Kirsten McAskill's Photos of Ollie

The photos of Ollie stuck inside Kirsten’s locker door are among the most emotionally charged objects Catherine handles. These images—Ollie with the dog, Ollie with the cat, Ollie with Carolyn and Ian, Kirsten and Ollie on a mountain—paint a vivid picture of Kirsten’s personal life and the love she shared with her partner. As Catherine carefully peels each photo off the locker door, she is not just removing decorations; she is dismantling the visual evidence of Kirsten’s happiness and the life she built outside of her work. The photos serve as a painful contrast to Catherine’s own isolation, highlighting the personal connections Kirsten had that Catherine feels she lacks. Handling these images, Catherine is forced to confront the fullness of Kirsten’s life and the impact her death has had on those who loved her, including Ollie.

The photos of Ollie, their dog, and their cat are carefully peeled off the locker door by Catherine, each one a frozen glimpse of Kirsten’s domestic life. These images—Ollie with the dog, Ollie with the cat, Ollie with Carolyn and Ian, Kirsten with Ollie up a mountain—serve as powerful triggers for Catherine’s grief. They evoke the warmth and stability of Kirsten’s personal world, making her absence all the more poignant. The act of removing the photos is not just a physical task; it is an emotional unraveling, as Catherine is forced to confront the full scope of what Kirsten has lost—and what she, as a mentor, may have failed to protect.