A Day at Salisbury Beach

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We didn’t feel the sun under the faded beach umbrella angled precisely to fend off the vicious rays.  I danced in and out of the waves, adding pretty tiny sea shells and rocks to my growing collection.

  Is it time, yet?

I wanted to go swimming but we had just eaten sandwiches for lunch and I had to wait an hour before I could go into the water, again.  Auntie took my hand to go for a walk.  The water at Salisbury always froze my ankles, but that was just a minor inconvenience for a child.  What bothered me more was Auntie, herself.  Grandma, too, but Auntie was the one holding my hand.  They both looked funny.  They always wore their hair in tight buns.  They wore house dresses and sensible shoes with sturdy heels.  They rolled up their stockings to their knees and everyone could see these rolls when they sat down.  They were so obviously “old country.”  But now Auntie was barefoot so we could wade into the eddies and pick up snails.  My pail was getting heavy with shells. I climbed up the black rocks and looked across the channel to Plum Island.

By the time we walked back to our blanket, the tide was starting to come in.  Dad was asleep after drinking a couple of bottles of Ballentine Ale.  Let him sleep it off.  So we moved the umbrella, blanket, towels and cooler up to higher ground and left dad.  He was asleep with his feet pointing out to sea and his mouth open, snoring away.  Everyone else on the beach moved back like us. 

Beach life continued:
                Mama put sun tan lotion on me.
                My sister buried me in the sand.
                A rogue wave knocked down Auntie.

We watched the waves creep up closer and closer, to dad.  So did everyone else on the beach.

                I rode the waves in.
                We drank lemonade and
                watched the people swim.

We watched the waves creep up closer and closer, to dad.  So did everyone else on the beach.

My sister read her book.
I got sand on the blanket.
My sister gave me her look.

We watched the waves creep up closer and closer, to dad.  So did everyone else on the beach.

Finally, a wave touched dad.
Nothing.
Another wave and another…

Everyone was poised for the entertainment.

He sat up.
He looked around.
He saw everyone laughing.
And he joined in the laughter, too.