Harvey smiled at Marilyn. She was sprawled out in the sand. They had been given the day off for Independence Day, and they had decided to spend it together.
"I thought you said Wes and Elizabeth were coming." Marilyn smiled up at him.
"They said they would, but if they decided to spend their day alone, who are we to stop them? After all, that just means we get to spend the day alone together." He leaned down and kissed her.
"How is Grace holding up?" Marilyn looked up at him, "I know you don't want to talk about it, but she hasn't been to work since Monday, and I'm concerned."
Harvey took a deep breath. "It's hard. She's been spending a lot of time at the shipyards with Wes. On Monday, she had a realization that made her question everything she thought of herself, and I think that's the hardest part of this for her."
Marilyn nodded, deep in thought, "And what about you?"
Harvey looked out at the ocean. "I grew up with two older brothers. The only one of us that knew Kenneth longer than me is Lawrence. It's a strange thought."
"That doesn't answer my question."
He nodded, "I knew he was sick. I've known for a very long time. It was only a matter of time before he couldn't fight it off anymore. It's difficult, but it's no surprise. I'm going to be okay. Maybe not today, or tomorrow, or in a year, but eventually, I'll be okay. Life goes on." He looked down at her, "how long did it take before things went back to normal when your brother died?"
She sat up to look him in the eye. "It didn't." She smiled softly, "I know that's not what you wanted to hear. Once you lose someone you're so close to, it's like a part of you dies with them, but you learn to deal with the pain. The sooner you admit that it's inevitable, the sooner you'll be better off. Like you said, life goes on."
Something sparked in Harvey. He already knew that Marilyn was different than any other girl he had met, but hearing her speak so wisely of such a difficult subject, and knowing that she could relate to his own pain, made him want to spend the rest of his life with her.
"You're so special to me, Marilyn."
She smiled, "You're special to me, too."
He shook his head, "I don't think you understand, there is something about you that I just can't place, but I can't get enough of it."
She grinned, "Is it the humorous twinkling in my eye?"
"Yes." He said simply, catching her off guard. "It's your hair, and your smile, and your intelligence, and your witty remarks. It's everything about you."
"Careful there, Harvey. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're falling in love with me."
"I'm not afraid of falling."
She grinned and turned to the ocean, "I'm afraid of heights."
He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, "Are you afraid of the horizon?"
He felt her shoulders quiver in a chuckle, "I can't say I am."
"Then that's where we'll go." He smiled, "We'll chase the horizon."
"We'll be chasing something we can't have."
"Well, I did the same with you, but look where we are now."
YOU ARE READING
The Kids Are Alright
Historical FictionGrace Becker and her brothers all had their reasons to leave home, but when they were all assigned to work at Pearl Harbor, a naval base in Hawaii, none knew what their fate had in store.
