Page 33 of Ten Years Later
Dana passed aWelcome to Florida!sign. She drove by an exit bustling with interstate activity. Two exits later, one single gas station sat back and isolated.
Perfect.
She put on her signal, veering off.
A hot and humid September day greeted her when she stepped out. The only customer at the station, she pumped gas, staring at Emily the entire time.
Eighty dollars later, she recapped her tank.
Dana started the engine. Air conditioning flowed through the vents, sending the smell of putrefaction.
She ignored it.
The blanket Dana used two nights ago at a rest stop laid on the passenger seat. She placed it over Emily, hiding her from prying eyes.
Dana locked the SUV and went into the gas station. She used the restroom and then bought a Red Bull.
“Where you headed?” the clerk asked.
Dana stared.
“Saw your Oregon plates. Headed to Disney?”
“Oh, um, the beach.”
“We got a lot of them.” The clerk grinned. “Which one?”
“I don’t know the name, but I remember how to get there.”
“Well, that’s all that counts.”
Why Dana kept talking, she didn’t know. “I was there two years ago with my daughter. She loved it so much I promised we’d come back.”
The clerk handed her a brochure on Disney. “Well, if you change your mind, I understand Mickey is a big hit.”
“Thanks.”
Outside, she tossed the brochure in the garbage. Back behind the wheel of the SUV, she took the blanket off of Emily.
It took Dana two and a half hours to get to that exact spot Emily had fallen in love with.
Luckily, the SUV came with four-wheel drive. Dana engaged it, easily finding the same location as before. A few people scattered the isolated area, walking and playing on this hot day. She imagined how packed it’d be tomorrow on Labor Day.
She opened all the windows and turned off the SUV. A salty and moist warm breeze flowed through the vehicle, taking Emily’s smell with it.
Dana watched the few beachcombers come and go. One person forgot a boogie board. Dana stared at that board as the water took it here and there, eventually beaching it. Hours ticked by. With each one, the area emptied a little more. A little more.
Eventually, the sun set behind her in the west.
Dana took her shoes off. She opened the driver’s door and stepped barefoot onto the sand. She took her hiking shorts off and tee, leaving her bra and panties on. She circled the SUV, opening Emily’s door. For a few seconds, she stared at her daughter, still beautiful despite her discolored and swollen face. Dana combed her fingers through Emily’s thick and easily mussed hair. Dana pretended she was alive and excited to be back here at the place she loved so much.
Unclipping the seatbelt, Dana gently lifted her daughter out. She pressed a kiss to Emily’s head. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I’m so sorry.”
Supporting her slight weight, Dana walked across the dark beach. She picked up the forgotten boogie board and went into the ocean. Warm water lapped against her bare arms and legs. It flowed smoothly over her stomach. In the moonlight, a wave swelled. Dana held tightly to Emily as she used the board to float up and over it.
Soon the water deepened. She placed Emily on the board and swam.
And swam.
