WPFAAT Interlude: Beach Day
So, the next chapter is being difficult. I don't know when I'll be satisfied enough with it to post, so here's a little something to tide you over. Jack and Ennis and a six-year-old Bobby head off for a day at the beach. :) It's short but fluffy.
Bobby yelped and ran away from the waves. When the surf retreated, he darted back out into the wet sand, feeling sand crabs swarm over his feet, hopping around like a crazy person. Jack and Ennis watched from about ten feet away, both certain they could get to him soon enough if a wave tried to snatch their six-year-old away.
They’d been planning this trip for months-years, really, but they hadn’t told Bobby until they knew they had the money. They’d debated over going to the Pacific or Atlantic oceans; they’d made hotel reservations and if they’d had more money Ennis would’ve insisted they get two rooms, though they would only use one; they’d packed towels and blankets and clothes and snacks and sunscreen and the tools to build the perfect sandcastle. Bobby had asked every morning whether it was time to leave for the beach yet, and when it was finally the day, he’d been in the car almost two full hours before they were ready to leave.
Now they were finally here, after seemingly endless stretches of driving, Bobby whining about being hungry, Bobby whining about needing to go to the bathroom, Bobby whining about not being at the beach yet…
Tensions had run a little high on the drive.
But now they were at the beach, with sun and sand and the fresh sea air all around them, and it was hard to be anything but giddy, especially watching how flat-out ecstatic Bobby was. Ennis called him over to reapply sunscreen, because though Bobby tanned well he also burned first and Ennis said gruffly (as he applied the sunscreen gently and tickled Bobby a bit for good measure) he wouldn’t stand for Bobby whining about painful burns all night.
“Daddy, we should move here!” Bobby exclaimed. “It’s so cool!”
“But Bobby, what about your horses and your dogs? Won’t you miss ‘em?”
“They can come too. They’d like the beach!” He ran to pick up another crab shell-he’d already gathered about a million, but his attention span, so short when he had to read or sit still or add numbers, had suddenly grown.
“Come on, let’s build a sandcastle!” He took one of Jack’s hands and one of Ennis’s and tugged them over to where they’d spread their towels and left their cooler. Bobby kicked up an awful lot of sand. Jack kept snapping pictures-pictures of Bobby, his excited grin taking up his whole face; pictures of Ennis, sunshine kissing his golden hair and setting it ablaze, a wide smile on his own face that made Jack catch his breath and snap a few more; pictures of Bobby and Ennis together, grinning at each other and heaping sand into a bucket. Ennis playfully stole the camera and got some pictures of Jack, those dimples flashing, blue eyes bluer with the ocean behind them.
The trouble started when Jack said he wanted a picture of the three of them. At first, Ennis tried to dissuade him with scorn. “How you gonna do that? Be in two places at once?”
“No,” Jack tried not to rise to the bait and ruin their perfect day. “We’ll just ask someone to take it for us.”
Ennis couldn’t even say anything, just gaped at Jack. “No!” He growled. “They’ll think-”
“They’ll think we’re having a good time at the beach and wanted a picture.” Jack felt his teeth start to grind together in annoyance. Why did Ennis always have to ruin everything?
“They’ll…but if we…” Ennis sputtered incoherently. Jack shook his head.
“Fine.” He said quietly. “Forget it.”
Ennis wasn’t as happy to get his way as he’d thought he would be. Jack didn’t have as much for the rest of the day, so Ennis didn’t either. Bobby, six years old and blissfully unaware of any tension, kept right on rolling around in the sand and building that sandcastle. Jack wasn’t moping, exactly-he let Bobby bury him up to his neck in the sand and smiled for the camera-but he was disappointed. He’d just wanted a damn picture.
The sun was dipping below the water and Ennis, half dozing in the sand, listened as Bobby asked Jack where the sun went at night. Jack told him the sun’s daddy tucked him into bed, same as Bobby.
“Who’s the sun’s daddy?”
“Uh…” That one stumped Jack.
“The moon.” Ennis supplied drowsily. “And the stars are guard dogs.”
