Roses
01
As the warm water filled the claw footed tub, it contrasted on my skin against the cold porcelain bathtub. Looking up at the cracked ceiling I close my eyes, wanting to let the water just rise on over my head. Outside my single-pain window the pounding rain rages on. How do delicate flowers or baby birds stand up to that kind of force? Though there is nothing quite as beautiful as raindrops on roses…The thought of roses brings me back to the summer I spent with my grandparents in Nantucket in 1953…
“Be home before dark!” My Grandma shouts to me as I head off to the beach for the day.
“I will,” I reply as I skip down the sandy lane to the shore this little island is famous for. In my right hand I carry a basket containing my lunch and with my left hand I carefully balance a parasol on my shoulder to hide me from the sun. I know this path by heart, as I have come this way almost every day for the past two weeks. Tired of the usual routine, I decide to take a detour, veering left onto an overgrown, barely worn, grassy path.
This little path grew into a cobblestone road, perhaps centuries in age. An old iron fence with a rusty gate at the entrance made me realize this was not a public road, but a driveway. The gate is locked with a lock so old it probably doesn’t have a key anymore. I made sure nobody was looking, pulled up my skirt and climbed over the fence. Safely on the other side I noticed a name on the front of the gate. I reached up to move a branch out of the way so I could read the last name of the family on whose property I have trespassed. In doing so, I managed to accidentally knock over a brass sculpture from the top of the gate of a bird in flight. Unfortunately it fell on the other side of the locked gate. If nobody saw that I can just leave it there. I looked around for any witnesses to my crime.
‘I saw that,’ a young man in a sailor’s uniform said with a smile.
‘Oh!’ I stepped back with surprise.
‘It’s alright; it was bound to fall off any day now.’ He said as he climbed over the fence and put the bird back in his rightful spot.
‘Thank you,’ I said as he climbed back over the fence. I eyed his nice white uniform and hoping it didn’t get dirty from the rusty fence but, miraculously, it remained white.
‘I just got back from Korea,’ he said, noticing me inspecting his attire.
‘Today?’
‘We were supposed to make port in Boston, but something happened with the ship so we were given a day to explore the beautiful island of Nantucket.’
‘Why are you in the Atlantic if you were in Korea?’ I may have been a girl, but I knew my geography.
‘We came back under Africa to pick up supplies.’
‘I was heading to the beach, would you like to come?’ I could only wish he would say yes.
‘I would love to.’
As we walked to the beach we talked about everything from politics to weather to fashion. To my surprise, the beach was completely empty.
‘This is unusual. Normally, on beautiful days like today, you can’ find a spot to put your umbrella.’
‘I guess we have the whole beach to ourselves,’ he said with a smile.
I put down my basket and parasol in the center of the beach. I began to remove my shoes when he sat down next to me and started taking off his own shoes.
‘It’s nice to feel sand again.’ He said rolling up his pants and wiggling his toes in the warm sand.
‘I don’t know your name,’ I stated, rather than asked.
‘James,’ he replied without looking up from the sand.
‘Ethel.’
He turned to look at me with a smile across his perfect teeth and a twinkle in his eye. ‘That’s a beautiful name.’
It was at that moment that I knew I must be dreaming. First, the beach was completely empty and that never happens. Second, there was a very handsome sailor sitting next to me, hanging on my every word like a rope over a pit of poisonous snakes. What did I do to deserve this?
As I gawked at him, he proceeded to wander down to the water and let the waves crash over his feet for a few minutes. Without turning he said in a very distant tone, ‘It’s nice to be on land again.’ I hadn’t really thought about it, but he’d probably been fighting and been in life threatening situations. I stood up and walked to the shore to stand next to him. I put my arm through his and leaned up against his shoulder. We stood like that for a few minutes until he finally said something about getting lunch, so we split the picnic my grandmother had packed me.
The rest of the afternoon we just talked and had fun. We made the biggest sand castle I had ever seen and put a miniature flag on the top made from a stick and some sea weed. It wasn’t until the sun had set and we were lying on our backs finding star constellations that I realized I was supposed to be home before dark.
