In The Stars To Hold Our Destiny

Would you like to go surfing

I checked my alarm clock and saw that it was one o'clock in the morning; I was probably so exhausted that I slept nearly the whole day away. I awoke gradually, feeling a bit weak, and I could hardly see because I had been crying too hard the night before. 

My mother was not in the house when I came down the stairs. I went into the kitchen to see a note she had left on the kitchen counter, which read: Today I am going to the grocery store, then the mall, and I will be back as soon as possible! - I love you, Mom. 

Yeah, she's not going back until dinnertime. She spends only an hour at the grocery store and then the rest of the day at the mall.

I'm sitting at the kitchen table, eating cereal, when the front doorbell rings. I ignore it even though I'm an adult now, I don't answer the doorbell, so they then ring it three times quicker and continue to do so. 

"Jeez, I'm coming!" I say as I roll my eyes and walk to the front door. 

As I unlock and open the door, I expect to see a salesman selling something, but instead, I see Bradley McLawrence standing there with his hands in his pockets, staring at me, both of us silent. 

"I, uh, your mom called me and said she needed me to come check on you, and she told me about you...and Everly," Bradley sighs.

I couldn't think of anything to say. "Oh yeah," I say.

"Travis, please accept my apologies. I was a douche in high school, and after my girlfriend broke up with me after graduation, I knew I needed a friend again, and that friend was you. I'm also sorry about Everly and your impending departure." Bradley remarked. 

I sighed, relieved to see Bradly again. "Would you like to come in?" 

When he walked into my house, Bradley nodded his head.

For a bit, we spoke to each other. Bradley is attending UCLA and majoring in business, as anticipated. 

"Would you like to go surfing before you leave for four years?" Bradley has enquired of me.

I crack a grin. "Yeah, I'm going to go get my bored, do you have yours?"

"Of course, I do!" Bradley said with a smile.

Bradly and I went to our usual hangout spot, which was also where Bradley taught me how to surf. As I park my truck, I get out my surfboard, while Bradley whips off the dust on his blue surfboard, indicating that he hasn't surfed in a long time. 

When we got to the beach, I put on my wetsuit and brought out some old wax that I hadn't used in a long time to wax the top of my surfboard because that's where I'll be standing, while Bradley did the same. 

I step into the ocean, which is chilly at first but warms up as I go. Bradley walks with me, both of us struggling to get over the waves that are pushing us back, but we keep paddling before we reach a calm spot in the sea. I'm sitting on my board, waiting for a wave, and Bradley is out of breath next to me. 

When I see a wave approaching, I immediately turn around and paddle before the wave takes me, then hop back onto my feet and control the board on the wave, as I feel liberated and all of my worries fade away when I catch a wave or go surfing. 

Bradley caught a couple of waves, but only lasted two seconds before falling off his board five times. 

Bradley was getting exhausted after catching a few more waves, but he wouldn't tell me if he was tired, so I pretended to be tired even though I wanted to surf more. 

We both sat on the beach after drying off and enjoying food while the sun is begging to set in front of our eyes. 

"You know, I used to think it was strange that you were dating a blind girl, but as your relationship became stronger, then I realized that it doesn't matter what they looked like; what matters is if they really loved you and if you would do anything for that person. Man, I'm going to miss you. Everly will, too."

I grinned as tears streamed down my cheeks. "Thanks man, I'm gonna miss you too." 

Bradley fixed his gaze on me. "Are you crying, bro?" 

"Yes," I said. 

"You're a child." Bradley was having a good time.

"Shut up," I said with a chuckle.  

Bradley and I sat in the backyard on those white cheap plastic chairs by the pool with food until we got back to my place, him drinking beer but I wasn't because I had given up alcohol, and my mom has returned home and is preparing dinner. 

Then, when my mom was ready for us to eat, my dad arrived back home, and we all ate dinner together, including Bradley. We all watched football after dinner and then something else until Bradley had to leave.

Bradley had to return home, and for the first time, it seemed like my closest friend was back today. It felt like we were freshmen in high school, unsure of what life would bring.

I miss every single second of it.