The Sea waits for me by Guadalupe Gonzales

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I did not know what to do, but found myself running out to him without regard. I stopped and hestitated for a while to see what he would do. He stepped out of the water, wearing only his underwear, then stretched out his hand and said, I'm Jake, and you, what's your name. Abby, I said. Well then Abby, come in and have a swim with me. I told him, I did not know how to swim. He said he'd show me, and took me by the hand. He spoke with such authority that before I knew it, he had me in the water and was holding me up with his arms in a horizontal position. He told me to hold my head up higher than the level of the water, to cup my hands, pretend I was a doggie and propel myself with my arms and my feet. After a while I could actually feel myself suspended in the water. I felt so happy, I could swim, like a doggie, but I could swim. We must have been out there 4 or 5 hours, but time went by so quickly, that I didn't even notice my father had arrived.

I could hear him calling, come out of the water. I waved hello, but he appeared concerned, and had a stern look on his face. I ran to meet him. He told me to go inside. Then he continued to where Jake was standing, still wearing only his underwear. I could not hear what they were saying, but I could tell my father was scolding Jake, probably for trespassing. Soon I saw Jake turn around, gather his clothes, turn to me and wave goodbye. He began walking back to whereever it was that he had come from. I followed Jake with my eyes until I could no longer see him. I hurried inside knowing my father was cross with me. He entered my room looked at me with a loving concern, but did not say a word. Sometimes silence cuts deeper than any spoken word. Later that evening he came into my room and expressed his concern that perhaps he was not attending to me properly, since my mother had passed on. I told him that I loved him so, and that I would always be his daughter. That seemed to relieve him a bit. Then I asked him about Jake. He told me that he had impressed him as being a bit brash. After remanding him for trespassing, Jake had said, that he could discourage him from coming on his land, but that he did not own the sea. There was a moment of silence, then he kissed me on the forehead and retired to his room. I could not sleep a wink that night, but kept reliving the events of that day.

Another day now, and I could not think of any thing but Jake. I would not move from the porch until I saw him I said to myself. I kept looking in the direction that I had seen him leave the day before. I would look down the sandy shore but could see nothing. The rays of the sun on the sand were now producing ambered colored images on the shore that appeared like water vapors. Then I began to visualize shapes as if a person was walking on the shore. But the shapes never seem to be getting any closer. They would just vaporized and disappear in the distant. Soon I began to think that he was not going to come back, and how I missed him.