Can You Hear the Ocean?

PART 2: Morning Tide

The warm summer sun cast its rays down heavily on the shoulders of the two young girls as they rode their bikes down the cracked, sizzling pavement. The roads leading down to Kennebunkport were quiet today, allowing Mia and Leila to ride with ease down the middle of the street. Past the trees and houses, Leila could just make out the ocean's azure waters peeking through.

"Bet you I can make it down there first," Mia said. Before Leila could even accept the challenge, she hunched her shoulders and sped up her pedaling, pulling ahead of Leila.

"Good try! My legs are longer than yours!" Leila shouted, quickly increasing her pedaling.

Together they raced down the hill to the ocean's shore. The ocean breeze felt refreshing in the humidity, and both girls let out shouts of glee as their bikes sped down toward the oceanfront. The sound of seagulls cawing above them felt like music to their ears. It made both of them wish they had wings.

Mia's brakes screeched as she halted by the pier.

"Beat you!" Mia exclaimed.

"Okay, okay, you win," Leila grumbled. She removed her helmet and ran her fingers through her hair that had become tangled from the helmet. Reaching for the hairtie on her wrist, Leila put her hair up in a ponytail. Mia, meanwhile, located a nearby bike rack and began locking her bike up. The breeze lightly tousled Mia's hair as she did so. 

As they locked their bikes, Leila happily boasted to Mia about how she was able to lock up her bike all by herself now, considering that just a few weeks earlier, Mia would have to constantly demonstrate how to do it. Mia had been the one who suggested purchasing a lock, considering Leila's other bike had been stolen the summer prior when she had left it sitting on the sidewalk. Her mother had been furious when she had come home that day with no bike, though Leila hadn't minded much. After all, she'd gotten to sit on the back of Mia's bike and ride home with her.

The two girls entered a small icecream shop. The prices were cheap, which made it affordable for two ten-year-olds, but luckily, the taste was still delicious. Both scanned the icecream display with intensity. For Leila, the choice was easy. Mint chip. Mia, on the other hand, was never good at making decisions.

"What about caramel?" Leila suggested. The suggestion was not meant to be forceful, though Leila could already feel her icecream dribbling down the cone and onto her hand from how long Mia was taking to order. 

Mia frowned. "I had that one last time."

"Chocolate chip?"

Mia didn't speak. Rather, she made a disgruntled sound.

"What about something fruity? Strawberry?" Leila suggested.

"Ooh! I'll try that one!" Mia exclaimed to the cashier. She pointed to an unnaturally pink and blue icecream pint in the corner. Cotton candy. Mia happily exchanged her cash for the cone, and the two of them walked with their bikes and icecream cones down to the shore.

"How's the cotton candy one?" Leila asked.

Mia frowned. "Honestly, a little too sweet, but I don't mind."

The bikes moved slower as they stepped onto the sand. They found the nearest bike rack to lock their bikes up once again and walked down to the seashore to finish their sweet treat. The tide was still low in the late morning, and ahead, sailboats grazed the water.

These were the days that the two appreciated the most, when the sun was shining all day, the air was warm, and there were no school responsibilities. Sometimes they liked to fill their days with busy activities, but on perfect days like today, they simply enjoyed walking along the shore and sharing conversation.

"How was your vacation to New York?" Leila asked Mia.

"It was super cool! We saw a bunch of skyscrapers and the Statue of Liberty and all this other cool tourist stuff," Mia explained.

Leila smiled and listen to Mia recount her stories. Finally, when Mia seemed to have run out of everything to talk about related to New York, she asked Leila, "What about you? Are you going on vacation anywhere?"

"To Florida to go to Disney World. It was my brother's idea," Leila explained.

"That'll be fun!"

"I'm kinda nervous. I haven't been on a lot of rides, and I hear it's even more humid down there," Leila commented.

"You're so scared of everything new," Mia complained. "I'm sure you'll have a blast, Leila."

"You think?"

"I know," Mia assured her. Suddenly, her eyes were focused on something in the distance. Her lips spread into a smile and she grabbed Leila's hand.

"Look! Dolphins!" Mia exclaimed.

Leila clung tightly to her hand and followed her. In the distance, they could both see the curved fins of a pod of dolphins gently falling and rising on top of the waves. Mia looked briefly back at Leila and smiled, and the two continued running down the shore, hand in hand, as far as their legs would take them.