Waves
We sit on the sand by the sea, overlooking the sunset; dark clouds roll in. The waves chaotic, roaring as they crash on. She looks at the horizon, her face scrunched up as if she wants to say something, but the silence remains unbroken. Her shoulders are hunched, partly turned away from me. There’s distance between us, like she’s not even there.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
I poke at the sand, digging my fingers in.
“I finally got Sky to call me back,” I try again, “turns out she just had a cold.”
My hand is completely covered under the sand by now; I press my palm flat against the surface.
“What did you do today?”
“He left,” she says.
We both look at the horizon.
“It was not time yet.” Her breath catches.
“Does death ever come knocking?” I ask.
“It was not time yet.”
I try holding her hand. She reels.
“He was supposed to stay. I have so much to show him.”
She buries her hand underneath the sand like I have. I wiggle my fingers, feeling the onset of the cold.
“Everything turns to dust. Everything leaves. How long before you do?”
She turns her eyes to me. Anger, raging like the waves in front of us.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” is all I can say as consolation.
“I don’t need it. You can keep your darn apologies to yourself, Nora; it’s not like you even know what you’re apologising for.”
I forcefully take her hand and grip it. I don’t know how to help.
“It wasn’t time for him to leave yet.”
I pull her close and kiss her cheek.
“I hate you,” she says.
“I hate myself.”
“I wish the world would just stop. Everything needs to stop. Waves need to stop. Hearts need to stop. This freaking pain needs to stop.”
“So what are you going to do about it, baby girl?”
She looks away again and holds my hands with both of hers. I try to meet her eyes, but I can see there’s nothing there. Unfeeling, cold, numb.
“I’ll go wherever the waves take me.”
She finally squeezes my hand back, stands up, strips and dives into the sea.