The beach was always empty - void of towels, pitched umbrellas, sand castles, laughter, the aroma of Banana Boat. All that remained were the footprints of sand pipers that darted down to the water between crashing waves, hoping to catch dinner and the gently rolling, wind swept dunes, held together by the swaying dune grass. And her.
She'd stand there, as the sun was falling from the sky, ready to be tucked beneath the waves, toes dug into the sand, holding onto the Earth. The wind felt good as it graced her cheeks - playing with the auburn hair that fell over her shoulders, like invisible fingers that only wanted to become entangled. It made her smile. Everything was natural. Clean. Silent.
Once the sky was a smoldering, ashy red, she'd enter the water, leaving her robe in a heap back on the sand, her skin glowing in the sunset - pure and smooth, accented by the occasional freckle. The water tickled her feet, numbing them, but not enough that she couldn't stand it. She knew she had to keep moving forward, allowing the water to crawl up her body, past her knees, then her thighs, over her waist, until it was resting against her chest. She could feel the goosebumps, her raised skin below the surface. It was so cold - forcing her to take shallow breaths, but she loved it - she felt vulnerable, alive.
She never was concerned that there were no life guards to watch her - to make sure that her movement wasn't hindered by the temperature. Confidence flowed through her. She knew that the pilings stood watch, ready to grab her if the current ever tried to sweep her away. Ever since she was old enough to get herself to the beach, she had felt protected by their barrier.
While she was out amongst the waves, the town was slowly shutting down. It had fattened up over the summer - now it was entering its hibernation. Shops were closing. Restaurants stopped serving earlier. The vacation homes and motels were beginning to close up their windows, boarding them up to protect from the oncoming harsh months - the swells that would rise from the sea, sleet that poured from above, the howling winds.
The off-season was over the horizon. And now was the time she could finally enjoy the ocean, free from the clutter of the vacationers, the noise of the ice cream trucks, the screaming children. She'd swim out until she couldn't touch anymore and just float. Ears below the water, drowning out the world.
It was when the water was cold enough to steal her breath, that she knew it was all hers.
B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L.!
ReplyDeleteOh, I am now yearning to be on LBI, with my toes in the sand, as dusk turns into night. The changing of the seasons on the island is so palpable, as the lights begin to blink, the speed limits increase, and the things that typically tickle my senses (as you wrote, giggling children, calls for ice creams, gulls laughing, and the blend of Banana Boat and Coppertone, the taste of fresh corn on the cob) seem to disappear.
But, the one thing that does not disappear is my set of memories of you and your brother, and our many seasons 'down the shore.' I am missing you like crazy today.
ieyu, ilys!