SOMEWHERE by the Sea

Owen

On her return trip along Ocean Boulevard Faith pulled into the public beach parking lot and parked her Toyota Camry in a space next to a family of four unloading beach paraphernalia from a van. Two boys, the oldest who looked to be around nine and the youngest six or seven, were squirting each other with water pistols and their mother stopped what she was doing to chastise them. "Robbie and Lonnie, if I have to warn you one more time, you'll both be grounded from swimming for an hour!" She glanced at Faith who was exiting her car. "Boys!"

Faith gave her a fake smile and nodded. She needed to get away from this family. If she didn't, she might burst into tears. Stashing her purse in the trunk, she grabbed a water bottle and towel and hastened to the beach. Walking past the pier she had viewed so many times in her tabletop picture book, she couldn't believe she was actually here. Three fishermen were scattered across the pier and a man walking his dog reached to pet him.

Being a weekday the beach wasn't overly crowded and Faith followed the shoreline. She spotted a boulder that lent shade from the sun and spread out her towel. She then discarded her T-shirt in favor of the tank top beneath and rolled the cuffs of her shorts higher. Leaning back on her elbows she watched waves ebb and flow. The beach was perfect for children, and the family she had parked beside was now walking past her. The young mother waved at Faith and smiled, as if they were friends. The father, carrying an umbrella and beach chairs, laughed with his boys and even started to awkwardly chase them, hampered by his cumbersome load.

For a moment Faith visualized herself as the mother and Hammond as the father walking the beach with Charlie. She closed her eyes and listened to the family's laughter, pretending all was right with her world. Seconds later she opened her eyes and stared blankly at nothing. All was not right. Her husband and son were dead and she was sitting on a beach in Oregon two thousand miles from the home they had lived in, and wondering what to do with the rest of her life. Her house in St. Louis was on the market because living there day in and day out with the imagined voices of her loved ones, was making her crazy. Every time a floor creaked or a shutter banged, she turned, expecting to see her husband or child—expecting they could somehow feel her misery and would appear one last time to say goodbye. The very fact that she'd been unable to say goodbye compounded her sadness exponentially. She closed her eyes again seeking peace in the sound of the waves, and unexpectedly felt something nudge her foot.

She jerked her eyes open. A large red dog, probably a collie mix, was pushing a Frisbee against her toe as he retrieved it. For a moment she forgot her sadness and reached to pet the dog that had paused to watch her. "Hello there. Aren't you a handsome fellow?" She gazed around for the owner and saw a boy of maybe nine or ten wearing a blue ball cap approaching her. Her heart twisted.

"Hello, ma'am. I'm sorry about my dog bothering you."

Faith swallowed against the lump in her throat. "He didn't bother me."

The dog returned to the boy who was only a few feet away and laid the Frisbee at his feet.

Against her better judgment, Faith said, "What's your name? My name is Faith."

The boy picked up the Frisbee and said, "Owen." He tossed the toy down the beach and the dog ran after it.

"Do you live in Somewhere?" she asked.

"Yes."

He didn't say anything else so Faith volunteered, "I just arrived today. I'll be staying at the Hope Bed & Breakfast for a while."

The boy's face lit up. "Miz Gabby is a really nice lady and she bakes the best cookies. You'll like her."

Faith's mouth lifted in a smile. "Oatmeal raisin cookies are my favorite. I hope she bakes them."

"Oh, she does. She makes all kinds of cookies. She even sells them at Mr. Lucky's Grocery. The store is only two blocks from Miz Gabby's house and I work there part time. Mr. Lucky pays me to help him stock shelves after school." The boy stopped speaking when his dog returned with the Frisbee and again dropped it at his feet. Owen bent to retrieve it and said, "Guess I better go. But I'll see you again and maybe we can help each other." He turned and ran down the beach.

Faith didn't understand his parting words, but watched him for a long time before lying back on her towel and covering her eyes with her forearm. It was a struggle to keep from crying.

An hour later she strolled along the shoreline enjoying the feel of wet sand beneath her feet. When the sun was past its zenith her stomach growled and she started walking back to the boulder to retrieve her towel. She needed to check in at the bed and breakfast which would begin a new phase of her life, but for some reason she was reluctant to do so. Would doing so distance her from Hammond and Charlie? Would their memories begin to fade? She didn't want them to fade.

She passed a volleyball game in progress and the participants were the family with two boys. The mother whacked the ball, lost her footing, and tumbled laughing onto the sand. She smiled up at Faith. "Hello again."

Faith returned her greeting and added, "You have a beautiful family."

The woman opened her mouth to reply, but Faith was already rushing away. She didn't want to be drawn into a conversation about anyone's family.