Sarah
“What are you reading?”
Meg glanced up, shielding her eyes from the glare of the setting sun with her hand, and grinned. “Hi Sarah. How’s things?”
Sarah settled onto a beach towel on the sand beside Meg, her lips pulled into a wide smile. “Good.”
Meg grinned. “Glad to hear it. I’m reading a mystery…it’s good so far, but the scenery keeps distracting me.”
Sarah nodded, taking in the waves, the sand, the families making sandcastles nearby. “I know what you mean, it’s a pretty great view.”
“I love sitting on the beach, just enjoying the sights, sounds, smells…it’s very relaxing. Although, lately I haven’t gotten out so much…” In truth, she hadn’t been to the beach more than a couple of times in the past two months, even though they lived directly across the road from it.
Brad didn’t want to see the beach, much less get close to it. She’d asked him a few times if they could BBQ or picnic in the parklands beside the beach, but he wouldn’t even do that. Didn’t want to hear the waves, no doubt. He hadn’t said as much, but she assumed. And honestly, she couldn’t blame him. He’d been more passionate about the ocean than anyone she’d ever known, and now felt as though it was off limits for him. She only hoped he’d come around someday.
No doubt much of his bad temper resulted from the fact that his happy place, the place that filled his soul with joy, was now forbidden to him — at least in his mind it was. One day she hoped to encourage him back onto the sand — they’d find a way to make it work. But for now, she had to honour his wishes and bite her tongue.
“Thanks for meeting me here,” said Meg.
“No worries. I was glad you called. I’ve been worried about you.”
Meg wore workout gear, her red curls pulled into a ponytail that hung down her back.
“So, what’s up?” asked Sarah. “You sounded a little down on the phone.”
“Nothing really…just Brad. He’s having one of those days where he doesn’t want to leave the unit, keeps the curtains drawn over the windows, and snaps at me for everything. I had to get out of there.”
“I’m sorry,” replied Sarah. “I know that’s hard.”
“Yeah… I mean things are a lot better than they were. Most of the time he seems happy, or at least happier than he was. I shouldn’t complain…”
“You can always complain to me. I don’t mind.” Sarah smiled. “They say marriage is the most difficult thing you’ll ever face. I guess they’re right about that. I know it was pretty hard on Mum.”
They talked for a few more minutes, then Meg stood and dusted the sand from her legs. “I’ve got to go. It’s getting dark and I want to cook Brad something special for dinner, maybe cheer him up.”
Sarah waved goodbye as Meg strode away through the warm sand. Then she took a book out of her woven shoulder bag and lay on her back to read a while. She was in no rush to get home, although she hadn’t gotten out any meat to defrost for dinner. Perhaps she’d have baked beans on toast. After all, she hadn’t spoken to Mick, wasn’t sure if she’d see him that night or if she’d be eating alone.
“Good book?” Mick’s voice startled Sarah.
She sat up, scattering sand, and dropping the book in her lap. “Oh, hi, Mick, I wasn’t expecting to see you out here.”
Mick pushed one end of his surfboard into the sand and sat beside her, flipping his hair back from his face and spraying saltwater all over her.
She giggled. “Thanks.”
“No worries.” He leaned over to kiss her. His lips tasted like salt, and they were cold against hers.
“Did you have a good surf?”
He nodded, grinned. “It’s beautiful out there. Perfect weather. The waves are pretty small, but the water is so nice. I even saw a few dolphins.”
“Really? Oh man, I knew I should’ve brought my board.”
“Yes, you should’ve.” He dug an elbow gently into her side.
She laughed. “You’re getting water all over me.”
He winked. “That’s kind of the point. Come on, it’s a beautiful afternoon, the waves are great and you’re missing out… I’ll come back in with you.”
She looked at the water. It rose and fell in a slow, soothing rhythm. The waves curled lazily towards the shore, then lapped at the sand. The sun hung low behind them, giving the entire beach a golden glow.
“I don’t have a board.”
“I’ve got a spare,” he said.
She grinned. “Okay, let’s do it.”
She wore a red one-piece bathing suit and had pulled her hair back into a ponytail. She stood, brushed the sand from her rear end and watched with thudding heart as he ran back to the truck to get the other board from the roof racks. He really was very attractive, especially with a surfboard tucked beneath his arm. The fact that he cared about her as much as he did only made her passion for him that much more intense.
Mick splashed her as they walked through the water, then pushed her off her board after their first wave. She sputtered to the surface, laughing, and pushed him off his board right as the next wave slammed down on top of them. Then, she duck-dived through it, turned and paddled. She sailed towards shore, a grin on her face.
The next wave she caught, she tried a cut-back and ending up diving headfirst into the lip of the wave. It pummelled her, spinning her like a washing machine. When she popped up again and gasped for breath, Mick gave her a thumbs up.
She paddled back out to him. “That was graceful…”
He laughed. “Yeah, but for a second I was very impressed.”
“Really?” She pursed her lips. She’d gotten rusty during her years living in the city, but gradually the techniques and skills she’d learned in childhood were coming back to her.
He laughed at the look on her face and leaned over to kiss her. His strong brown arms closed around her. His face hung over hers and heat travelled up her body, burning in her cheeks. She swallowed hard. Then he pushed her forward and she was moving, carried forward by the wave. She stood to her feet in one movement, tried another cut-back, this time nailing it.
She hooted in celebration, then leapt from the board before the wave petered out.
When she stood and waved to Mick, he pumped a fist in the air. Sarah paddled back out to meet him and they surfed together that way for another hour, enjoying the togetherness, the flirting, the fun. She’d never been so relaxed with anyone before—she could be herself around Mick and he accepted her, every part of her, without question. It was invigorating.
Finally, when she was exhausted, she paddled to shore and waved to Mick, then left his board in the sand as she gathered her things together. Mick reached her soon after, and ran up the beach, panting and soaking wet.
“Hey, don’t you want to keep going? I’m loving this…it’s so great to share this with you.” He looped his arms around her wet waist and smiled down at her, his eyes sparkling as droplets of water fell from his hair onto her.
She shook her head with a smile. “That was amazing. Thank you. I really enjoyed it, but I’ve got to get home. Oscar will wonder where I am.”
“So…what are you doing for dinner tonight?” he asked.
She shrugged. “I was thinking baked beans on toast.”
He laughed. “I think I can do better than that. How about I come over and cook us something. We can sit in front of the fire or watch a movie…”
She reached up to kiss his soft lips, happiness filling her soul. “That sounds perfect.”
“I’ll see you then,” he said, caressing her cheek.
“See you!”
She ran up the beach, her towel wrapped around her waist, shoulder bag bumping her leg with each step. When she reached the footpath, she leaned down to slip on a pair of sandals, glanced back over her shoulder at Mick who was still watching her, then hurried to the car with a bounce in her step.