Lost at Sea || Shawmila [Completed]

I was catching my breath staring out an open window catching my death

Camila sat at her desk, trying to ignore the deafening noise of New York traffic that seemed to have poured into her apartment. Attempting to stay focused on her work was far from easy, not when all she wanted was the tranquility of her own home, and especially not when her mind was fixated on just one person. The fact that her editor had asked her to select some of her latest poems for a new publication didn't help in diverting her thoughts. She had been flipping through the pages of her journal for hours and hadn't found a single poem that wasn't about Shawn.

In the few weeks since she had left, she had questioned many times if she had made the right decision, but she hadn't yet found an answer. So, she committed herself to fill every minute of her life with activities that made her forget - even if momentarily - what had happened. She tried to bury her emotions under the weight of her work responsibilities, immersing herself in the intricacies of the short volume she was working on, even creating small drawings to include in the final print. Eager to escape the apartment where she sometimes felt like a prisoner, she took long walks through New York neighborhoods and along the cobblestone paths of Central Park, losing herself in the details that surrounded her. Often, she sat on one of the many benches and discreetly observed the passersby. She was amazed to witness life's unrelenting course, indifferent to people's desires and hopes.

She witnessed scenes of all kinds: carefree children having snowball fights, young lovers strolling hand in hand, couples on the brink of divorce, widowers sitting and contemplating the frozen pond. What role did she play amidst that multitude of lives? Would she ever become a mother or a wife? The way things were going, probably not. The only thing she was certain of was her work, to which she returned shortly after, resigned.

Not much time had passed after she settled at her desk when the annoying ring of the phone joined the cacophony of noises that were disturbing her. Irritated, she picked up the receiver and brought it to her ear. She was surprised to hear her father's deep voice on the other end. Normally, she would have been happy about it; after all, her father had always shown genuine affection towards her, despite some questionable decisions he had made in the past concerning her. But that day, her father's voice was dark, troubled, certainly hesitant. Camila had never heard him like that before, and a shiver of concern ran down her spine. "Dad, is everything okay? I wasn't expecting your call," she asked, inadvertently squeezing the receiver in her hands.

She heard him exhale a heavy sigh. "No, actually something has happened... it's about Shawn." Camila felt her blood run cold. She still had no idea what had happened, but she knew it wasn't anything good. Neither of her parents would bother calling her for mere gossip. "He's gone missing at sea," he finally admitted.

Camila felt her heart sink, her grip on the phone tightening. "What? Shawn? Missing?"

Her father's voice was thick with emotion. "Yes, they were out on the fishing boat, and there was a storm... the boat capsized or was crushed, I'm not sure, and they couldn't find him. They've been searching, but... Camila, we don't know where he is."

"I... I don't understand. How... how did this happen?" Her voice trembled, and she struggled to comprehend the gravity of the situation.

"They said the storm was fierce, and the boat was hit by a wave. Shawn was thrown overboard, and they couldn't reach him. Camila, I'm so sorry."

Tears welled up in Camila's eyes, her emotions threatening to overwhelm her. "No... no, this can't be happening."

"I know, sweetheart, it's just... it's a terrible tragedy," her father sounded genuinely sorry. After all, Shawn had always seemed like a good young man to him, and he often wondered if pushing his daughter to leave home had been a huge mistake. Maybe he shouldn't have listened to his wife. But now he knew Camila was hurting, he could sense it even from miles away, and he hated the feeling of helplessness knowing he couldn't do anything to help her or the man lost at sea.