Waves

CHAPTER 07

(Rosie above)

NORA

It was nearly one o'clock when Nora finally began to dry her tears. She stumbled to the bathroom and splashed her face with water, swallowing an ibuprofen tablet as a preventative for the soon to be coming headache, and then cut her brownies.

Still sniffling but not nearly as much, Nora grabbed her plastic knife and sliced through the pan. She piled a quarter of it, about six brownies, onto a paper plate and covered it with cellophane wrap to take to Rosie's. The rest, she put a top on and slid against the corner of the counter against the wall, to be eaten after dinner.

Nora slipped her KEENS on again and walked over a block to where she remembered buying the surfboard from. It was a short, but very pretty walk. The gardens in front of the houses on Rosie's street were all tended quite well, and beautiful flowers that Nora didn't know the names of were blooming everywhere. The grass was bright green, and birds sung in the trees, too.

Rosie was working in her garden when Nora arrived.

"Rosie!" Nora called as she walked up the sidewalk.

The old lady looked up, and her whole face lit up when she saw Nora. "Well hello there, dear. I was wondering when you would come and see me!" She gasped in excitement.

"Hi there," Nora said, grinning at her. She held up her plate, "I brought brownies!"

"Well, I have some milk inside. Why don't we go have a snack together?" Rosie suggested, which Nora immediately agreed to.

She followed the lady inside her home, smiling at the look of the pink carpet and yellow painted cabinets. There was a floral print couch, and an old, padded rocking chair in the living room, as well as a television that looked pretty new. Nora also spotted a few photos of a younger version of Rosie holding hands and hugging a kind looking man. Both of them looked so happy...Nora concluded that they must have been married. She wondered what happened to the old man, but did not ask.

"Now, let's give those brownies of yours a try," Rosie said, bustling around the kitchen and grabbing two glasses. She pulled out a carton of milk and poured it into the glasses, before clapping her hands together.

Nora opened the cellophane wrap keeping the brownies from falling off the plate, and slid it across the counter. She watched carefully as Rosie picked up a brownie and tasted it.

"This is amazing," Rosie told her after a moment, her eyes wide with surprise, "You'll have to give me your recipe!"

Nora blushed, "Thanks," She said bashfully.

"Where did you ever find this recipe?" Rosie asked, her voice edged with curiousity.

"My mom. It was my mom's," Nora said softly.

Rosie's eyes softened as she saw the grief on Nora's face.

"You lost your mum, didn't you?" Rosie asked.

Nora nodded numbly. And then she changed the subject.

(}--|#!#|--{)

At three o'clock, Nora was waiting next to an outcropping of rocks that Talia called 'Flat Rock'. Talia would be a bit late, since she lived a little farther from the beach than Nora, but that was alright. Nora sat on the railing and watched the waves smash against the rocks. In the distance, she could see the lifeguard tower where Mouse was at work. She wondered where he was at that moment.

A buggy was racing down the sand away from where Nora was, and she watched it with interest.

"Hi!"

Nora screamed, nearly falling off the railing.