At the Edge of the Ocean

On August 15, 2011, Christian Thomason shot out of bed, ready for the 3 weeks that were spread out before him. He’d been waiting for this day for five months when his parents first told him and his sister about it.

They were vacationing to St. Petersburg, Florida, and he couldn’t be more excited.

The last time the whole family went on vacation together, Christian was only three years old and his sister was six, so obviously he wasn’t old enough to enjoy it or even remember it. He had so many plans for this vacation. He was going to learn how to surf, he was going to eat tons of seafood, and get a wicked tan. And maybe if he was lucky, he’d meet some pretty girls along the way. After his last relationship, he hadn’t really looked at other girls. He was hoping this vacation would change that.

He had his bags packed the night before, so he was ready to take them to the car.
As he made his way down the stairs with both bags in hand and his brown hair freshly gelled, he saw a man standing in the front doorway. He was wearing a Burgh’s Restaurant and Lounge shirt with the sleeves ripped off, and jeans that were cut at the knees. He had light brown hair that was slightly spiked up in the front. He was leaning against the doorframe with his dusty combat boot settled on the wall. It was his sister’s boyfriend, Larry.

“Hey man,” Christian said, “what are you doing here? We’re getting ready to leave.”

Larry looked up to where Christian was standing and grinned. “I’m going with you guys.”

“That’s awesome, man!” Christian smiled.

As he tramped down the rest of the stairs, he couldn’t help but wonder how Brittani convinced their parents to let Larry come along. Not that he was complaining. It would be nice to have a guy closer to his own age coming along. His dad was a cool guy, but he couldn’t keep up with seventeen year old Christian for too long.

He continued on his trek outside and tossed his bags in the trunk of the off white van his parents rented to drive down to Florida. His sister came out with two bags of her own and tossed them in next to his.

“Hey Christian,” she greeted, smiling at her younger brother.

“Hey,” he replied, “how did you get mom and dad to let Larry come along?”

She closed the trunk and leaned against the back window, pushing her brown curls behind her ear. She was a beautiful and gentle looking woman, and the blue sundress she wore perfectly complimented her brown eyes. Most people wondered what she saw in her boyfriend of three years, who was a little rough around the edges. She was very angelic and soft, and she aspired to be a school teacher. Larry was a mechanic. Regardless of what people said about their relationship, she never doubted her love for him.

“I didn’t,” she said, “they offered. I didn’t even know about it until he came over this morning with packed bags.”

“That’s weird,” Christian mumbled, but didn’t take in any further.

When Larry and his parents came out of the house each holding bags of their own, he knew it was about time to leave.

“In the car everyone!” his father called out.

Christian got in the car and sat behind the passenger seat. With his headphones in, he put on ‘Boys of Summer’ to set the mood of the summer he planned to have.

‘This is going to be great,’ he thought as he closed his eyes and leaned his head against the window.