Bobby giggled wildly and Ennis didn’t fight the chuckle that escaped him. Most of the other families had gone home. Pretty much the only people left were the romantic type, couples watching the sun go down hand in hand.
Ennis sat up, brushing sand out of his hair and trying to decide how best to break the news to Bobby that they needed to start thinking about going back to the hotel. He knew Bobby would probably cry about it, and he hated when Bobby cried. He always gave in. They’d probably end up sleeping out here in the damn sand.
Jack was still clicking away with the camera, getting picture after picture of the breathtaking sunset. Their sunsets at home weren’t exactly boring, but watching the sun shoot purple and pink and orange out over the water was something to see. Ennis felt happier and more relaxed than he could ever remember. It was like, for this one day, the heavy weight he always felt on his shoulders-worries about the stock, about the grassfires going around, about Bobby, about Jack, about the house-was gone. He was even wearing swim trunks and not feeling self-conscious. Well, he was a little self-conscious. He wasn’t really the type of man who wore swim trunks. But Jack had sure appreciated them.
An old woman and an old man were walking hand and hand down the shoreline. They were carrying their shoes and looked completely happy to be together. It made Ennis smile, though he wasn’t usually one to smile at things like that. Suddenly, he stood up. Jack and Bobby both squinted up at him, framed in the falling light with a peach glow around him. He jogged over to the old couple. They watched as his self-consciousness came flooding back, making him duck his head and shuffle his feet. Somehow, the woman heard the words in his mumbles and understood what he was asking. She followed Ennis back over to the towel, where Bobby smiled curiously at her and Jack couldn’t seem to close his mouth. Ennis had just spoken to a complete stranger-and led her back over to them. It was like a horse had just sprouted another head.
“She’s gonna take our picture.” Ennis muttered, flushing red at the incredulity on Jack’s face. He took the camera from Jack’s limp hand and handed it to the lady.
“Smile!” She commanded. The three complied, Ennis looking shy, Jack looking dazzled, and Bobby looking joyful the way only a six-year-old at the beach can.
“That was great.” The woman told them with a big smile, handing the camera back to Jack and walking back over to her husband.
“Yeah.” Jack responded quietly, just for Ennis. “It was.”
Bobby yelped and ran away from the waves. When the surf retreated, he darted back out into the wet sand, feeling sand crabs swarm over his feet, hopping around like a crazy person. Jack and Ennis watched from about ten feet away, both certain they could get to him soon enough if a wave tried to snatch their six-year-old away.
They’d been planning this trip for months-years, really, but they hadn’t told Bobby until they knew they had the money. They’d debated over going to the Pacific or Atlantic oceans; they’d made hotel reservations and if they’d had more money Ennis would’ve insisted they get two rooms, though they would only use one; they’d packed towels and blankets and clothes and snacks and sunscreen and the tools to build the perfect sandcastle. Bobby had asked every morning whether it was time to leave for the beach yet, and when it was finally the day, he’d been in the car almost two full hours before they were ready to leave.
Now they were finally here, after seemingly endless stretches of driving, Bobby whining about being hungry, Bobby whining about needing to go to the bathroom, Bobby whining about not being at the beach yet…
Tensions had run a little high on the drive.
But now they were at the beach, with sun and sand and the fresh sea air all around them, and it was hard to be anything but giddy, especially watching how flat-out ecstatic Bobby was. Ennis called him over to reapply sunscreen, because though Bobby tanned well he also burned first and Ennis said gruffly (as he applied the sunscreen gently and tickled Bobby a bit for good measure) he wouldn’t stand for Bobby whining about painful burns all night.
“Daddy, we should move here!” Bobby exclaimed. “It’s so cool!”
“But Bobby, what about your horses and your dogs? Won’t you miss ‘em?”
“They can come too. They’d like the beach!” He ran to pick up another crab shell-he’d already gathered about a million, but his attention span, so short when he had to read or sit still or add numbers, had suddenly grown.
