Authors: Sarah Schofield
"Yeah, I need to finish packing before going to bed. Let me walk you out."
We walked downstairs and out the kitchen door. Lucas said, "Have fun this weekend. If you get back early, come by the barbeque."
"I will, but don't get your hopes up."
"I'll try not to," he moped as he opened his door.
I ambushed him before he could get in. With all the force of my good arm, I pulled him close, tangling my fingers in his hair. He wrapped his arms around me, sliding one hand under the back of my shirt.
"Where did that come from?" he stuttered.
"Let's just say I missed you, too. I'll see you Monday."
"Wait, I can go home a little later."
"Good night, Lucas."
Mom's car was packed and the Oldies but Goodies were loaded in the CD player. I honked the horn to hurry her up. I had a date with a beach.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" Mom yelled, running out the kitchen door.
"Let's get on the road!"
Mom put the cooler in the back seat and hopped in. As soon as we were out of the driveway, I turned up the music. Getting out of this town for the weekend was perfect for relaxing just before the talent show. As an added perk, a few days away from my grumpy grandmother would be nice.
Mom had reserved a room at an ocean front hotel in Coos Bay. I couldn't wait to bask in the sun. I was tan from working on my routine, but there were a few areas that could use extra exposure. Hence, the need for my itsy-bitsy-teenie-weenie-polka-dot bikini.
By the scenery, you never would have thought we were on our way to a beach. It looked more like a camping excursion with all the luscious pines. I paid close attention to the directions. I figured I could make a few trips this summer; maybe bring Lucas along.
When we got closer, we rolled the windows down to take in the breeze. It was brisker than I thought it would be, but it brought the salty air of the ocean with it. I was in my element.
"Mom, this was the best idea. I can't thank you enough." I reached over to squeeze her arm.
"I needed to get away just as bad as you, honey. So this trip is for both of us."
We checked into our hotel and changed before heading to the beach. The sun was shining and I couldn't wait to sink my feet in the sand.
"Mom, don't forget the cooler. I've got the beach towels."
"Okay, thanks for the reminder."
When we left the hotel, I quickly realized this wasn't the kind of beach I was accustomed to. I was used to thousands of umbrellas, volleyball nets, blaring music, laughter, kids and sandcastles, guys, and Frisbees. I was staring at
nothing.
"Where is everyone? It's Memorial Weekend."
"I don't know. It's a nice day." Mom shrugged.
"I guess that just means more beach for us. Where do you want to sit?"
"Let's get closer to the water."
We laid out our beach towels and positioned the cooler between us. I took off my sling so I wouldn't have an awkward tan line on my shoulder.
"This is actually really nice. We'll have to remember this beach." I stretched out on my towel.
Mom was already on her stomach. She just nodded. I figured she was trying to take a nap.
We enjoyed the peace and quiet for a couple hours, flipping over like pancakes every fifteen or twenty minutes. The sun beat down and I soaked up every ray. I wanted to take the bandage off my arm, but I knew that wouldn't fly with my mom.
I flipped over on my back and noticed a few light clouds. Within minutes shivering winds moved in behind them. The sand became airborne.
I screeched when I got an eyeful of sand, "Are you freakin' kidding me?" Things only got worse when I started choking on a mouthful of sand.
The wind would stop soon—right? Wrong. The wind picked up and made the sand feel like little razors. The stinging was almost unbearable. I wanted to scream, but feared opening my mouth again. We rushed to gather our belongings before we had no skin left from the sandblast.
Mental Note: For the best exfoliation available, pain aside, come to the Oregon Coast.
We ran back to our room—two females in bikinis trying to outrun sand. Lucas must have been amused when he'd pictured me in my bikini on an Oregon beach.
"I know why no one's on the beach today," I spouted when we reached our hotel room.
"Yeah; not what I expected," said Mom.
I went to the bathroom to rinse sand out of my stinging eye.
"Are you okay?" Mom asked.
"I'll be fine." I patted my red eye with a towel. It was starting to feel better. My mouth, however, was a different story. I rinsed it numerous times but couldn't get rid of the grit. Were my taste buds ruined?
We spent the rest of the afternoon taking turns in the bathroom. Four showers later and I could still unload sand.
I sprawled across the bed hoping the fan would cool my skin. I think it was a mixture of sand and sunburn that made me feel like I was on fire.
"Honey, do you want take-out or do you want to find a restaurant?" Mom asked.
"I'm fine with either."
"Well, I thought we could get something to eat and then go shopping."
"Okay, give me a second to change." I dug through my clothes looking for a lightweight sundress that wouldn't cling to my skin.
The drive was nice, the cool breeze felt good. It only took a few minutes for my mom to find a local restaurant that served the best clam chowder. The garlic cheddar biscuits on the side were my favorite part of the meal.
Mom said, "I've actually had enough of the beach, I have no problem going home. But this is your vacation too. Do you want to stay so we can try the beach tomorrow?"
"Mom, I never thought I'd say this, but I've had enough of the beach myself."
"We'll check out in the morning. You should be home in time for the Andrews' barbeque."
"Aren't you coming with me?"
"We'll see. Right now, I'm exhausted. I think this sunburn has taken its toll."
"Mom, are you all right?" I'd been so wrapped up in my own pity party, I hadn't considered my mom. She looked like a freshly cooked lobster. "We don't have to go shopping. I think we should go back to the room. I'll put aloe vera on your back."
"No, I'm fine. I'd rather walk in the cool breeze."
