Anchor's Lifted

The indigo blue sky seemed endless to Aruna and yet she never felt small under it. If the tree's couldn't reach that high, why should she feel anxious about it? The sand tickled the bottom of her feet, queuing her to slip them back into her lavender Crocs. The breeze from the open air and the cool blue water sent shivers down her spine. She didn't mind the wind when it was calm. It helped her think better by keeping her cold enough to focus on her thought's without intruding.

Aruna watched the beach exist. Chesserman Cove was her favorite place to clear the air especially since it was already done for her. The waves gently rushing onto the sand and then running away took every thought she had with them. Aruna appreciated that the water took her in without resistance. She melted into her feelings whenever she was alone with them.

Half the day had already escaped her and from there she felt no need to start anything. She leaned against the smooth surface of her favorite spot. The murky gray rock had highlighted streaks that emphasized that it had been worn away over time. It was the only piece of earth that was imperfect there. It was out of place and an eyesore for no reason. It wasn't too close to the water, or too far. It sat amongst the other rocks and was just not like them. Aruna picked this rock not because she related to its differences but rather because as much as it irked her to not know the cause, the simple audacity of the rock to go against the landscape impressed her.

When she first came to Chesserman Cove, it was for a family vacation. Her mom, Hadiya, had gotten a cabin at the cove for a week after Aruna got out of school for the summer. Aruna had asked to go to disney as a reward for getting straight A's and passing the 9th grade. Instead she was surprised with a trip to a place unmarked on a map and sulked the whole ride. Her dad, Nayden, drove the car and sang Living on a Prayer by Bon Jovi with his best voice the entire time. It was a terrible voice and he knew it. He knew it so well he sang on purpose. Aruna's dad made a performance out of the whole thing. He nodded his head aggressively, trying to imitate the rock and roll signature but his hair was too short to move. His skinny arms gripped the wheel and he used his elbows to adjust his square rimmed glasses. The beaming light from the sun lit up his brown eyes and made sure to emphasize his dark brown skin. The sun gave him a spotlight and he took full ownership of it. Aruna tried to sulk through it but couldn't. She pulled her orange beanie down over her pointy ears and tried to drown out the terrible singing. Her mom faced the middle of the car from the front seat and laughed at the two of them until tears streamed down her face.

"You guys are such dorks." Aruna rolled her eyes and scrunched her body in a fetal position. She pulled the beanie down as far as she could go but her black coils bounced it back up.

"I am not a dork I just happened to be married to one." Aruna's mom lovingly placed her hand on her husband's shoulder. She had a tattoo of an anchor on the border of her palm. It was small but noticeable.

"I don't see why we have to go to this place anyway." Aruna averted her gaze from the tattoo and looked out the window. The tree's seemed to wave at her as she passed by them. She felt an urge to wave back but held back in order to keep sulking.

"We can go to places like Disney anytime and this is only for a week. I think you'll really enjoy it." Hadiya placed her soft hand on Aruna's thigh and gave a small smile. Aruna peered at her mom's honey colored eyes and traced the smile from her eyes to her brown curved lips. Her mother's skin was an even tone of chestnut brown that Aruna admired every time she saw it. Her diamond shaped face was framed by loose brown curls that looked like thick spring coils.

The tree's surrounding the gray Audi SUV began to break up and give way to clear blue skies and an even clearer sea. As Aruna pulled into the beach town she quickly took notice of the blue and white striped lighthouse with a giant black windmill on it. It seemed far away from where they were but she could see it even with her glasses off. When her dad parked the car she finally turned her gaze to the beach house they would be staying in. It was a soft light gray house with a screened porch that faced the beach. The ground quickly changed from gravel to sand as Aruna fought the feeling of sinking into it. She tore off her plain white Adidas and her socks revealing her brown feet disappearing in the slightly heated sand. As she continued up to the house following her parents she stopped to take it all in. She felt a rush of calm over her as her long drive sulk had been washed away. She glanced down at the beach which had changed her mind about the trip all together.

That was almost ten years ago now. Aruna had forgotten all about disney by the time the trip was over and begged her parents to come back every summer. They did and by the time Aruna graduated high school as valedictorian, they had bought the beach house. Then four years later, three years after their divorce, they came together once more for their daughter who had gotten her bachelors, magna sum laude, and handed her the keys and lease.

"It was always yours, Squiggle." Her dad had started calling her that after she had tried so hard to teach a worm how to "worm" correctly when she was three. A year later Aruna was still in her beach house, having never left.

"Predictable." The voice of Charity came from behind her.

"It's no secret that this is my favorite spot." Aruna responded without turning her head. She smirked at Charity's attempts to tease her.

"Yeah yeah. Scootch over Ru." Charity slid down next to Aruna, sending the sand flying.

"How's our view?" Charity asked while she laid her head on Aruna's shoulder and brought her knees to her chest.

"A little nostalgic today." Aruna tilted her head onto Charity's and sighed.

"Missing mom and dad?" Charity's fixed expression showed her exhaustion.

"I can't tell yet. It's the wind though. It reminds me of something." Aruna stayed still hoping the wind would carry the memory back to her in full view.

"It'll come to you."

"How was work?"

"I can't tell yet."

"Funny."

"I know, but I'm not trying to be. It's one of those days where nothing is wrong or right."

"Those days are frankly the worst."

"Tell me about it." They exchanged some sigh's and giggles.

Sharing the view was what made them close when they met. Charity had grown up in Chesserman Cove and usually went away during the summer to her grandparent's place in Chicago. They liked to think that it was fate that let Charity stay the summer after her freshman year and fate that brought Aruna there after hers. It may have been fate for Aruna but Charity had always wondered what would've happened if her parents hadn't believed her when she brought up that her uncle was making her uncomfortable. Either way her parents never sent her back and in exchange she got Aruna.

"I told Nolan that I wanted to travel this morning and I brought up the idea about moving away from the Cove." Charity lifted her head and pulled out her green water bottle from her tote bag. Aruna raised an eyebrow.

"What did he say? How do you feel?" Aruna knew Charity had had the idea to move since college ended and she came home. Part of Aruna hated the idea of Charity leaving but she would never want to be the reason for why her friend didn't go after what she wanted. So instead she smiled and helped her with the research.

"He said that he could feel that I wasn't as confident in our life together as he was. Needed some time to think about what that meant as far as the next steps for us." Charity's expressions always gave away what she was feeling. In this moment it was weariness and in between that feeling was a small bit of relief.

"I'm proud of you for telling him. I'm sure you guys'll figure it out." Aruna gave a reassuring shoulder bump. Nolan and Charity had been together for three years and Aruna relied on them to keep her image of love alive. She had her share of flings but nothing ever stuck past a couple of dates.