Never Let Go by Hailey Pryce-Shidler
She had never been to the beach before. So, he took her.
She had woken up one morning and said, “I want to go to the beach.” So they packed their bags, told the neighbor to watch the cat, and left.
They had arrived at the coast later that night. She was bouncing up and down with excitement the whole time. She wanted to go right that very second but he told her that they closed the beach. She thought that was strange. The beach must be more magical at night, with the only noise being the crashing of the waves against the shore and the shuffle of feet as they move through the sand.
They checked into the hotel and the second they turned the lights out, she was fast asleep, no doubt preparing to wake up as soon as the sun shone in the morning.
And sure enough at six in the morning, she was up and dressed, sporting a big sun hat that they had bought in the airport.
She dragged him out of bed, he begrudgingly brushed his teeth, barely wiping the sleep from his eyes.
She ran into the car and he followed after. She buckled herself in and turned the radio up loud. She rolled down her window and stuck her hand out, letting it get pushed around with the wind.
He looked over at her every chance he got. He drove down the coastal highway, smiling every time her eyes widened at the sight of the beach. He pulled up to the beach parking lot and before he could put the car in park, she was out.
He chased after her with towels and sunscreen. She waited at the edge of the sidewalk that led to the long-awaited sand.
He waited for her to dig her toes in, to go leaping in to the water but she didn’t. Instead she gulped. She was afraid, what if it didn’t live up to what she had imagined?
He grabbed her hand, intertwining her fingers with his. He took off his tennis shoes and pulled her after him. She fought him at first but eventually took her first step on the sand. He let go of her hand, watching her anxiously.
She looked down at her toes. She wiggled them in the sand. She slowly returned her eyes to his and a smile broke out on her face. Soon enough she was bounding after the water, laughing the whole way.
He found a spot in the sand and put down their things. He laid the towels out delicately, facing the water. He watched her as she stepped into the ocean. She immediately squealed and ran back to him.
“Cold!”
He laughed in response and ran toward the crashing waves. He stepped tentatively in the water and she was right, it was freezing. He took her hand and they stood in the water together. She leaned up and pecked him on the cheek.
With each minute that passed, they got deeper and deeper in the water until they were up to their waists. Every time a wave threatened them they jumped over it. When the other wasn’t looking, they would splash each other until they were both soaked.
The sun rose higher in the sky and they crawled out of the water. She eagerly ran toward something small buried in the sand. He followed her slowly, wondering what had caught her interest. She closed her hands delicately around whatever she was holding. When he came over to look, she protruded a light pink sea shell. Her eyes glowed with pride and she held it close to her heart.
He ran back to his bright blue towel and laid down upon it. She sat next to him, digging her toes into the sand next to him, burying her feet underground.
He pulled a book out of his bag and laid back, reading. She laid down beside him and closed her eyes.
He stopped reading to watch her. She looked so at peace. He couldn’t help but to think of how beautiful she was. Even when her hair was stringy from the water, her skin glimmering with salt, she was gorgeous.
Then another, darker thought entered his mind. With her eyes closed she appeared dead. He knew he only had a few delicate days with her, the doctor had told them that. One week she was complaining of a headache, the next the doctor was showing them a black and white picture of the inside of her head, a large white blob swelling in the middle of it. So, she had spent a few days moping on the couch, barely talking. Then she decided to quit her job, get her affairs in order, and start checking things off her bucket list. The beach was one of those things.
He shook his head and watched the rise and fall of her chest. He reached out to touch her face, her eyes fluttered open slowly. A smile spread on her face, she cupped his hand with her own.
For a while they sat like that, listening to the waves as they roared upon the shore, listened to the happy screams of children as they tried to build sandcastles or avoid the waves.
The sun began to set. It shone brilliantly orange and pink over the horizon. The couple picked up their things and walked toward the water, dipping their toes in one last time. She sat there, with her ankles under water and closed her eyes. She inhaled. The smell of the ocean wafted up her nose and she squished her toes under the soft sand. She stuck out her hand, half expecting the ocean to give her a handshake goodbye. When she opened her eyes, the world was dark, the sun hiding behind the other part of the world.
She turned to go, he followed unsure of what to say. One thing checked off her bucket list just meant that she was one day closer.
They crawled into the car. This time she didn’t roll down her window, didn’t try to find the best radio station, didn’t smile. She just stared straight ahead.
Slowly, she turned to him. She stuck out her hand. He locked eyes with her and a small smile slid onto her face. Her eyes still shone with the same intensity of the dying sun and he was grateful for that. He took her hand in his and vowed never to let go.
