𝕊𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕙𝕚𝕣𝕖

Bruners Bay

"Sapph" murmurs Henry. He shakes my shoulder lightly. "Sapph" he says once more, shaking my shoulder again. "Sapphire!!!! Wake up!!!!" Screams Talulah. "Lu, can it" hisses Henry from his spot in the passenger seat. "Well she needs to wake up, or else the cars behind us will start a riot." As soon as the words tumbled from Talulah's lips, the car behind us started honking. "Are we here!?" I say alarmed, rubbing my blurry eyes. "Yeah we docked a few minutes ago..." Henry says carefully. "Frickin shit!" I hiss, as I change the gear of my car and start the rickety engine.

After a long car trip from Los Angles, I decided to nap on the ferry to Bruners Bay. Not only was the two day drive with my dorky twin siblings a lot, but the stress of having to see Miri after all these years was getting to me. My Grandmother, Miriam Webb was a handful. And the direct reason why I had avoided visiting Bruners Bay a majority of my childhood. I figured I needed as much rest as possible to deal with the shit storm that was surely ensuing.

Now I wish I didn't pass out in the front seat of my beat up Camaro, and the chorus of car honks agreed with me. Once the car started up, I sped down the ramp. Turning onto a familiar forested highway. The same old signs littered the side of the road. Advertising diners and ice cream shacks. The same places I went to when I was younger. "We should get ice cream" Talulah says over the sound of our car's engine. "With what money Lu? I'm in if you're paying!" I smile at her through the mirror. "Mom used to keep cash in the glove box..." Henry says in a hushed tone. Eyeing the glove box from his seat. I reach over and open it. Sure enough there's a few twenty's lying there next to a few tubes of lipstick. Likely all my moms favourite dark red shade. "Ice cream on mom, I guess then" I say grabbing some cash. I pull into the next exit, stopping the car right outside Laverne's Creamery. I unbuckle my seat belt and step out of the car. Henry and Lu stay seated in their seats, their faces holding that same somber look. "Come on guys! What flavour are you getting?" I call trying to cheer them up. "Something with chocolate." Lu says hopping out from the backseat. "Me too." Henry replies unbuckling from the passenger seat.

The air was nice and cold in Laverne's. Polaroid pictures of families with ice cream are plastered all over the pastel pink walls and a neon 'Open' sign hangs in the window. "How can I help you?" A young teenage girl asks, her permed hair pulled together with pink scrunchy.

"I'll have two scoops of Rocky Road, with sprinkles and fudge sauce in a chocolate waffle cone." Lu exclaims looking up at the girl behind the counter. The teen girl gives me a look, silently asking if Lu's order was all good with me. I quietly nod at her, I know better than to separate Lu from her chocolate. "I'll have what she's having." Henry says quietly. "Me too." I say with a smile.

We walk out of the small cold store, to the blistering parking lot. We take a seat at the picnic table, hiding our ice cream under the weathered umbrella.

A car's engine begins to rumble up the windy road. A pitch black car with yellow stripes speeds into view. The driver, a guy about my age with gelled blonde hair scowls. He stares blankly forward, speeding up when he passes the stores nearby. "Who pissed in that guy's coffee!" Lu exclaims covering her ears from the sound of the engine. "What an asshole." She mumbles shaking her head. "Lu!" I exclaim, trying my best to shoot her a disappointed scowl. "It's the truth! He's gonna murder someone speeding in his car like that!" "He's a total asshole, but use eight year old words please." I say with a smile. "What do you want me to say! That he's a 'poopy head'?! Who do you think am?" She laughs, causing Henry to giggle along with her. Soon enough we're all laughing our asses off, cackling in front of Laverne's Creamery on a grey March afternoon.