In The Stars To Hold Our Destiny

Epilogue

5 years later...

In the beautiful yet freezing ocean, I'm sitting on my purple surfboard, waiting for the perfect wave.

A little kid, around seven years old, is learning to surf with his father, a man with long brown hair who seems like a cool hippie surf dude and looks to be about my age.

Then I notice a woman with blonde hair and a baby in her hand standing nearby, most likely the mother.

When I notice a really good wave approaching, I lie down on my stomach with my legs straight out and paddle until I am able to get up and ride the wave, feeling completely free.

After an hour, I walk over to my backpack and beach towel, carefully place my board on the ground, put my beach towel around me, and sit on the sand watching this young boy attempt and fail to stand up on his board.

He suddenly gets up, and both parents cheer for him as he rides the wave with a huge smile on his face.

I check my phone for the time, then put on my backpack, stuff my towel into my bag, and carry my surfboard.

Then there's a tap on my arm, and I turn around to see the small boy in front of me with a wide smile. "You're Travis Allen, right?"

I grin. "Yes, I am; I saw you surfing and thought you were doing fantastic."

The little boy laughs. "Thank you, you made me want to learn to surf."

"Can you two take a quick photo?" The father inquired.

I nod my head, "of course."

I get down on one knee and adjust my height to match the young boy's. After we take the photo, the little kid says one more thank you and gives me a big hug before returning to the ocean.

I jump back into my truck and return to my beach house. Instead of becoming a doctor or a lawyer, I became a professional surfer. I dated a number of women throughout the years, but none of them compared to Everly. So I never married because Everly would always be my wife.

I see Everly everywhere; I see her in my dreams, anytime I see sunflowers, and whenever I go surfing.

I've learned throughout the years that the object of this life is to appreciate it and to be happy because it will be taken away from you before you know it. You will face challenges, trials, problems, and many more things in your life, but if you focus on the negative aspects of your life, you will miss out on the positive benefits that have happened. Be kind to the person, even if they are strange, annoying, or ugly. Because we're all idiots.

As the sun sets in the horizon, I return to my tiny beach home and sit on my porch, letting Maggie to join me.

Get out my journal and I start to write: If you have to choose between being correct and being kind, go with kindness. Because you never know what others are going through, and often the people with the biggest smiles are the ones who are having the most struggles, so be kind. And I promise that the kindness you show the person will be rewarded.

                                                                           

                                                                          THE END