| Lisa Lane: It's really quiet today, isn't it? |
| Jake Jensen: Yeah. It's the rain. Nobody wants to walk outside in this weather. |
| Lisa Lane: That's true. It's nice for me, though. I can finally clean the espresso machine properly. Do you want another coffee, or are you okay with that one? |
| Jake Jensen: I'm okay for now, thanks. I'm actually just looking through some old files on my phone. |
| Lisa Lane: Oh? Working on a case? |
| Jake Jensen: No, nothing like that. I'm off duty today. No police work. My mom sent me a message. She scanned a bunch of old family photos and sent them to me. I haven't seen these pictures in years. |
| Lisa Lane: Really? I love looking at old photos. It's like traveling back in time. Can I see? |
| Jake Jensen: Sure. Be careful, though. I look very different. You might not recognize me. |
| Lisa Lane: Now I have to see. Show me the best one. |
| Jake Jensen: Okay, look at this one. This was... wow, maybe fifteen years ago? |
| Lisa Lane: Let me see. Oh, look at you! You were so small! Is that you in the middle? |
| Jake Jensen: Yeah. That's me. I was about nine years old there. |
| Lisa Lane: You look... serious. You aren't smiling. |
| Jake Jensen: I know. I was trying to be like my dad. That's him standing behind me. |
| Lisa Lane: The man in the uniform? He looks very tall. And very strong. |
| Jake Jensen: He was. He was a police officer, too. Well, he's retired now. But back then, he was very strict. You can see it in his face, right? He didn't smile very often in photos. |
| Lisa Lane: He has a very kind face, though. Even if he isn't smiling. I like his mustache. It's a very classic style. |
| Jake Jensen: Yeah, the mustache! He had that mustache my whole life. He finally shaved it off last year. It was a big shock for the family. We didn't recognize him! |
| Lisa Lane: So, where was this photo taken? It looks like a forest. |
| Jake Jensen: It was a camping trip. We used to go camping every summer. My dad loved the outdoors. He wanted to teach me everything. How to build a fire, how to set up a tent, how to read a map. |
| Lisa Lane: That sounds fun. I love being outside. |
| Jake Jensen: It was fun, but it was also... work. See how my shirt is perfectly tucked in? |
| Lisa Lane: Yeah? |
| Jake Jensen: That was a rule. "Always look neat, Jake." "Clean your boots, Jake." He treated our camping trips like a training camp. Maybe that's why I became a physical training instructor at the academy. I'm used to the discipline. |
| Lisa Lane: It makes sense. You followed in his footsteps. |
| Jake Jensen: Exactly. But I don't make my students tuck their shirts in while we are camping. I'm a little more relaxed than he was. |
| Lisa Lane: That's good. Camping should be relaxing. |
| Jake Jensen: Wait, let me find another one. This one is funny. It's completely different. |
| Jake Jensen: Here. Look at this disaster. |
| Lisa Lane: No way! Is that... is that you? |
| Jake Jensen: Yes. Unfortunately, that is me. |
| Lisa Lane: Oh my gosh! Look at your hair! It's... It's purple! |
| Jake Jensen: It was "Electric Violet." That's what the box said. I was sixteen. I was in high school. |
| Lisa Lane: And you have earrings! And look at that t-shirt. It's so big! |
| Jake Jensen: It was my "rebellious phase." You know, when teenagers want to break the rules? I didn't want to be a police officer then. I wanted to be a rock star. |
| Lisa Lane: A rock star? You? |
| Jake Jensen: Yes. I played the drums. I was in a garage band. We were terrible. We made so much noise. My poor neighbors. |
| Lisa Lane: This is amazing. You look so different from now. Now, you have short hair, you wear a uniform, you're very polite. In this photo, you look like a wild person. |
| Jake Jensen: I felt like a wild person. I remember that day. It was a Saturday. We were practicing for a school concert. I thought I was so cool. |
| Lisa Lane: What did your dad say about the purple hair? If he was strict, he probably didn't like it. |
