Color Blind

Chapter 10

The water wasn't nearly as cold this time when we splashed out into the tide. I tried not to get too far out, since I felt heavier than usual and was afraid I might sink rather than swim. Scott and I played in the water for close to an hour, but eventually I became bored and my legs were starting to ache once again.

"Scott, are you tired?" I gasped, spitting salt water from my mouth. I had forgotten that he was a good five inches taller than me and could touch the bottom of the ocean a lot further out than I could. I followed him out as far as possible, but then began to feel like I wouldn't be able to keep my head above water much longer.

Sensing that I was struggling to touch the ground, Scott pulled me into shallower water.

I knew that he was having a ball and probably didn't want to get out, but he said "Yeah, I am kind of tired," anyway.

"Maybe we can come back in later," I suggested, gasping breathlessly as I trudged my way through the waves and safely back to shore.

Why did I feel so heavy?

"Yeah, maybe. Are you hungry?"

The truth was that the thought of eating anything right then made my stomach churn. But I couldn't tell him that after all of the trouble he had gone through to pack such a pretty lunch, so I exclaimed with false enthusiasm, "Yeah, I'm starving! I can't wait to see what you brought!"

Scott brightened and made a grand display of seating me onto the blanket and pulling things one by one from his basket like a magician. I giggled appreciatively.

"Peanut butter and jellyyy..." he waved a hand over it and smiled. "With apricot preserves. I know you like that. Apple juice..." he winked at me, "which is very good for you and the baby." I didn't have the heart to tell him that I had hated apple juice my whole life. "Chips, cookies..." he took both out with great flourish. "Annnd..." he finished dramatically, "pickles!"

I cracked up. "Ugh! Pickles! With peanut butter and jelly?"

His face fell. "I thought all pregnant women liked pickles."

I laughed even harder. "Oh Scott! You are so cute."

He grinned. "That's what I been tryna tell ya." Then he put the jar to the side. "No problem. I'll eat 'em myself." I was a little surprised when he pulled out a small packet of wet wipes and handed me one, before wiping his own hands. "Here you go."

He was killing me thinking of all of the things that I always figured guys never paid attention to. I wondered if maybe his mother hadn't slipped that into the basket when he wasn't looking.

We sat in silence for a while, unwrapping food, listening to the sounds of seagulls flying overhead and the waves crashing up against the rocks. It was getting a little windier than it had been earlier and the sun began to dodge in and out of the clouds.

"Do you think it's about to rain?" I asked.

"Naw. It hasn't even cooled off yet. Those clouds are probably just from the humidity."

I nodded in agreement, but didn't think that Scott really knew what he was talking about. After a few more minutes of trying to choke down peanut butter and jelly and warm apple juice, I began to feel a little sick. I wasn't sure if it was the ever moving ocean or the strong smell of sea water and pickles, or maybe it was the chunky peanut butter smoothed in with slimy jelly, but everything that I had just swallowed suddenly seemed like it was about come right back up. I dropped the sandwich and my hand flew to my mouth. Alarmed, Scott also dropped his food and rushed to my side.