“Come on, let’s build a sandcastle!” He took one of Jack’s hands and one of Ennis’s and tugged them over to where they’d spread their towels and left their cooler. Bobby kicked up an awful lot of sand. Jack kept snapping pictures-pictures of Bobby, his excited grin taking up his whole face; pictures of Ennis, sunshine kissing his golden hair and setting it ablaze, a wide smile on his own face that made Jack catch his breath and snap a few more; pictures of Bobby and Ennis together, grinning at each other and heaping sand into a bucket. Ennis playfully stole the camera and got some pictures of Jack, those dimples flashing, blue eyes bluer with the ocean behind them.
The trouble started when Jack said he wanted a picture of the three of them. At first, Ennis tried to dissuade him with scorn. “How you gonna do that? Be in two places at once?”
“No,” Jack tried not to rise to the bait and ruin their perfect day. “We’ll just ask someone to take it for us.”
Ennis couldn’t even say anything, just gaped at Jack. “No!” He growled. “They’ll think-”
“They’ll think we’re having a good time at the beach and wanted a picture.” Jack felt his teeth start to grind together in annoyance. Why did Ennis always have to ruin everything?
“They’ll…but if we…” Ennis sputtered incoherently. Jack shook his head.
“Fine.” He said quietly. “Forget it.”
Ennis wasn’t as happy to get his way as he’d thought he would be. Jack didn’t have as much for the rest of the day, so Ennis didn’t either. Bobby, six years old and blissfully unaware of any tension, kept right on rolling around in the sand and building that sandcastle. Jack wasn’t moping, exactly-he let Bobby bury him up to his neck in the sand and smiled for the camera-but he was disappointed. He’d just wanted a damn picture.
The sun was dipping below the water and Ennis, half dozing in the sand, listened as Bobby asked Jack where the sun went at night. Jack told him the sun’s daddy tucked him into bed, same as Bobby.
“Who’s the sun’s daddy?”
“Uh…” That one stumped Jack.
“The moon.” Ennis supplied drowsily. “And the stars are guard dogs.”
Bobby giggled wildly and Ennis didn’t fight the chuckle that escaped him. Most of the other families had gone home. Pretty much the only people left were the romantic type, couples watching the sun go down hand in hand.
Ennis sat up, brushing sand out of his hair and trying to decide how best to break the news to Bobby that they needed to start thinking about going back to the hotel. He knew Bobby would probably cry about it, and he hated when Bobby cried. He always gave in. They’d probably end up sleeping out here in the damn sand.
Jack was still clicking away with the camera, getting picture after picture of the breathtaking sunset. Their sunsets at home weren’t exactly boring, but watching the sun shoot purple and pink and orange out over the water was something to see. Ennis felt happier and more relaxed than he could ever remember. It was like, for this one day, the heavy weight he always felt on his shoulders-worries about the stock, about the grassfires going around, about Bobby, about Jack, about the house-was gone. He was even wearing swim trunks and not feeling self-conscious. Well, he was a little self-conscious. He wasn’t really the type of man who wore swim trunks. But Jack had sure appreciated them.
An old woman and an old man were walking hand and hand down the shoreline. They were carrying their shoes and looked completely happy to be together. It made Ennis smile, though he wasn’t usually one to smile at things like that. Suddenly, he stood up. Jack and Bobby both squinted up at him, framed in the falling light with a peach glow around him. He jogged over to the old couple. They watched as his self-consciousness came flooding back, making him duck his head and shuffle his feet. Somehow, the woman heard the words in his mumbles and understood what he was asking. She followed Ennis back over to the towel, where Bobby smiled curiously at her and Jack couldn’t seem to close his mouth. Ennis had just spoken to a complete stranger-and led her back over to them. It was like a horse had just sprouted another head.
“She’s gonna take our picture.” Ennis muttered, flushing red at the incredulity on Jack’s face. He took the camera from Jack’s limp hand and handed it to the lady.
“Smile!” She commanded. The three complied, Ennis looking shy, Jack looking dazzled, and Bobby looking joyful the way only a six-year-old at the beach can.
“That was great.” The woman told them with a big smile, handing the camera back to Jack and walking back over to her husband.
“Yeah.” Jack responded quietly, just for Ennis. “It was.”