Please leave your thoughts...I love when you do that!
Blog post for "Favorite Things" or "Summer" topic, writer's choice.
Jeannette looked around the beach for someone she might recognize. It didn't matter that she was alone today, but still it would be rude not to say something to people she knew, if they were nearby. Scanning the sun worshipers produced nothing. Settling back onto her beach lounge she closed her eyes and began a lovely daydream.
He strolled past her beach chair about 5 steps and came to an abrupt halt. Turning, he made full on eye contact with her and held her gaze. Through her sunglasses she saw his chiseled body first and then drew her eyes up to his. The power of that moment gave her chills though the temperature was well over 90 degrees. This 'moment' lasted nearly a full minute. In her mind, an eternity.
She broke the silence by asking, "Is there something I could do for you?" Maybe not the best question to ask a dazzlingly handsome, rock hard bodied man in surfer trunks who happens to be staring unforgivably into your eyes.
"I imagine you COULD do a lot of things for me, but you may start with sharing your name. I'm Jason and I would very much like to know you."
Now that is quite the introduction and quite the invitation! "Jeannette and please have a seat, Jason. I wouldn't mind talking with you for a while. I plan to soak up some sun for a couple hours and talking with someone of interest would be nice."
He sat and they talked. She shared her career plans with him and he told her he was once a teacher, but had left that position 3 years ago when an opportunity to travel presented itself. The travel would be with the local news station as a roving reporter. This intrigued her and began a long discussion of all the places he had been and why he was sent there. Her life suddenly felt uneventful. Her career as a software tester used to seem fascinating, now, not so much. He was amazed and somewhat jealous of her abilities because his computer expertise stopped at filing his stories through the software the news station put on his laptop and e-mailing.
The sun began to set and they continued to sit side-by-side in the sand, her chair had been folded some time earlier to allow them to be on the same level and closer. The sky turned a brilliant orange-red and the giant golden globe of light slipped silently into the water. The sunset was a breathtaking sight. Or was it only so because they were watching it together?
Twenty years later on a lazy Saturday afternoon Jason looked to his left and remembered that day. Beside him was Jeannette. A little thicker, a little grayer and a few lines had found a home on that perfect face. She had given him 3 beautifully manufactured babies who now were teenagers with lives of their own, for the most part. They were once again alone on a crowded beach of sun worshipers. He loved her more deeply than she could ever understand. He needed her just to breathe.
Jeannette was nearly asleep next to him with thoughts of all those years ago when he had just stopped to meet her. Destiny? She didn't care why it happened her life had begun that day. All the days before were just memories from her 'before Jason' days. Her children, her career and her confidence all came from knowing this man. He was the center of her universe and together they were magic and yet unremarkable. An average married couple with a house full of teenagers sneaking off for a day at the beach. He had encouraged her to stretch herself into a full on software inventor and she had succeeded far beyond anything she could have dreamed and he still traveled the world now for ABC news and still filed the most interesting and in depth stories from wherever news was happening. She fears for his safety while he is gone and rejoices in each of his returns. It is a wonderfully never mundane life.
Jeannette is suddenly awakened from her daydream by sand blowing across her stomach. She sits quickly to see the source. Running toward the water is a stocky dark haired guy with a Frisbee in chase! He jumps to catch it and immediately sends it flying back to the child who had launched it first. Not quite on target. The child goes in search of the errant Frisbee and the gentleman runs to Jeannette's side to apologize for his sand storm.
"I am so sorry. I was focused on the Frisbee and I didn't even see that I had sprayed you until you bolted up, I'm such a klutz." He spoke in an excited tone which was totally sincere.
"No problem." She meant it. He was so involved with the little one that she couldn't be mad. She loved to see a father and child interact with such abandon.
"My nephew is full of energy and he gives me a good work-out! We've been running around here for about an hour and he's just about drained me, to be honest. I think it's time for an ice cream break." He considered this for a moment and then added, "You wouldn't want to join us, would you? I mean, just as a way of apologizing?" He doubted she would be interested in anything more to do with him, she was obviously out of his class. Gorgeous, classy maybe even married. In any case, way above him.
"Well, you don't owe me an apology, really. But I never say "no" to ice cream, EVER. If you are going right over there to the Cone Shack, I'd love to join you and your nephew, assuming he comes back!" She smiled up at him and noticed what a warm and inviting face he had.
"Here he comes now...come on! Let's go check out the flavor of the day, shall we?" He extended a hand to help her rise from the low chair she had been part of since mid-morning.
The afternoon passed with the three of them getting acquainted. The day dream had contained some of the same actions, but the man she actually met was not a Greek God type, but rather an average Joe type with a heart of gold and over the next 20 years they shared everything. They loved and lived and still Jeannette remembers the day at the beach and the day dream that led to meeting Jay and changing her life, exactly like the daydream.
Jo
This is just one of the reasons I love this pool.
