…
I couldn’t catch what he was saying then.
James : Yes…my shop in Bedok…i guarantee you an authentic Bedok experience.
Ned: hahah..not Bedok la…Boudoir…
Then i went silent.
Ned : You still there?
James : Yeah…
He took a deep breath and i heard the entrance bell of my shop jingle.
Ding dong~
Ned stepped into my photo shop in Bedok along with his wife Christine.
Ned : Hey James…
James : H…hi…
Ned : My wife…Christine…
James : H…hi…hi…
Christine was beautiful.
Not in the way like magazine covers or social media influencers are, also not some sculpted, angular sort of beauty like she was mass produced in an aesthetic clinic in South Korea. Those we have seen plenty off, you just need to turn on your social apps.
I’d seen the odd photo or two of her on Ned’s Facebook, she’s pretty, but you can’t really make out the overall package if you get what i mean.
In person, though, Christine was… luminous. There was really no other word for it. She fucking radiated a kind of energy that just give middle age men like me an instant hardon.
She wore a loose yellow cotton dress that made her look even younger, like she was modelling for an anti-aging ad. And yet, she was unmistakably pregnant. Her face had that barely perceptible fullness, the kind that makes you look healthier, more hydrated, so you couldn’t tell if the glow was from expert skincare or from the baby growing inside her.
The small but distinct swell of her belly is beginning to round out the fabric, but it was her expression that held me.
There was a reservedness about her, a sense of shyness, as if she was still learning the correct way to inhabit her own body, or perhaps still learning the rules of this country, or this marriage.
Every movement she made, every smile looked a little too careful, like she was always waiting for someone else to tell her where to stand or what to do.
Ned : Christine…this is my friend James…i’m going to ask him to do the shoot.
Ned did all the talking. He made jokes about pregnancy cravings and navigating doctor’s appointments, each one followed by a glance at her face for approval. She would nod, always with the same micro-smile, and then return her gaze to the old tiled floor.
Her hands were folded in front of her like a student about to meet the principal. She looked up only when necessary.
She was at least a head shorter than either of us. Her hair was pulled back in a neat ponytail. She didn’t wear makeup, she didn’t need to. When she smiled at me, there was an awkwardness, but also a strange intimacy.
Ned and I were both early forties, Christine looked like she had just enrolled in university, maybe nineteen or twenty.
It suddenly struck me as unfair, how the age gap was so stark and how little Ned seemed to care. Standing next to him, Christine looked like his daughter, or perhaps his niece. But there was no hint of embarrassment from Ned.
Ned : James…James?
Ned called out, realising i was staring at Christine.
Ned : You ok?
James : y…ya…
Ned : So…you ok to shoot my wife?
I looked back at Ned, my eyes wide in disbelief.
My friend is asking if i want to take pictures of his 20 year old pregnant wife from Vietnam while she’s wearing lingerie.
Who the fuck will say no?
Coming soon