Our shopping was minimal. By the time we'd started, half the shops were closed, and the others were about to close. It really didn't bother me. I didn't want a memento from this trip.
When we got back to the room, Mom took another shower to cool off. I stood in front of the mirror checking my burn. I actually looked very tan, almost artificially so.
All night, I tossed and turned trying to get comfortable. Mom did the same thing. I got up twice to retrieve buckets of ice from the machine. We were sucking on the cubes like candy. Collectively, we maybe got two hours sleep.
We debated staying one more day, but finally decided we'd rather sleep in the comfort of our own beds for free. Our two hour road trip took four on the way back because we stopped every thirty minutes to switch drivers and stretch.
I'd never been so happy to pull into my grandparents' driveway. I still had time to take a short nap before the barbeque. Mom was already heading up the stairs when she turned to tell me she'd decided to stay home and rest.
My short power nap invigorated me. I figured I could make it through the evening before I crashed again. While I lay on my bed thinking about what to wear, something caught my eye. It was the memory jar I'd made for Lucas. I decided to take it to him so I got an old gift bag out of my closet and stuck the jar in it.
After showering—
yet again
—to see if I could dislodge more sand, I decided I wanted to look cute, so I wore my favorite denim skirt and my aqua ribbed tank top. Other than the sling and the pink undertone to my skin, I thought I looked pretty good. I slipped on my flip flops, grabbed the jar, and ran down the back stairs.
I thought about calling Lucas, but decided it would be fun to surprise him. He always seemed to catch me off guard; today was my chance to do the same to him.
"I'll be back later. Call if you need anything." I ran out the kitchen door.
I was shocked when I pulled into the Andrews' driveway. Cars were parked alongside the road as far back as the turn off to the stables. How many family members did they have? I parked behind the last car, adjusted my outfit and sling, and then headed toward the house.
The front door was open. Feeling a little apprehensive about just walking inside, I decided to walk around to the back of the house. My jaw dropped and I stopped dead in my tracks. What kind of family barbeque was this? There was a huge white tent in the center of the yard with tons of tables covered in white tablecloths.
To say the least, I was underdressed. My modest denim skirt looked awkward compared to the knee length classic sundresses. In fact, no one was wearing denim. The ladies wore dresses and the gentleman wore khaki shorts and polos. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought it was Easter.
I scanned the crowd for Lucas. He was on the far side of the lawn talking to—everyone. Sasha, Evan, and Emily were sitting with Casey, Jack, and Lucas. The scene was surreal.
I eased my way back around the house, hoping no one would notice I was there.
"Hey Eliana."
I looked up. Lily was sitting on the porch swing with two of her friends.
"Hi Lily."
"Are you looking for Lucas?"
"Um." I looked around trying to think of an escape plan. "I think…"
"Eliana, you made it," Carrie said, walking through the front door with a tray of lemonade.
"Hello Carrie."
"She's trying to figure out if she's looking for Lucas," Lily interrupted.
Carrie tilted her head to the side and smiled. "I'll take you to him. He's in the back with his friends."
I decided "friends" was a word they used loosely around here. "Thanks." I stepped onto the porch and followed Carrie into the house.
I heard Lily tell her friends, "That's my brother's girlfriend."
"He has a
girlfriend?"
"I know—I couldn't believe it either," Lily snickered.
We stopped in the kitchen so Carrie could get a tray out of the fridge.
"Would you like some help?" I offered.
She looked at my arm. "I can manage."
I opened the sliding door onto the deck and followed her to the appetizers' table. She looked around the lawn. "Um, I know he's around here."
I wanted to point at him, but I didn't want her to know I had already seen him.
"There he is," she smiled. "Lucas!"
He turned in his seat and his eyes lit. I made a small waving motion with my good arm. "Thanks, Carrie."
"No problem, have a good time."
Lucas met me at the bottom of the deck steps.
"Surprise." I gave a little shrug.
"Surprise, is right. I wasn't expecting to see you until tomorrow." His eyes twinkled.
"Well, this isn't the picnic I was picturing."
"It's an annual thing my parents do."
"I feel sort of underdressed."
"You look beautiful." He leaned in and kissed my cheek. "Do you want to sit or walk?"
"Let's start with a walk."
He laughed and grabbed my hand. "I thought so." He led me to the side of the house and onto the driveway.
"Kiss her!" Lily yelled from the porch.
He shook his head. "Sorry about that, Eliana."
"It's all right, I was thirteen once. So are you going to fill me in?"
"I knew you were going to ask. It's not how it looks. All our parents have been friends forever. We keep the peace at things like this. Most of the time we sit at the same table, but rarely say a word to each other, unless we absolutely have to."
We strolled down the long drive and I remembered the memory jar. "Can we stop by my car? I brought something for you."
"You come bearing gifts. I don't have anything for you."
"It's nothing major, I promise. You'll probably think it's cheesy, but I'm over being embarrassed around you."
"You are?"
"Yeah," I grinned sheepishly. "Prom night tops the chart for most humiliating moments."
"Ah—prom night." He stopped and pulled me close. "Yeah, prom night topped one of my charts too."
I felt my cheeks flush. Lucas took my hand and we continued to my car. Before I opened the door, I said, "Okay, please don't laugh. I won't be upset if you don't like it."
"Just give it to me already."
I opened the door and handed him the recycled gift bag. He peeked inside and smiled. Was he holding back laughter? Did he actually like it?
I watched him take the jar out and turn it so he could analyze the contents.