‘Oh no,’ I said laughing as I sat up. ‘I’m sorry, but I have to go.’ I started gathering my things, but even in the bright moonlight I couldn’t see very well.
‘But we haven’t gone swimming yet,’ he said sitting up to face me.
‘I know, but I really must be getting home.’
‘Come on, they’re not going to care if you’re out another fifteen minutes.’
I looked him over for a few seconds and realized that if we went swimming he would be taking his shirt off.
‘Alright, fifteen minutes.’ I said taking off my skirt. I was wearing my favorite bathing suit and as soon as I had taken my shirt of I ran into the water.
‘Come on!’ I yelled back to him from the salty abyss.
He took his pants off and neatly folded them on the sand and then removed his shirt and started to do the same. Just then the moon shone off his chest and amid the sculpted muscles, I saw a long, jagged, scar that ran from his breastbone to above his bellybutton. I pretended not to notice, but I was so curious. Just then he turned and ran into the water.
Ten minutes later I had to drag myself from the water, despite his pleading.
‘I’m sorry, but my grandparents are going to kill me,’ I said putting my skirt back on.
‘Alright, but at least let me walk you home,’ he said putting his shirt back on, but not buttoning it up.
‘I think I can handle that,’ I said with a smile as I took his extended hand.
We walked home hand in hand, both soaking wet from the ocean.
As I stood on my porch looking into his perfect eyes, I prayed my Grandma wasn’t going to open the door and yell at me for being late, just not right now. James leaned in closer until our lips met in a simple, but perfect kiss.
That night I slept on a cloud without a care in the world. The sun came up and I awoke with a sunbeam casting a rainbow across my wall. I got dressed and wondered down to the dining room to find a note on the table from my Grandma.
“Gone to the store with you Grandfather.”
I had the house to myself for the morning and decided to get the paper. I opened the door to find a dozen roses on my porch with a note attached.
“Ethel,
I really enjoyed last night, I wished it could never have ended. We ship out today, but please write me.
Love, James”
He included his address on the back of the card. I took the flowers and ran up to my room. I cried all day but never got over him.
… The bath water was still warm by the time I finished washing up, so I sat in silence and soaked for a while. When I say warm, I mean not cold, yet. I don’t remember the last time we had hot water here, if we ever did. I’ve been cold for so long. Even in the sweltering summer sun I’ve been icy.
“Be home before dark!” My Grandma shouts to me as I head off to the beach for the day.
“I will,” I reply as I skip down the sandy lane to the shore this little island is famous for. In my right hand I carry a basket containing my lunch and with my left hand I carefully balance a parasol on my shoulder to hide me from the sun. I know this path by heart, as I have come this way almost every day for the past two weeks. Tired of the usual routine, I decide to take a detour, veering left onto an overgrown, barely worn, grassy path.
This little path grew into a cobblestone road, perhaps centuries in age. An old iron fence with a rusty gate at the entrance made me realize this was not a public road, but a driveway. The gate is locked with a lock so old it probably doesn’t have a key anymore. I made sure nobody was looking, pulled up my skirt and climbed over the fence. Safely on the other side I noticed a name on the front of the gate. I reached up to move a branch out of the way so I could read the last name of the family on whose property I have trespassed. In doing so, I managed to accidentally knock over a brass sculpture from the top of the gate of a bird in flight. Unfortunately it fell on the other side of the locked gate. If nobody saw that I can just leave it there. I looked around for any witnesses to my crime.
‘I saw that,’ a young man in a sailor’s uniform said with a smile.
‘Oh!’ I stepped back with surprise.
‘It’s alright; it was bound to fall off any day now.’ He said as he climbed over the fence and put the bird back in his rightful spot.
‘Thank you,’ I said as he climbed back over the fence. I eyed his nice white uniform and hoping it didn’t get dirty from the rusty fence but, miraculously, it remained white.
‘I just got back from Korea,’ he said, noticing me inspecting his attire.
‘Today?’
‘We were supposed to make port in Boston, but something happened with the ship so we were given a day to explore the beautiful island of Nantucket.’
‘Why are you in the Atlantic if you were in Korea?’ I may have been a girl, but I knew my geography.
