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Previous Challenge Entry (Level 4 – Masters)
Topic: BEACH (09/01/22)
We met over French fries.

I thought I was the only one who dipped French fries in dark chocolate. On Day One, we started talking about food. Then the beach, which turned out to be both of our favorite places on earth. Then college. Who would have believed we were both kinesiology majors?

Darren got me. He got my quirks. His dad abandoned him when he was a kid. My dad’s a pastor and he somehow managed to do the same thing, even living under the same roof.

Day Two we went to the ocean. A cold off-shore breeze whipped my hair into my face, but warmth raced through my body when he tucked the strands behind my ear.

Day Three we told each other we were soul mates. Thank God it was winter break, so we could meet up every day. He was a North Carolina native. I had come here to get away from home.

“We’re meant to be together, Nicole,” he told me on Day Four, while we sat side-by-side on the beach.

As the sun descended into the clouds and set them on fire, I felt his heartbeat through my hand on his chest. “Yeah, we are.”

He kissed me. We embraced madly, sandy hands entwining in each other’s hair.

Day Five I woke up in his arms. I’d never felt so safe.

The days of winter break passed with such peace, such passion. Mom texted me, asked when I was coming home. I told her about Darren. Told her I was dropping out of school to stay in North Carolina.

She never texted me back.

Day Forty I threw up in the toilet. Didn’t say anything about it - or about missing my period. Later, Darren took me out to dinner, to his favorite oceanside restaurant. I took a pregnancy test in the bathroom and showed him the double lines.

Day Forty-One I woke up alone.

I cried into my pillow, crushing his goodbye note in my fist. I texted Mom. Told her. Begged to come home. She never responded.

I knew she wasn’t ignoring me. Dad would have told her I got what I deserved.

Was that true? Did God punish women for having sex out of wedlock?

Darren left me the apartment. He took the money. I had to get a job while I decided about an abortion and saved up enough to get back to Rhode Island.

I tried going to church. Don’t know why I did that.

I thought about God. My grandma once told me you could never do anything to make God love you less. But all my dad ever said was God disciplined his children. Growing up, I’d pictured God like a prison warden carrying a club.

Maybe my dad had been right all along.

I made an appointment for an abortion. Canceled it the night before. Got fired from my job. Made the appointment again.

Unemployed, I walked down to the pier every day. The beach, the echoing symbol of what I had thought was love, no longer felt safe. No longer felt like home.

Day Sixty-Three I made my daily pilgrimage, trying all the way to call my mom’s phone. Then my dad’s. Nothing.

Storm clouds hung like islands above the water. The waves clawed at the gray sand, grabbing like greedy fingernails.

I stood at the water’s edge, called my mom’s number one last time.

Nothing.

The gray horizon blurred behind tears.

“Nicole?” a voice called from outside my grief.

I blinked, tried to identify the figure jogging towards me. What? “Dad?”

He stopped in front of me. Never in my life had I seen tears in his eyes. The powerful figure of a preacher, the self-proclaimed man of God, couldn't meet my gaze. “Nicole. Baby, I am so . . . so sorry.”

“What are you doing here?”

“I came to . . . to bring you home.” He lifted his eyes to mine. “If you want to go.”

Home?

“The baby - have you . . .”

“No,” I answered quickly.

Relief flooded his gaze. “Nicole, I am so sorry for the way I’ve treated you. I shunned you when you needed your family. I’m so sorry.”

“Dad . . .” I whispered, unable to believe in this fragile reckoning.

He drew a breath to steady himself. “God showed me how wrong I was. Your baby will be a blessing. You are a blessing.”

His words washed over me like a wave of grace.

Day Sixty-Three I went home.
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This article has been read 396 times
Member Comments
Member
Date
Karen Dick 
09/12/22
The writing of your story is creative and your descriptions of the emotions involved were well done. This is a difficult subject to write about. Good job.
Laurie Kiel 
09/15/22
You took me on an emotional roller coaster with this one. Your descriptions were so poetic and well done. I almost cried when the dad showed up. Great job of a difficult but oh so important topic.
C D Swanson 
10/20/22
My goodness! You managed to bring forth a myriad of emotions and profound messages in your limited word entry!

Excellent job with the topic, the conflicting moments, and challenging circumstances overall.

And the "going home" part brought tears to my eyes.


Thanks for this story, it was beyond powerful!

God Bless~