One of Elise’s photos made the front page of the Sports section this morning. The caption reads: “Tem-Cats’ LaTanya Felder dribbles upcourt during Temple’s 67-37 victory over Killeen on Tuesday (Photo by Elise Janicek)”. A smaller, cropped version of the same photo highlighting the sports section was used on the front page of the paper.
For the past two days now, I’ve actually had a reason to get out of bed in the morning. I walk with a quicker pace to work so I can get to the Inn at Scott & White where I pick up a copy of the paper. I then walk to work, grinning, with paper in hand, hurrying to get to my cube where I can sit down and see my wife’s work.
I’m like a child again – like a child among other children in April who is in a frantic rush to find one of the last hidden eggs on Easter morning. Once I find her picture, I engage in a bottom lip bite and a scrawny armed fist pump – much like how you’d imagine a bowler’s winning ten pin blowout celebration in a league tournament. Or something like that. Basically, I look like a monkey with an independently moving epileptic right arm who had a wad of Vick’s Vap-O-Rub shoved twixt its cheek and gum. In other words, I’m lucky I shut the door to my cubicle or others might think I’m having a fit. You get the picture.
I’m proud of Elise. It’s good to see her doing something that she enjoys and something that she’s qualified to do. I’ve been indulging in this mini-fantasy. Elise and I will be having a quiet dinner at a nice restaurant and someone will recognize her. They will approach our table with much deliberation to introduce themselves and say how much they appreciate Elise’s work as a photographer. She will be a local celebrity. She will introduce me. I will smile and say with undying pride: “That’s my wife!”
When that moment finally arrives, I’ll probably have lettuce in my teeth.