A Chair by the Sea

A Chair by the Sea

            Now that I’m 89 years old and weak, I wish I could go back to my high school days. Back then I was Mr. Popular, the most handsome guy in school, the one who made all the girls swoon and sigh. Now, as I sit alone in a rocking chair in a patio overlooking the sea with my graying hair swept by the breeze, I realized that it all wasn’t worth it. Combing my hair for hours, making sure all of my teeth were pearly white, staring at the mirror for long periods of time, I mean all of them. I wish that instead of spending time with those giggly girls who had empty heads I had looked for that special someone who I’d spend forever with.

            My eyesight was already dim, but now I noticed that I could only see a faint trace of blue from where the sea should have been. My chest was tightening, too. I wasn’t that stupid not to know that my end was nearing. I knew I no longer had any fight within me, so I just sat motionless on my chair and waited until finally my last breath escaped me.

            I was awakened by a blinding white light, but instead of heaven I found myself sitting in my old classroom back when I was in fourth-year high school. However, before any thought of confusion could register in my mind, the prettiest girl in our class approached me and asked if I wanted to eat lunch with her.

            Thinking that I was just probably in that moment wherein your life flashed in front of you before you died, I declined her offer so that I could spend my last minute on earth in solitude. Besides, if she found out that she was actually talking to an old man reliving his past, she would’ve run away, too. The girl stomped angrily away, but then she was replaced by another one who, this time, accidentally tripped on the ground beside me. I was surprised to know that I couldn’t remember the pretty girl’s name, but I could remember that this one was called Mary. She was someone I never talked to because she was often bullied for her unruly hair and natural carelessness. Mary quickly apologized and turned away before I could say anything else. For once, I wanted to do something different, so I called her again and asked if I could talk to her.

            “Me?” She asked again, probably wondering why someone like me would talk to her. I nodded, and she cautiously took a seat beside me in case I was just pulling a prank. As she settled down, I couldn’t help but notice for the first time that Mary was actually a beautiful woman. Her brown hair looked golden under the glare of the sunlight streaming from the window behind me, while her gray eyes shone like the moon. Feeling my time start to run out, I went straight to the point and told her what I was thinking. She blushed right to the roots of her hair, but to keep her from being embarrassed further I changed the subject and started asking her about the topics in class I had trouble with back then. Being an intelligent girl, she was able to answer every question. We talked and talked for a whole hour, but time seemed to stop because the bell never rang to stop the conversation. Soon I began to feel my chest tightening, and I knew that my time was over. As a final remark, I asked her out for lunch, but the blinding white light returned and consumed me before I could hear her answer. I guess I would never find out.

            Much to my surprise, when I opened my eyes I was back in my rocking chair but this time I looked around thirty again. There was not a single gray hair on my head or a wrinkle on my hand. I still didn’t quite understand what was happening, but I just let whatever be, thinking that I was still hallucinating, and continued rocking back and forth.

            Suddenly, someone touched my hand, and I almost jumped out of my skin to see a stunning woman sitting in a similar chair beside mine, with a young boy and girl sharing some of her features and mine playing quietly in a corner. She asked if I was okay, but I wasn’t able to answer as I absorbed the fact that a grown Mary was sitting beside me, wearing a ring similar to one that was on my finger, and what seemed to be our children still playing contentedly in one spot.

            Mary slipped her arms inside mine, and we just stayed like that as I relished her warmth and listened to the pearly laughter of the children. A smile slowly formed itself on my face as I realized that I was given a chance to rewrite history and I had done the right thing. That small conversation with Mary had changed the course of my life, and those times when I chose to ignore her in my first life had been my biggest mistake.

            However, now, I could spend an eternity with Mary and our children, without a trace of regret and nothing but happiness in my heart.