Reed & Roden

6 / home

His mother always used to say that he's part-fish.

She lives alone in a shoreline home overlooking Coalfell Beach, where topaz sunbursts of light scatter against the calming blue of the ocean during the day. The waves leave seashells spread out across the dark golden sands and the halo of the mountains color the sky. At night, there's no telling where the gray skies end and where they begin, and the ocean seems to sleep while the moon draws so close and stars float in the distance.

Roden, before moving to Saltlake for college and before swimming in chlorinated pools, spent his summers there building sandcastles, learning how to surf, basking in the gentle wind the sea brought and exploring the curve of the coastline until there were no more miles to walk. He grew up to love the water so much that it became a part of him (see: his mother calling him part-fish), but now, he only goes there in his dreams—the memory of the place etched into his mind like a sketch permanently drawn on a page, paint splotched on a canvas, chords strummed to a guitar.

There was a time when, at thirteen, before meeting Reed, he never wanted to leave. There was a high school nearby, why couldn't he go there instead? So he asked, "Can't I live with you? Do I really have to go?"

His mother took his hands. "Your father is going to be lonely if you live here. He has no one in the city, Roden. He only has you."

He has his work, Roden wanted to argue then, but he knew it would only make his mother sad, so he said instead, "What about you? Aren't you lonely?"

She smiled. "I have the ocean with me, Blob, why would I be lonely?"

Blob. It's short for Blobfish, and it's what she calls him. It's also the name he's greeted with the second she answers the phone.

"Hey, Blob," she says, and Roden closes his eyes, letting his senses take over as he hears the sounds of the waves crashing, smells the salt and sand in the breeze, and feels the touch of the sun on his skin—all in her voice. "You haven't called in a while."

Because he misses Coalfell. Because he misses her that sometimes, hearing her voice hurts. "Yeah, I know Mom, I'm sorry. I've been busy a lot with school."

"You sound awful," she remarks, worry instantly lacing her tone. Roden sighs. "Are you sick, honey?"

"Just tired," he says. "How are you?"

She doesn't seem convinced, but thankfully she lets it slide. "Still the same old. The beach is still beautiful, the house is still under my care, the jewelry business is doing good...how 'bout you, my darling?"

Roden leans back against his desk chair and closes his eyes once more. "I miss you, Mom," he whispers, no embarrassment or hesitation or a half-baked truth coating his words. "I wish I was at Coalfell. I miss your pancakes in the morning, I miss your hugs, I miss our fishing trips."

His mom laughs heartily, and it's a sound that fills his chest with warmth that it feels like he could breathe a little better. "I miss you too, Blob. Coalfell surely misses you as well. You can have your pancakes, hugs, and fishing trips after you finish this semester. You're bringing Reed, right? Oh, I'm so excited!"

He pauses. And then, "Mom. I don't know if I'll be able to visit this coming break."

There's silence on the other end too for a few seconds. "Blob, is there something wrong?"

"No," he answers, a little too quickly. With a sigh, he kicks the table in frustration. "No, it's just...I don't know if it's possible yet."

"...alright," she says softly, and Roden knows that she's disappointed but trying not to show it. It's hurting him. "Alright, Blob. Let me know, okay? How is the road to becoming a marine biologist going? How's swimming and how's Reed?"