We were on vacation in Ocean City. Mom and Dad let us go down to wade, but we weren’t allowed to go in deeper than our knees. “If there’s an under-tow it can sweep you out to sea before you know it,” said Dad.
The water was cold at first, but then it felt warm. The surf flopped at our legs. We splashed each other and splashed strangers and ran through the water. Kids were screaming. Seagulls were screaming. Even the sun seemed to be screaming.
When I was finally ready to go back to the blanket, I looked around for Lily. She wasn’t there. I came out of the water and stood on the smooth, wet sand. I saw zillions of people, but no Lily. I called, but her name got swallowed up in the noise. I looked out at the endless ocean. I didn’t see anybody getting swept out to sea.
I figured she went back to the blanket. I headed onto the dry, soft sand. There were blankets and umbrellas everywhere, but not ours. So I started wandering, looking. And after a while I just wandered. I liked walking through all those people, everybody having fun and laughing and running and shrieking. I knew Lily hadn’t found the blanket either. I knew. She was out there just like me, wandering, enjoying it all. We were doing it together. I mean, I couldn’t reach out and touch her and I couldn’t see her. But I knew we were together. She was with me.
So I walked up and down the beach, watching the people. I came to a little kid who was crying. He was lost. I took him to the lifeguard.
I never did find Mom and Dad, but they must have found Lily because I heard her yell, “There he is!” and they were running and screaming, “Jake! Jake!” Then they were hugging the breath out of me and Mom was crying. But not for long. She shook me by the shoulders. She shook Lily. “What’s the matter with you two? You had us worried sick!”
“We were okay, Mom,” I said.
She wasn’t listening. “You never go off wandering like that again! How did we know the under-tow didn’t get you?”
“Mom, we did just like you said. We only went in up to our knees.”
“Why didn’t you go to the lifeguard? You know you’re supposed to go to the lifeguard if you’re lost!”
It was hard to look up at her because of the sun. I had to close my eyes. “Mom,” I said, “cool it. We weren’t lost.”
Lily poked Mom. “See? That’s what I told you.”
I think that’s the closest we ever came to telling our parents about goombla. But even if we wanted to, what would we say? Mom. Dad. We weren’t lost because we were with each other. We can be with each other even when we can’t see each other. Even if we’re miles apart.
Who’s going to believe that, or understand it?
So I just said, “Mom, we’re okay. We’ll go to the lifeguard next time. Promise.”
Lily was grinning. I looked at her hand. Her fingers were crossed.
I have to admit it was pretty neato. I forgot all about being different.