Riptides, Raspberries, and Really Cute Boys

#3-Summer at Philpott Lake (Summer Writing Contest Week 1 Entry)

So, I am participating in a Summer Writing Competition, and I figured I would make all of the challenges/one-shots related to summer so I could add onto this (because I haven't done that in years....). Anyway, this first one-shot was based around the setting of a lake. I could choose anything else that I wanted. So, please, enjoy! :D

Lucy Carlson, age forty-four, sat on the front porch of her Virginia home eating a Carolina peach. The juice dribbled down her chin and she wiped it away with the sleeve of her shirt while the warm evening air blew through the trees. When she had sucked all of the flesh off of the seed in the middle, Lucy threw the remainder past the porch and into the trees. It bounced a considerable amount of times before coming to rest in the crook of an elm tree root, but not before sparking the interest of the springer spaniel, Kona, that lounged at Lucy's feet. Kona was up and running after the seed, tripping over his own feet and the roots of giant trees that littered the front yard. When he returned with the seed in his mouth, Lucy let out a quiet chuckle before her face contorted back into a frown. She could hear her children inside, bickering, and she knew that she should go and intervene, but she no longer had the energy. The musty air ignited memories within Lucy; memories that she had been trying to forget.

It had been five months since her husband's death on the very lake in which they met, and although Lucy had revisited that lake millions of times within her mind, she had not been able to work up the courage to go to the lake house and clean it up. Richard, her late husband, would have wanted her to keep the house--for the kid's sake--but Lucy didn't think she could ever go back without succumbing to the pain of her memories, so she convinced herself that she would sell it because it proved to be a liability otherwise. Her sister, Sarah, had agreed to watch the kids while Lucy went to the house and prepared it for selling. She was due into town that night, and Lucy sat on the porch waiting for her, attempting to block out the pain of the last five months.

Richard and Lucy had always been the "it couple." Everyone loved them and other couples strived to have a relationship like theirs. They had met up at the infamous lake--Philpott Lake. Both of their families were camping and the two teens developed a remarkable friendship that spanned throughout highschool and college. Although the two had been friends for most of their lives, they did not start dating until their senior year of college when they went on a trip up to Philpott Lake with a bunch of friends. It was there, at the lake where they had first met, that the two blindly lept into a relationship that would last for another twenty-some years.

Sarah arrived late, per usual, and she was still apologizing to Lucy as they walked through the house. Both of the children were in bed by now and Lucy wandered into the kitchen with Sarah directly on her heels, carrying her bags. "I'm just so sorry," Sarah gushed, plopping her bags on the cold tile of the kitchen floor before hopping on top of the counter and kicking off her shoes. "The traffic was horrific and of course, I didn't have anything ready. I've always been a procrastinator."

"Sure, make yourself at home," Lucy mumbled, pouring herself a glass of wine and heading out of the kitchen. She was not in the mood to make small talk.

"Luc?" Sarah called lightly. She had slid off of the counter and was now standing, shifting from foot to foot and wringing her hands in front of her. Lucy turned around. "I just wanted to let you know that I'm proud of you, and I think you're making the right choice...going up there and cleaning it up, I mean." Lucy nodded her thanks and left the kitchen, heading to the master bedroom. She was certain that Sarah could find her way; she always had before. She felt bad for deceiving her family, though. She hadn't told any of them that she was selling the house. The thing was, she couldn't not sell the house. A part of Richard still lived in that house and it haunted her, just like the bedroom haunted her. She wanted--no she needed--to sell the lake house in order to give it new life. Lucy settled onto the small couch in her bedroom like she had done the past five months, avoiding the bed completely. She hadn't been able to sleep in that bed since Richard's death, and, although she woke up every morning in aching pain from sleeping on the couch, she could never bring herself to sleep anywhere else.

Hunter, Lucy's nine year-old son, came into the bedroom that night like he always did. He never woke her up, but he simply sat on the floor beside the couch, clutching his knees to his chest. He didn't enter the room to find solace and comfort from his mother; he entered the room to comfort her. Hunter was well past grieving for his father. He had accepted that he was gone and would forever cherish the memories that he had made with his father in the nine short years he had known them. Hunter wished that his mother was able to move on. It had been a difficult five months for Hunter and his sister Sophia. Their mother had extracted herself from them and the two were constantly fighting in unsuccessful attempts to gain her attention. It never worked, and Hunter hoped that, with the lake house clean, they would be able to have a nice family vacation, albiet missing one member.

The next morning, Lucy headed up to the lake house, kissing both of her children goodbye and deciding to take Kona at the last minute. If anything, the dog would provide her some company at the quiet lake house. The hour drive passed by in a flash, and Lucy found herself simply going through the motions to get up the house. She had been there enough times to find the house with her eyes closed, and it was a good thing because Lucy cried almost the entire drive.

When she arrived, she immediately went to the lake, attempting to find comfort in the water laping at her feet and the few boats that were littered on the water. The sun was just dotting the skyline and the early morning blue of the sky reflected off of the glistening water. A few kids scrambled by in chase of a kite that flapped well above the trees, and Lucy could hear fisherman yelling from boat to boat. Kona was splashing in the water and Lucy rolled up her pants, sticking her own feet in. A small stick drifted by and Lucy picked it up, throwing it out to Kona. He splashed through the water to grab it and Lucy produced a small smile. Kona came over and layed the stick down at her feet, looking up at her with his tongue sticking out. Lucy turned and headed back to towards the house. She had always loved the smell of the lake in the early morning, but she had business to take care of.

On her way back to the house, she ran into her neighbors. They gave her pitying looks, and she tried to ignore them, but nosy Mrs. Goodman came over.

"Lucy, darling," she gushed. "How have you been since the..."

"The accident? We've been managing."

"I am just so sorry for your loss. If you need anything, don't be afriad to ask," Mrs. Goodman said, patting Lucy on the arm. 

I'd like for you to leave me alone. Lucy simply nodded, however and headed back to the house to attempt to erase the memories of her husband.