30 Day Image Prompt Competition - August

Day 30 Prompt 1 - Youthful Optimism

She sank down on the wooden bench, ignoring the small form sat next to her as she stared out to sea. The tide was in, its gentle surges wrapping around the base of the bench before retreating back into the harbour. She raised her feet to keep the expensive leather sandals out of the salt water even though she knew they were already ruined. Some things were more precious than £300 sandals.

“Do you think Gramps can see the sea?”

“Knowing Gramps, yes, I think he can. He always said he would be where the sea was.”

“Do you think he’ll be able to paddle like we used to do?”

“I’m sure he’ll find some way to get his feet wet in the sea.” She looked down at the small child seated next to her, so small and vulnerable, and felt her heart wrench at the look of abject sadness on her elfin features. Today had been rough on her and she ached to place her arms around her and keep the sadness at bay.

“Do you think he’ll be able to fish? He loved his fishing?”

“I think he’ll manage to go fishing. It was one thing you couldn’t keep him from, remember?”

The little figure nodded and smiled as she remembered how he would slip out of a stuffy party so that he could go fishing. Many an argument had been had over his disappearing acts. She had loved him for it, for he had always taken her with him.

“Why did he go, Mommy?”

The simple question tore at her heart, for it was a question she asked herself daily since it had happened. She had examined and re-examined her actions that day, trying to find something she had missed that would have made the outcome different but there had been nothing. He had done as he always had regardless of consequences.

“I don’t know, baby. Maybe he was tired of everything that was going on around him. It was getting quite difficult and demanding.”

“He’s happy,” she said with a child’s confidence that everything would turn out right.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.”

Rhea looked at her daughter and wondered what to do next. They couldn’t spend all day looking out to sea, watching the cruise ships as they sailed by. Nor could she push her daughter because she knew she needed this time to settle herself into this new stage of her life.

“Are you happy?” she asked instead.

“I’m sad because I miss Gramps but I’m happy because I know he’s happy, now.” She smiled u[ at her mother. “Can we have ice cream and chocolate fingers?”

Rhea laughed at her daughter’s resilience. Oh, how she wished she had some of that strength as a grown up. “As long as you promise to eat your dinner.”

“I promise,” she replied, her eyes dancing with amusement.

Rhea shook her head and lifted her daughter off the bench and onto the damp sand, out of the reach of the surging tide.

“Come on then,” she said and took her hand to lead her back up the beach.

“Do you think he’ll send a postcard?”

“I’m sure he will.”

“I want one with a horse on it, like he promised me.”

“I’m sure he’ll send you one.”

They reached the ice cream van and Rhea paid for two cornets. As he daughter ate hers, she thought back over the course of the day. It had been a shock to the system to find the note from her father. To read how he wanted one last adventure before he became too old. Now, at the ripe young age of 75 he was sailing his yacht, looking for adventure whilst they mourned his leaving. Her only hope was that Lucy never forgot him, for in her was the benefit of youthful optimism in the antics of adults.

Watching her daughter, Rhea decided she was going to recover some of that youthful optimism for herself and live life as it should be led, not spend all her time looking at the negatives in everything. You only lived once in this life and she wanted to be certain they all got the best future they could have.

Life was good, she decided as she finished her ice cream off. Life was for living.