It all Comes in Waves: The Solitary Joy of the Ocean

Chapter 2

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This was my first time on an airplane and I was so excited to finally be getting off.

Paxico, Kansas to Cape San Blas, Florida was a boring plane ride even if it wasn't very long.

I was told Randy Burton was supposed to be waiting for me when I landed. I wondered if Este or his wife Dahlia would be there with him.

Ten years ago, I hung around with my dad and Randy a lot when I wasn't with Este. They worked in the garage on different old cars, motorcycles, and things like that. I was always fascinated by it and learned a lot from helping them.

My first real job was actually at fourteen, when I helped out in the auto shop, fixing up cars. It was something I liked that kept me busy in town.

I pushed away the memory and started looking for Randy. All I had was my backpack. I worried what he would think of that.

Eventually, I spotted him a little ways ahead of me through the crowd of people. I pushed through and walked up to him hesitantly.

Randy's face relaxed when he spotted me.

"Eileen. So good to see you after all this time." He said genuinely.

"Nice to see you too Mr. Burton." I greeted back.

"Now when have you ever called me 'Mr. Burton?' Just call me Randy." He smiled.

I smiled back.

"I'm  so sorry about what happened. I promise we'll take care of you like our own."

That seemed to comfort me a little. I was a kind of worried about Florida, it probably being very different from Kansas. We had hot days but I knew Florida could be worse. Besides that, I was still anxious of where I would be staying. And the people I'd be around.

People I'd known before, but are almost like strangers with memories to me now.

"Do you have luggage?"

"Two white suitcases." I lied.

We walked over to baggage claim and waited, but of course no two white suitcases with my name on them came around. So naturally, Randy files that they're missing. The employee person says there wasn't any luggage signed to my name.

"We'll see if they turn up. We can replace your clothes and anything you need." Randy smiled.

"Thanks." I smiled back.

We made it out of the airport, and during the drive to the house I had time to think. I watched out the car window to get a feel of the environment. There were pom trees, and we passed many beach shops.

At some point, I noticed we were driving over a bridge. I looked out into the distance and noticed we were crossing some of the ocean. I saw a little bit of the beach and a boardwalk with many people. It looked very beautiful.

I had never seen the ocean before, and that is what caught my attention the most. It seemed so calming. More than what I'd imagined. The way the sun gleamed against the water and made it look like it was sparkling.

I wondered what the sounds of it would be like in person, and the feeling of being in it, the waves crashing against your skin. To stand it front of it and wonder how far into the distance it goes.

I was glad I at least knew how to swim. We had this one large lake at home. Most kids my age would hang around it a lot.

But this made me feel a little more at ease about being here in Florida.