| Jake Jensen: He hated it. He didn't shout, though. He just looked at me, shook his head, and said, "Jake, you look like a grape." |
| Lisa Lane: A grape! That's funny. |
| Jake Jensen: Yeah. I kept the purple hair for two weeks. Then I had to cut it for a family wedding. I missed that hair. But looking at it now... I think short hair is better for me. |
| Lisa Lane: I agree. But it's a great memory. It shows you have a fun side. |
| Jake Jensen: I still have a fun side! I still play the drums sometimes. Just... not with purple hair. |
| Lisa Lane: Do you have any photos of where you grew up? I'm from Portland, so everything here in the city looks so different to me. |
| Jake Jensen: Actually, yes. This album has a lot of scenery photos. My mom loves taking pictures of buildings and parks. Let me scroll down. |
| Jake Jensen: Okay, look at this one. Do you recognize this street? |
| Lisa Lane: Hmm. Let me look closely. There's a bakery on the corner... and a tall brick building. Wait. Is that the Triple Almond Apartment Building? |
| Jake Jensen: Yes! That's our building. But look at the date on the photo. |
| Lisa Lane: 2010. Wow. It looks so... clean. |
| Jake Jensen: It was practically new back then. Or, well, it had just been painted. See the shop on the ground floor? |
| Lisa Lane: Yeah. It's a dry cleaner's in the photo. But now... wait, that's this coffee shop! |
| Jake Jensen: Exactly! Before this was a coffee shop, it was "Dan's Dry Cleaning." I used to come here with my dad to pick up his uniforms. |
| Lisa Lane: That is so weird. I'm standing in a dry cleaner's right now. |
| Jake Jensen: Basically. The counter was in the same place. But the walls were white, not brown. And it smelled like chemicals, not coffee. I prefer the coffee smell. |
| Lisa Lane: Me too. Definitely. |
| Jake Jensen: And look at the street. There are no bike lanes. |
| Lisa Lane: You're right. Just cars. It looks more dangerous. |
| Jake Jensen: It was. The city has changed a lot. They added the bike lanes and planted more trees about five years ago. It's much nicer now. |
| Lisa Lane: It's funny how photos freeze time. You forget how things used to look. |
| Jake Jensen: Yeah. My mom took this photo from across the street. We lived on the third floor back then. |
| Lisa Lane: Wait. You lived in the Triple Almond building when you were a kid? |
| Jake Jensen: Yeah. We moved out when I was twelve, to a house in the suburbs. But when I got the job at the police academy, I moved back in. I'm in apartment 4B now. |
| Lisa Lane: No way! I'm in 4D! We're neighbors? |
| Jake Jensen: Really? 4D? That's down the hall on the left, right? |
| Lisa Lane: Yes! The one with the green doormat. |
| Jake Jensen: I walk past that door every day. I never knew that was you. I guess our shifts are different. I leave really early in the morning for physical training. |
| Lisa Lane: And I leave later to open the shop. That's crazy. Small world. |
| Jake Jensen: It is. So, you've seen the building now. It's old, but it has character. |
| Lisa Lane: It does. My heater makes a strange noise, and the windows rattle when it's windy, but I like it. It feels like home. |
| Jake Jensen: It does. It has a lot of memories for me. |
| Lisa Lane: Do you have any more photos? Maybe one of your mom? |
| Jake Jensen: Yeah, here. This is a nice one. This was at a picnic. |
| Lisa Lane: Oh, she's lovely. She has a very bright smile. And look at the food! Is that a birthday cake? |
| Jake Jensen: It was my sister's birthday. See the little girl in the pink dress? That's my sister. |
| Lisa Lane: She looks so happy. And your mom is holding a... what is that? A guitar? |
| Jake Jensen: No, that's a ukulele. My mom loves playing instruments. She actually tried to teach me, but my hands were too big. I couldn't play the chords. That's why I chose the drums. You hit things with sticks. It's easier. |
