He

• Rachel Sawyer, Grade 10
• Short Story
• 2010

As summer tans fade, and leaves begin to fall. I watch as the waves lesson into nothing more then a ripple. I feel the gentle breeze blow through my hair as I walk slowly along the boardwalk. I wonder if I’ll ever see him again, that man I fell for. I pray he is still ok. I make myself believe he is. When I reach my porch, I slowly climb the stairs, feeling nothing but loneliness. I sit down at my piano, playing that song we used to play. Starring out at the horizon. “Please Be Ok” I whisper to myself.

The phone rings, I jump to my feet. “Hello!!” I yell. But it was a wrong number. I sit back down at the piano, the notes don’t sound the same, not like when we used to play. It begins to rain, I walk to the window, and sit on the ledge. I could stare for hours. A letter arrives, It is from him, I almost cry, but I hold back the tears, as I read about how things are there. He describes everything from the smell, to the sounds and tastes. It sounds so wonderful. At the end like always he signs with a kiss. I can’t stop myself, I start to cry.

It has been almost 1 year since I have seen his beautiful smile, and smelled his wonderful smell, he always smelled like fresh mown grass, or the breeze after a summer storm. I sit down at the table with my favourite dinner, Chicken Chow Mein, but it tastes nothing like it used to, It still is good, but not the same. As I crunch down on the cabbage, I read his letter over and over. He hasn’t mentioned anything about himself or coming home, I start to feel sad, so I stop.

I walk down the boardwalk again, it is now Autumn leaves are a million shades of browns and oranges, they lay softly on the ground until a light gust of wind blows them further and further from their original trees. The sun begins to set, but it is still shinning brightly high in the sky, still enough for people to be out on the water in their boats, or on their surfboards. I keep going, I stop to smell the few flowers that are left, they are slowly losing their scent.

The Irish Bar has just opened its doors, and people flock in. Cars slowly drive past and children are running around laughing and playing. I decide to keep walking, along the boardwalk, the sun is getting lower, it is now a gorgeous orangey yellow, instead of the pure yellow it was before, It is getting late. I decide to start heading back up towards my home, but something catches my eye, there is some dolphins, jumping happily in and out of the water, I laugh they’re so beautiful.

I turn slowly around, keeping my eyes on the dolphins, but as I look up there he is, Standing in front of me, holding sunflowers, my favorites, smiling at me, tears fill up in my eyes, I can’t stop crying. I run in for a hug, He wraps his long arms around me, he kisses my head, I laugh lightly, I look up at him and he kisses me again, only on the lips. They’re just how I remember them. He is home, He is safe, He is mine.