The water was calling me.
In this small town called Louise Lane, we are but a small neighborhood where everyone knows each other. It may have always been a gloomy place since the sun was rarely seen but it was also quite a tourist attraction because of the wide beach near the ocean. The profession here was all but a small range of occupation and one of them was being a lifeguard.
I came to this town looking for a distraction from my busy city life and I found my answer in surfing. I became a lifeguard not too long ago after meeting a friend of mine, Luna. She was also a lifeguard who loves the ocean and had the free spirit of life. I met her 3 years back while I was looking for a place to stay. Luna, was the only female lifeguard and had a free room in her apartment. That was how I ended up staying here, living here and also getting a job.
Life here is peaceful. Maybe that was the reason why I never wanted to leave. However, little did I know, that me, being here was the destiny I never expected.
Our daily routine would normally start by cleaning the beach before it’s opened to the public and then we’ll have to take turn in guarding. However, today, we skipped the cleaning and had an early meeting. To my surprise, Luna was absent. She was always a jolly and bright person despite her circumstances at home and was dedicated to her work. But for the first time, she was neither here nor at home.
When the day ended, I decided to look for her in her family house which was a bit outskirt from the town but upon returning home to change, she was on the couch with the blanket on- watching television.
"I didn’t see you today in the meeting.” I asked.
“I was visiting my home.” She answered, blankly.
“Did you leave last night while I was sleeping?”
“Yeah, I did.” She smiled, “Are you sad that I left you alone?” She stared at me with a grin on her face.
“As if.” I turned away to go to my room. “I was happy you weren’t at work because you whined too much.” I entered my room, hearing her whining again from my back.
The next day was same as the usual days we had. The work wasn’t that much and even if there were plenty of people on the beach, we were able to do our work diligently.
The thing about Luna and I, is that we’re good friends but she was someone who doesn’t want to trouble others with the problem regarding her family affairs. The only thing I knew was that she never had the same footing with her father. Her mother died when she was young and ever since, her father started drinking to the brim. He was always drunk and often times, he would hit Luna. At the beginning, she told me that she would cry, begging for him to come to his senses but as she grew older, her tears began to disappear. Somehow the pain, just became bearable. She was so strong that while telling me all this, she showed me her scars, she smiled and often said, “I was made differently than other kids because I survived.”
From the past 3 years that I knew her, she had never once showed her pain on her face. She welcomed everything with an open heart and smile. However, at times when she was all alone at the beach; like now, I could see from a distance that she was always staring blankly towards the ocean. She looked lost and confused, as if, she could not decide whether to leave or to stay.
"What are you looking at?” I went towards her.
“At the sunset.”
“It’s beautiful, right?” I looked at her.
“Very.” She smiled swiftly before walking away, “You know?” She stared...