| Lisa Lane: I don't think drums are easy! You need rhythm. |
| Jake Jensen: True. But you don't need delicate fingers. |
| Lisa Lane: Your family looks really close in these pictures. Everyone is together. |
| Jake Jensen: We are. We had our problems, of course. My dad was strict, I was rebellious, my sister was... well, she was loud. But looking at these photos, I only remember the good stuff. |
| Lisa Lane: That's the best thing about photos. They keep the good memories safe. |
| Jake Jensen: Yeah. You know, I don't take enough photos now. I have a smartphone with a great camera, but I mostly take pictures of documents or my car. I don't take pictures of people. |
| Lisa Lane: We should change that. We are too busy working. We forget to capture the moment. |
| Jake Jensen: You're right. Hey, since we are neighbors and we are both here... do you want to take a photo? For the "new" album? |
| Lisa Lane: Sure! But let me fix my hair first. The rain made it a little messy. |
| Jake Jensen: It looks fine. You look great. Come on, stand next to the coffee machine. It's your natural habitat. |
| Lisa Lane: "Natural habitat." Okay, ready. |
| Jake Jensen: Okay, say "Triple Almond." |
| Lisa Lane: Triple Almond! |
| Jake Jensen: Let's see. Hey, that's actually a good picture. |
| Lisa Lane: Let me see. Oh, I like it! The lighting is nice. And you are smiling! A real smile, not the "serious police officer" face. |
| Jake Jensen: I guess the coffee helps. I'll send it to you. |
| Lisa Lane: Thanks! I have an album in my phone called "City Life." This will be perfect for it. |
| Jake Jensen: Speaking of city life... looking at that old photo of our building made me think. |
| Lisa Lane: About what? |
| Jake Jensen: About how much I missed this neighborhood when I lived in the suburbs. It was quiet there. Too quiet. Here, you have noise, people, traffic... but you also have community. |
| Lisa Lane: I know what you mean. In Portland, I lived near the mountains. It was beautiful, really beautiful. I went bouldering every weekend. But sometimes, it felt a little lonely. Here, I can walk downstairs and talk to people. |
| Jake Jensen: Exactly. Like today. If I were in the suburbs, I would be sitting alone in my house watching TV. But here, I'm drinking coffee and looking at old photos with a friend. |
| Lisa Lane: A friend and a neighbor. |
| Jake Jensen: Right. A neighbor. |
| Lisa Lane: So, about your camping hobby. You said you still go? |
| Jake Jensen: Yeah, I try to go once a month. Usually to the state park. Why? |
| Lisa Lane: Well, since you like camping, and I like bouldering... maybe we could organize a trip sometime? The state park has some great rocks for climbing. |
| Jake Jensen: That's a great idea. I haven't tried bouldering before. Is it hard? |
| Lisa Lane: It's a challenge. It's like a puzzle for your body. You have to figure out how to move up. But you're a PT instructor. You're strong. You'll be fine. |
| Jake Jensen: "A puzzle for your body." I like that description. Okay, I'm interested. But only if we can make a fire afterwards. I make excellent campfire food. |
| Lisa Lane: Deal. I can't cook, so that works perfectly. |
| Jake Jensen: You can make coffee, though. We'll bring a portable coffee pot. |
| Lisa Lane: Now you are talking. That sounds like the perfect weekend. |
| Lisa Lane: Oh! A customer. The slow day is over. |
| Jake Jensen: Back to reality. I should probably get going anyway. I need to go to the grocery store before I go back to the apartment. |
| Lisa Lane: Okay. Thanks for showing me the photos, Jake. It was really nice to meet "Mini Jake" and "Purple Hair Jake." |
| Jake Jensen: Please forget about "Purple Hair Jake." Just remember the neighbor Jake. |
| Lisa Lane: I'll try. See you around the building! |
| Jake Jensen: See you, Lisa. Have a good shift. |
| Lisa Lane: Purple hair... I definitely won't forget that. |
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