This story is inspired on a true story.
Peter loved photography. For him, there was hardly any other hobby he would like to have, he could go to a nearby railway bridge and take photos of the passing trains. Sometimes he went to a local body of water and take capture ducks and swans during the summer months.
Near where he lived was a small junction that from the main road to a nearby village in the countryside on the edge of Peter's home town. One year, it was decided to make the junction bigger as the village was getting a new housing estate near by. The road that the junction turned off to wasn't used as much as the main road, but it did lead to a main road just a shot distance away. The section of the junction end of the minor road was closed and part of the main road was closed to one lane with traffic lights, many travellers soon found themselves trying different roads and streets in order to avoid traffic jams.
Peter meanwhile was starting to feel bored, the summer holidays had started and this year there was an extra week to the usual six and with the extra time for the summer tourists, Peter's parents were busy all day during the week, Peter's father worked at a large shop in town and Peter's mother worked as a chef in the restaurant next door to her husband's workplace. Many of Peter's friends had gone on their own holidays too and soon Peter began to feel tired of seeing the few friends who had stayed almost everyday and he felt that his holiday was beginning to feel more like a school timetable in where he went and who he met.
One day, Peter's mother saw her son sitting by the window with a bored face looking out into the back garden.
"Are you alright son?" She asked.
"Not really." Peter answered, shaking his head, still looking out of the window.
"Why not go out with your camera?" Peter's mother asked.
"Go out where?" He asked in return.
"Why not take photos of the road works at the junction?"
"I think that I will." Peter said, now cheered up. "Thanks Mum."
A few minutes later, Peter was walking towards the road works with his camera in it bag. As he approached the junction where the roadworks were happening, Peter took out his camera and began to take photos, being careful and tried to be patience with any passing vehicles, he had heard of people who took photos with the vehicle's licence plates for fraud so he decided to avoid risking getting into trouble there.
He took photos of the traffic lights and of the signs telling of roadworks before he approached where the works were happening, and began taking photos of the machines. It took a short while before some of the workers noticed Peter.
"Loom out lads, put on a smiling face." One said, causing some to laugh.
"If you don't mind," Another worker said, "but I don't want a photo of me." Another worker said to Peter.
"That's fine." Peter said, and for the next while he would wait till the man had his back to him or while there was a machine between them before taking the photos.
"How did it go?" Peter's mother asked when he returned home later for tea.
For the next couple of weeks, Peter went round to the road works whether the weather was fine enough to go out. He always had sure that he was on the safe side of the barriers on the footpath and would back away if a worker gave a friendly warning. He took photos of the road digging machines, the diggers with long arms, the deep trench and some of the items that had been dug up such as a small shoe and a few empty glass bottles. If one of the workers who didn't want a photo of them taken was in shot, Peter would wait till a machine hid them or if they had their back to him and the camera. One of the biggest problems he had was the passing traffic as he didn't want to take photos of them getting into view, or give the passing drivers the impression that was trying to steal a snap of them.
One day, Peter went back round as usual. The trench had been filled back in and the workers were busy preparing to use the equipment to compact the ground for the tarmac to laid at a later time. A little distance away from where the work was going on Peter spotted a small vehicle and took a couple of photos. A couple of workmen saw Peter, but didn't seem to mind as Peter was pointing his camera at them.
"Hoy, you!" Called a voice that caught Peter's attention. "What are you doing?"
A small man that seemed to be as wide as he was tall in his high-vis jacket and trousers approached Peter, and his face was most unwelcoming.
"I'm taking photos of the roadworks." Peter answered.
"Do you have permission?" The man asked, taking no interest.
"Nobody said anything about permission."
"If you don't have permission, then you shouldn't take photos with that camera. Clear off!" The man ordered.
Peter felt like he had been punched in the face, the workmen meanwhile were keeping quiet as they looked on. Peter felt he had little choice he put his camera back into his camera bag and walked away.
After walking a short distance he came to a junction that lead to his home one way and a park the other way. Peter looked between the two junctions before he decided to go to the park and hope to find something to take a photo of that might cheer himself up. At the park he found a pond with quacking ducks and swans floating graceful across the water and began to take photos of them for while before he decided to head for home.
When he got home, Peter told about the man. "If the machines were driven by steam, I'd say that he was the evil cousin of the Fat Controller from Thomas the Tank Engine series." He finished.
"He sounds like a rude man." Peter's mother said as ironed a shirt.
"He does forget that everybody has a camera on their phones these days." Peter's younger brother said as he texted on his phone.
"You're sure that was what the man said, that you couldn't take photos?" Peter's mother asked.
"Yes." Peter nodded, he could see the man in his mind.
"Were you on the footpath?"
"Yes, I never stepped onto the road or too close to the safety barriers."
"Then that man was wrong, you can take photos from a public place, including the road-side footpath." Peter's mother said.
"So I didn't need permission?" Peter asked.
"Of course." Peter's mother answered. "You can tell me that man the next time you see him."
Peter felt annoyed at this piece of news, but he didn't return to the roadworks for at least week, and when he decided to return, he hoped that the man wasn't there even though his mother told him to tell the man about taking photos from a public place.
Peter never saw the man again, and he was thankful of that, and he was more careful of where he pointed his camera. He would wait till the workmen either had their backs to him or out of view before taking photos.
The last fortnight of the roadworks was mostly the laying of the new road surface and the painting of the road markings. By then, most of the large heavy machines were gone along with the workers, and the painters didn't seem to notice Peter. Peter didn't know what was the final day of the roadworks, but one day in the week after the painting of the road markings were done, he noticed the traffic cones and signs were gone. The roadworks of the junction was done.
When Peter got and told his mother that he thought that the roadworks were done, she asked if she could see the pictures he took. Peter agreed and later he showed them to the rest of his family and next day to some of his friends. It was only after the pictures were shown that some realised that they didn't have much a picture of the junction before the roadworks.
"It must have been fun to watch the men at work." One of Peter's friends said.
"Apart from the little man, it was." Peter smiled.
I hope that you've enjoyed my piece and I hope to write another piece soon. Happy Readings.
