A Collection of Short Stories
Waiting
Ever since I was ten, I’ve been spending my summers here on this island. My two younger sisters, eight and six, and I would stay in our parents’ bungalow with our nanny. Now, I’m sixteen and our nanny doesn’t even bother.
I’m waiting here, on the dock, for my childhood friend. We used to spend summers together, but he stopped visiting this island two summers ago. And now he’s coming back. He texted me this morning to wait for him here at around two o’clock. I checked my watch - it’s four now. This is something Peter would make you do - wait for him and then show up hours later, or maybe, not show up at all. Still, there was something about him that I didn’t want to miss.
I take my slippers off and let my hair out of its bun. How long am I still going to wait?
“Young lady, what are you doing here? It’s an awfully hot afternoon,” a woman whom I vaguely remember as my nanny’s friend. The thing about being in this small island is that all the adults knew the teenagers just in case they were messing around.
“Oh, I’m just… hanging around,” I said, uneasily. When you’re sitting down without wearing slippers, it’s kind of hard to make an excuse.
“Hm, okay young lady. Keep yourself safe. Don’t stay out when it’s too dark,” she warned me and walked away.
As soon as she left, I saw a boat nearing the dock. I squint, trying to see if there was a face I know on the boat. Sure enough, I see familiar dark brown hair and a familiar cheeky smile. I checked my watch - it was five thirty.
I’m waiting here, on the dock, for my childhood friend. We used to spend summers together, but he stopped visiting this island two summers ago. And now he’s coming back. He texted me this morning to wait for him here at around two o’clock. I checked my watch - it’s four now. This is something Peter would make you do - wait for him and then show up hours later, or maybe, not show up at all. Still, there was something about him that I didn’t want to miss.
I take my slippers off and let my hair out of its bun. How long am I still going to wait?
“Young lady, what are you doing here? It’s an awfully hot afternoon,” a woman whom I vaguely remember as my nanny’s friend. The thing about being in this small island is that all the adults knew the teenagers just in case they were messing around.
“Oh, I’m just… hanging around,” I said, uneasily. When you’re sitting down without wearing slippers, it’s kind of hard to make an excuse.
“Hm, okay young lady. Keep yourself safe. Don’t stay out when it’s too dark,” she warned me and walked away.
As soon as she left, I saw a boat nearing the dock. I squint, trying to see if there was a face I know on the boat. Sure enough, I see familiar dark brown hair and a familiar cheeky smile. I checked my watch - it was five thirty.