Virginia Beach
Summer - 1953
The blazing HEAT of the July sun beat down on the glistening bodies scattered along the beach. For once, she was grateful they’d rented an umbrella and two chairs. A person could only bake in the sun for so long, before it became unbearable.
She pulled the bottle of suntan LOTION from her beach bag and squirted a generous amount into her hand, then rubbed it into her arms, shoulders, and legs. Next, she positioned her chair so that the umbrella would provide some shade. She wanted a tan; she didn’t want to look like a red lobster.
This short vacation to the beach had been an impromptu trip. Since it was a holiday weekend, they’d been lucky to find a hotel room.
She’d always loved the ocean--the sound of the waves hitting the shore, the beautiful whitecaps in the distance, walking along the sand at dusk or early morning, collecting seashells. The gorgeous sunrises and sunsets that seemed to rise up or drop off on the horizon. Even the scent of the salt air made her smile. The ocean had a relaxing effect on her entire body.
Shading her eyes with her hand, she scanned the beach for her family. It took her a while to find them among the throngs of beach-goers. Finally, she spotted the blue T-shirts she’d insisted they wear to protect them from the sun’s glare while they played in the waves at the ocean’s edge. A couple of years ago, she’d gotten a horrible sunburn from the reflection off the water. She’d learned her lesson well.
She picked up the bucket of seashells they’d collected earlier and sorted through them. She’d found some amazingly intact ones, but the ocean currents and the force of the waves pounding them onto the shore had pummeled most of them. Even with those imperfections, some were uniquely shaped. One day she hoped to make a seashell wreath for their front door. At least that was her plan.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a woman dressed in the brightest yellow BIKINI she’d ever seen. She’d seen a lot of wild colors and different types of swimsuits today, but that one had to be the most outrageous color of all. She glanced down at her one-piece suit. Maybe next year she’d get a bikini. But it wouldn’t be yellow. Maybe a red one.
Several hours later, she fished her watch out of her beach bag and checked the time. If they wanted to come back tonight for the carnival and FIREWORKS display on the pier, they needed to get ready for dinner soon.
She walked across the SAND to her husband, sitting in front of a sandcastle. “Ready to go?”
“Yeah. I think we’re done. Take our picture first. I’m proud of this castle.”
“Okay, let me go get the camera.” She dug the camera out of her bag, returned to her husband and daughter, and knelt in the sand. “Ready.”
“Smile for mommy, Panda,” Carl directed their three-year-old daughter.
Holding a shovel and bucket in her hand, Amanda giggled as she posed for the camera.
Dotty took the picture of Carl and Amanda sitting in front of the sandcastle, which he’d helped her construct. She swore he had more fun building it than Amanda did. He spent a good portion of the afternoon working on it, even adding a moat. She loved how he took Amanda’s hand and led her down to the water’s edge to fill her bucket. Then they’d poured the water into the moat.
Secretly, Dotty had taken several pictures of them while they played in the sand. She hoped the prints would be clear, but she wouldn’t know until she took the film to be developed.
While she packed up their belongings, Carl returned the umbrella and chairs to the rental wagon. Amanda’s buckets and the toys scattered around the sandcastle were the last things she needed to collect.
“Come on, sweetheart, let’s get your toys.” She took Amanda’s hand in hers. They sat down in the sand together to put the toys away.
“Come back here, you little scamp!” a woman yelled.
Being a mother, Dotty heard the slight irritation in the woman’s voice. She’d lost track of the number of times she had said almost the same thing to Amanda. Children could be so fast; you had to keep your eye on them every minute of the day.
She looked around, trying to spot the wayward child. A blur whizzed past her and straight into the sandcastle, smashing it.
A bright-eyed, brown-haired boy laughed as he pushed the sand around. Amanda laughed, too, and helped him rearrange the sand.
“I’m so sorry.” A frazzled-looking woman joined them. “Tell the nice people you’re sorry.”
The little boy just sat there and grinned.
“Don’t worry. We were leaving anyway. He had fun destroying it, and it would’ve been washed out into the ocean anyway. And it looks like Amanda enjoyed it, too.” Dotty watched the two youngsters as they played.
“He’s a handful.” The woman tousled the boy’s hair. “Come on, young man, it’s time to go. Daddy’s waiting for us.”
He clutched Amanda’s hand and shook his head.
“Lee, mummy says it’s time to go.” She lifted him into her arms, and his lips crinkled into a sulky frown. “Now say bye-bye to the nice lady and little girl.”
He waved at them as his mother carted him off.
A blur in a blue T-shirt tried to dart past her, and she quickly grabbed her daughter. “No you don’t, young lady. You’re not following them.”
“Wanna play wif him.” Amanda scrunched up her face and pouted.
“Not today.” Dotty hoisted her daughter onto her hip, then picked up the bag of toys with her free hand. “Maybe you’ll see him again one day.”
The End
Special Note: Thanks to Jan who gave me the idea for what is now going to be known as a series of five second meetings.
Story Notes:
Disclaimer: Scarecrow and Mrs. King and its characters belong to WB and Shoot the Moon Productions. No infringement is intended. This is written for entertainment purposes only. Please do not redistribute or reproduce this story without my permission.
Thanks: Rita and Miss Edna, you make my stories readable by catching all my grammar and other errors.
Note: This story also answers the July Challenge to use the words: FIREWORKS, BIKINI, SAND, HEAT, LOTION
Thanks: Rita and Miss Edna, you make my stories readable by catching all my grammar and other errors.
Note: This story also answers the July Challenge to use the words: FIREWORKS, BIKINI, SAND, HEAT, LOTION