One evening.
One beach walk in the rain.
Three or four or five stories being played out...
"Let's Get Away"
A couple, no longer young, and not yet old, married only a few years, but finding themselves entrenched in very hectic busy lives together with their eager dog, Fletcher.
She suggests they dash it all and get away for a few days. He reluctantly agrees, only if they can bring Fletcher and they find themselves on the beach in St. Augustine, only hours from their
home in Gerogia. And although it is raining, they find that the joy of watching Fletcher running and chasing the frisbe in and out of the waves is changing their world, cracking their weary
faces into shameless smiles.
"The Wedding"
She: Do you remember when we decided to get married, we both agreed that we would run into the ocean in our fancy wedding clothes to celebrate in style? Why didn't we do that?
He: We were a few miles inland, if you recall, and surrounded by out of town guests and we couldn't get away.
She: Let's do it now!
He: Now? It's about to rain!
She: So, let's. It will seal our promise to each other, who cares if we get wet.
He: You really want to, now?
She: Yes! Why not?
"Nobody Gets Me, But You"
She: Dad, where are you going?
He: Out to the beach.
She: Again? It's supposed to rain.
He: You worry too much, Baby, God's rain don't hurt me.
She: At least wear your hat.
He: Ok, Baby.
The old man drives his old car to the beach and drags his chair and the satchel that holds the holy book close to the water, taking off his shoes and feeling the warm sand between his toes. He reads the words that are like music to him and writes the notes that help him to remember how they make him feel.
He thinks to himself, I wish Baby could hear what I hear and see what I see when I read these songs. It's like sitting on the edge of the world, looking out into the infinite. What's a little rain to an old man in ecstasy, just more joy! Nobody gets me, except, of course, you, my Lord and Saviour.
It was a very interesting trip down the beach that night.
There were the two young girls taking pictures of each other with a phone, doing hand stands.
I offered to take their photo together and they accepted and immediately posed,
with their backs to me, facing the ocean,
their hands and arms entwined in a kind of pretzel over their heads and thanked me!
I said, how about one looking at the camera together?
Oh, ok!
And at the end of my walk, a young man and woman,
kids really,
playing soccer, one on one,
and she was winning!!
Lots of fun in the rain on the beach.
(These stories are of course fabrications, fantasies, more fun!)
(The photos are real!)
Reprinted from LainesBlog, August 2014, with permission!