‘We came back under Africa to pick up supplies.’
‘I was heading to the beach, would you like to come?’ I could only wish he would say yes.
‘I would love to.’
As we walked to the beach we talked about everything from politics to weather to fashion. To my surprise, the beach was completely empty.
‘This is unusual. Normally, on beautiful days like today, you can’ find a spot to put your umbrella.’
‘I guess we have the whole beach to ourselves,’ he said with a smile.
I put down my basket and parasol in the center of the beach. I began to remove my shoes when he sat down next to me and started taking off his own shoes.
‘It’s nice to feel sand again.’ He said rolling up his pants and wiggling his toes in the warm sand.
‘I don’t know your name,’ I stated, rather than asked.
‘James,’ he replied without looking up from the sand.
‘Ethel.’
He turned to look at me with a smile across his perfect teeth and a twinkle in his eye. ‘That’s a beautiful name.’
It was at that moment that I knew I must be dreaming. First, the beach was completely empty and that never happens. Second, there was a very handsome sailor sitting next to me, hanging on my every word like a rope over a pit of poisonous snakes. What did I do to deserve this?
As I gawked at him, he proceeded to wander down to the water and let the waves crash over his feet for a few minutes. Without turning he said in a very distant tone, ‘It’s nice to be on land again.’ I hadn’t really thought about it, but he’d probably been fighting and been in life threatening situations. I stood up and walked to the shore to stand next to him. I put my arm through his and leaned up against his shoulder. We stood like that for a few minutes until he finally said something about getting lunch, so we split the picnic my grandmother had packed me.
The rest of the afternoon we just talked and had fun. We made the biggest sand castle I had ever seen and put a miniature flag on the top made from a stick and some sea weed. It wasn’t until the sun had set and we were lying on our backs finding star constellations that I realized I was supposed to be home before dark.
‘Oh no,’ I said laughing as I sat up. ‘I’m sorry, but I have to go.’ I started gathering my things, but even in the bright moonlight I couldn’t see very well.
‘But we haven’t gone swimming yet,’ he said sitting up to face me.
‘I know, but I really must be getting home.’
‘Come on, they’re not going to care if you’re out another fifteen minutes.’
I looked him over for a few seconds and realized that if we went swimming he would be taking his shirt off.
‘Alright, fifteen minutes.’ I said taking off my skirt. I was wearing my favorite bathing suit and as soon as I had taken my shirt of I ran into the water.
‘Come on!’ I yelled back to him from the salty abyss.
He took his pants off and neatly folded them on the sand and then removed his shirt and started to do the same. Just then the moon shone off his chest and amid the sculpted muscles, I saw a long, jagged, scar that ran from his breastbone to above his bellybutton. I pretended not to notice, but I was so curious. Just then he turned and ran into the water.
Ten minutes later I had to drag myself from the water, despite his pleading.
‘I’m sorry, but my grandparents are going to kill me,’ I said putting my skirt back on.
‘Alright, but at least let me walk you home,’ he said putting his shirt back on, but not buttoning it up.
‘I think I can handle that,’ I said with a smile as I took his extended hand.
We walked home hand in hand, both soaking wet from the ocean.
As I stood on my porch looking into his perfect eyes, I prayed my Grandma wasn’t going to open the door and yell at me for being late, just not right now. James leaned in closer until our lips met in a simple, but perfect kiss.
That night I slept on a cloud without a care in the world. The sun came up and I awoke with a sunbeam casting a rainbow across my wall. I got dressed and wondered down to the dining room to find a note on the table from my Grandma.
“Gone to the store with you Grandfather.”
I had the house to myself for the morning and decided to get the paper. I opened the door to find a dozen roses on my porch with a note attached.
“Ethel,
I really enjoyed last night, I wished it could never have ended. We ship out today, but please write me.
Love, James”
He included his address on the back of the card. I took the flowers and ran up to my room. I cried all day but never got over him.
… The bath water was still warm by the time I finished washing up, so I sat in silence and soaked for a while. When I say warm, I mean not cold, yet. I don’t remember the last time we had hot water here, if we ever did. I’ve been cold for so long. Even in the sweltering summer sun I’ve been icy.