Summer warmth filled the old dusty beat up Lincoln and the sunlight danced on the dashboard as the car bounced along the Southern State. The car contained towels, bathings suits, flip flops, sunscreen, snacks and four fatigued souls looking for rest.
Christiana was 23 years old, had beautiful tan skin and jet black hair. She looked elegant with her dark rimmed glasses and tried to portray that elegance. She cantored at her church but on Saturday night sang Van Halen with her cover band. She was the driver of the beat up Lincoln, it was a gift from her grandfather. Her eyes were focused on the road and she prayed that this trip would relieve her anxiety. The uneasiness, the anger and the tension about her life and its directions never escaped her. Christiana hoped that the sun and its mystical rays would cure her.
James sat in the passanger seat and contemplated. He was 20 years old and naive. As he contemplated he began to rub sun tan lotion all over his brown skin. His skin gave him a sense of pride and shame at the same time. He was both Haitian and American. He also wore glasses but his lenses should have been rose tinted, because that is how he viewed the world. He was confused and frustrated with his life. He was confused about his calling, about what he should try to portray and not to mention his sexuality. He never felt comfortable in his skin. He was always trying to be some else. He needed to make decisions, at least he thought. He needed to choose. He also was dealing with controlling parents at home who didn't know where he was at the moment. James couldn't wait to be liberated and uninhibited in the water.
Qui was in the back seat looking out the window and humming the tune on the radio. She was 22 years old and Vietnamese American. She too was burdened with pressures from her foreign parents. She struggled with being American and Vietnamese at the same time. She loved both her cultures but constantly saw conflict. Should she dress more modestly or let it hang out like her American friends? Should she be a good Vietnamese girl and stay home or should she sneak out to see her boyfriend, Chris. She chose to be with her boyfriend Chris at the moment. They had been through so much. Heartbreak. Infidelity. Abortion. Abuse. She wanted to put that aside, just for today and focus on how thing use to be. Kisses. Huges. Long walks. Anime conventions. She wanted to rekindle love at the water's edge.
Chris was angry inside. He was almost sinister. He even looked demonic with his jet black spikes and his black nail polish. He hated Qui's honesty. She wasn't afraid to talk about her ordeals and troubles and had told everyone in the car about the abortion. He had also never gotten over the infidelity. Even though he cheated also he could never comprehend why she would cheat. He never let anyone know about his dissatisfaction. He put up a veneer and smiled like everything was peachy keen. He craved to be raw and brave like the waves of the ocean. He was lusting to break free and finally be himself, even if his anger and rage might cause more destruction than a category 5 Hurricane.
When they arrived at the beach and tasted the sea mist something about quenched there thirst. The sun enlightened the dark corners of there souls, because all things done in the dark must come to light. And it did, Chris looked at Qui and they embraced. They still had problems and even more to face in the future, but they could enjoy the moment and remain in it. Christiana left her anxiety and worries in her grandfather's beat up Lincoln and for those 4 hours embraced her inner child. She became the little girl who was bright eyed and fearless before her uncle stripped her of her innocence. James became uninhibited and ran into the ocean and baptized himself in her cool waters. He began to live for himself.
The water, sand and salt had worked their magic.
All this beach talk in winter makes my wish it was summer...lol
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