A day at the Beach

Day at the Beach.

It was July, 2011

         Betty and I took shelter in the dunes for hours that day, because of the stiff breeze that whipped the sand down the beach.  Our only relief was to duck down and sit in a hollow; the heat of the midday sun baked us as we lay there in each other’s arms, we were so young then.  I remember that about two in the afternoon it calmed down and we started to walk, we were both covered in sand and took a dip in the surf along the way. 

         The seagulls were diving out beyond the breakers and the dolphins were darting back and forth; the baitfish schooled in the shallows out there.  We dreamt then, of what our lives would be like when we were married and became and old couple.  As we explored the long beach, we came across a small inlet that led us inland to a shallow salt-water lagoon.  Betty waded in to cool off and I walked the shoreline gathering driftwood for a campfire.  She became so excited when she discovered sea urchins thriving in the knee-deep pool.  “Bob, I found sand dollars.  Aren’t they deep water creatures?”

         I worked pretty hard to set that fire up for the evening; I’d thought I had about four hours of wood.  I pitched the tent then we spread the blanket out on the east shore and lay down to absorb the last of the day’s sun.  The weather report had predicted fog, but there was no way that was going to happen tonight.   

         The heat of the day turned cool the instant the sun dipped under the western horizon.  The black carpet of night rose up out of the eastern sky and quickly enveloped our small part of the world.  Venus set with the Sun and a giant full moon crested the eastern horizon. Betty cuddled up to me as we gazed into the flames racing toward the heavens, the wood popping and scattering embers way up high. 

         She reached over and started to rummage through one of the bags.  “What are you looking for?”

         “The camera, didn’t I bring it?”  She seemed a little annoyed.  “I’m sure I packed it!”

         I didn’t realize it, but the tidal pool was rising and I’d pitched the tent too close to the high water mark.  The full moon was causing an extremely high tide, so frantically we broke the tent down and re-pitched it at a much higher spot.  Our fire was going be drowned by the rising water.  We both had sand in our suits so we stripped them off and skinny-dipped to the light of the fire, while it lasted.  The water was still warm and when the fire had been extinguished, the moon illuminated everything in a blue-white glow.

         We crept into the tent that night and satisfied each other’s deepest desires.  Young love and young passion is boundless.  Cuddled in each other’s arms, we drifted in and out of sleep, talking till the first twilight of morning.  I watched as she slipped out of the tent and jumped into the water.  Her beautiful tanned body, she swam across the pool to the other side.  I reached into my ditty bag and discovered the digital camera.  Carefully, not to awaken her suspicions I focused it on her as she was swimming back toward me.  When she came close to shore, she stood up and began to walk out, brazenly nude, I clicked a photo of her without the flash then dropped the camera back into my bag.

* * *

July, 2064

         We are now in our seventies and Betty is suffering from dementia.  There are times that she doesn’t even recognize me.  This morning as I do every day, getting ready to go to the nursing home, I am sorting through all my old memory sticks and come across this photo of Betty. 

         A tear comes to my eye as the memory of that morning blossoms in the back of my mind. The sand is a dark brown; the sky is a royal blue, which reflects as the same color in the pool.  Betty is so young here, twenty-two years old, her body is tanned a berry brown except for where the bikini had covered her Lilly white skin.  When she first saw this on my laptop, fifty-three years ago, she screamed and we laughed over it.  I uploaded it to a secure WEB share.

         At the nursing home I find her in a very bad way, lying there unable to recognize anyone and showing her unwarranted disapproval of the nurses.  As I approach her she gives me a blank unblinking stare.  “Do I know you?”

         I sit beside her bed and offer her a diabetic lollypop; she always loves lollypops.  “You must know me…” I can see doubt and confusion in her expression.

         Standing beside her I pull her personal entertainment center down into her view.  “Betty, I have something for you to see.” Tapping a few icons on the screen and selecting WEB share Space, I input my security code and can see the icon of the file I uploaded. 

         “Do you remember this?”  I tap the file twice and her image appears. 

         Her eyes begin to show expression and recognition.  Tears begin to flow down her wrinkled cheeks.  She looks at me, “Bobby?”  Betty extends her arms to me with open hands.

         I get up and she embraces me in a bear hug.  I visit her every day and from now on I show her that photo.  Every day; she remembers me and that day on the beach as if it were yesterday.

         Four months later I tuck a hard copy of that photo and the memory stick into the foot end of her coffin, knowing she is in a better place. 

W.C = 978