Page 4 of Guided by the Stars
We met years ago in a group home, and Nora’s right. I love her. She is more than my best friend, we’re like sisters. Iremember when I met her she was this shy, quiet person. Now, she is still that way, yet she has a fiery side to her. It took me a while to see the real her with her past weighing her down. Her story is one not many people go through. I had seen kids come in and out, but the night she cried in her bed I remember it broke my heart. It was a pain I had not known. My mother had died, but not like her family. There was an instinct in me to go to her and I laid with her and said, “One word.”
She said, “Broken.”
After that it just became our way of communicating sometimes, one of us would say, “One word.” Then the other would choose the one word to best describe our feelings.
From then on we were always together, even when she was adopted out of the system. Bill and Jane were great and wanted to adopt me, but the system had flagged me as a problem child. I didn’t care. I was glad Nora got out. I had lived most of my life in it, and I was used to it.
I see Nora’s eyes widen a bit and a blush creeps up her cheeks. I turn around and find the reason. Or should I say reasons. “They look almost as delicious as this grilled cheese,” I say and it causes her to blush harder. It is so fun to make Nora blush, especially because it comes so natural to her.
“Shush, they will hear you,” she says, smacking my hand and making me laugh. She even looks over to make sure they haven’t noticed us. “Plus, you know me. I mean they are easy enough on the eyes, but I need that spark.” I smile kindly at her because I love that about her. She is a hopeless romantic, and so far has had shit luck in finding her one true love. Not that I think it exists, but if my best friend thinks it does, then I will be there rooting for her to find it.
***
We arrive at our next destination, Kyparissia, a while later and I can’t stop yawning. I didn’t think sitting on a bus for so many hours would be this draining, but I’m hoping to find another coffee somewhere.
We checked into the hotel, and the hotel porter led us to an enormous suite on the ground floor. Our room number is ‘tria’ according to the lady at the front desk. She mentioned an old myth, something about the three powerful gods and how lucky the number was for us. Let’s hope it’s true.
Once inside, we grab our swimsuits and cover-ups, and throw them on before heading to relax on the beach. It’s mid-afternoon, the sun is blazing down on us, but a soft breeze picks up as we get closer to the shore.
On our way to one of the shaded huts lined up in the sand, we stop at a bar. We both order an Ouzito, the Greek version of a mojito, even though I find that the regular ones taste like grass. When in Rome, I guess? Or Greece I should say.
The sand is hot beneath our feet as we carry our shoes and get settled on the lounge chairs beneath the shade. We lather ourselves in sunscreen and enjoy the warmth on our skin before getting wet.
The water is a deep crystal blue. There are various activities set up along the shore and a volleyball court nearby. There’s even an attractive lifeguard sitting atop his throne, waiting to jump into action if needed.
Once again I feel the pull to the water. I ignore it for now and look at all the men on the beach. After all, it’s tourist season, and I lower my sunglasses so I can stare. There are men with tattoos and piercings with their golden-tanned skin on display for everyone to look at.
“Let’s go for a swim,” I say and Nora looks at me. She is turning red from the heat, we have been laying out for a fewhours. She obviously feels the same as I do because when I mention it her eyes light up.
She smiles at me and we take off in a jog toward the water. The closer we get, the softer the sand becomes, our toes sinking in and leaving footprints. Warm, salty water splashes our ankles and a laugh bubbles up from my throat. We pause, recalling what happened before. Even though we feel a pull to the water, we hesitate looking out at the ocean.
The water is calmer today than it was last night, no gigantic waves that might take us under, and we make our way further and further out. Stopping when the water reaches our necks, we both stare out, enjoying the vast expanse of water that seems to never end. A sense of relief and calm take hold of me from being in the water. It’s almost like I belong to it.
I kick my feet up to float on my back, gazing up at the blue sky. There’s only one small fluffy white cloud in the shape of a turtle.
The water is silk against my skin, not cold, but just the right temperature to stifle the heat. Nora and I have always loved the water, we’ve gone to as many beaches as we could, but nothing matches this.
As we glide through the water, I get lost in the sensation against my skin. My body breaks through the waves like a hot knife through butter, and the thrill it provides is out of this world.
I stop for a moment and notice I’ve pulled ahead of Nora and I give a whoop of excitement. We’ve raced several times in the past and we normally keep pace with one another. Today, it’s as if I am one with the water. I’m in a state of euphoria, these waters seem to speak to my soul.
When she catches up to me I notice that we have swam out further than I thought, unable to touch now, but the wateris still so clear beneath me. The fish are swimming below us, seeming to ebb and flow with the current, having no worries in the world besides finding food or seeking shelter from predators.
“Wow, I can’t believe how far we swam out. How did you get so fast, anyway?” she asks. That is a good question. “Do you think we should head back in? Last time we came out this far...well you know what happened.” A shudder courses through her body.
“I don’t know. I didn’t notice any difference,” I say. Though I could see better, which was weird because last night the salt water had stung my eyes. Today I felt like I was just gliding along. I look around, noticing there are not as many people this far out. I point back towards shore, and Nora nods her head. I see her swimming and that’s when a fin pops out of the water. Panic grips me and I call out to her. She doesn’t hear me. I swim faster towards her. I fear I won’t reach her in time. I would rather get eaten by a shark than her. Nora is goodness and that is something so hard to find in this world.
Before I even get to her, I hear her laugh. I stop and see her with a dolphin. I swim closer, and she runs her hand along the dolphin’s head.
“Look who came to say hi,” she says. Smiling, I shake my head, relief coursing through me.
Dolphins are social creatures, but I’ve never really seen them just come up to people. Nora plays around with the excited dolphin. It’s making all these clicking noises at her and she’s bobbing her head up and down as if she can understand it.
The dolphin finally makes one last noise, throws water at us, and swims off. I look at her. “That was crazy, right?” I say.
“No, he just wanted someone to play with,” Nora says and swims off back to shore. I keep up with her easily and leavethe topic alone. I mean, she’s always been more in tune to others than I have, so maybe she just knew?
We reach the shallow area and start walking toward the beach. “That was weird, A, like I knew what it wanted. Like this instinct or something took over in my body.”
