The Barefoot Girl

Chapter 26

The sweet Hawaiian air filled my lungs as we finally stepped out of the airplane- at one o'clock in the morning. And that was after gaining four hours. Back home it's five in the morning. I push Katrina towards our hotel and Natalie and Lacy stroll next to me while everyone else lags behind.

I am in a weird mood mix of  really cranky from fatigue and really loopy from the excitement of standing in the great state of Hawaii.

Lacy had slept on the plane and was now the only one with any energy left. She bounces up and down and giggles, clapping her hands like she does when she's thrilled.

Her enthusiasm is rubbing off on Katrina. The two try some sort of awkward patty cake game. Lacy shrieks in laughter as she shuffles sideways and tries to high five Katrina while on the move. Katrina looks happier than I thought she'd be on a long, long time after the accident. I smile at the fact that the two girls who are in the worst physical state are the only two not groaning because of the jet lag.

Once we get to the hotel, (in which we got two adjoining rooms), we immediately start getting ready to rest up. Liam doesn't even bother to change. He climbs on one of the bed and is asleep before his head hits the pillow.

I rub my eyes and hand Katrina's wheel chair off to her mother before taking out the sleeping bag we packed and laying it on the floor. I'm out in two seconds flat.

     ______________________

"Bridge-.... Brrridgey! Briiidge!!!" a fierce whisper and jolting startle me awake. I see Lacy sitting in top of me, grinning from ear to ear. I look at the clock. Bright numbers reading 5:23 blink back at me.

"Lacy, what are you doing?" I groan.

"There's something I want to show you! Actually that God wants to show you!" She exclaims quietly.

"What are you... Talking about?" I ask.

Before I know it I'm being dragged out our hotel room and out the doors and farther and farther until we're... Right out onto the beach.

"Lacy, you know we we're going to spend plenty of time here we don't have to sneak out to go to the b-"

"Ssh!" She interrupts with all the authority of an adult. Then more gently,

"Look..."

I don't even have to ask what she means. The sunrise... It's gorgeous.

I suddenly become very aware of all my senses. The feeling of the sand between my toes and the cool breeze whipping through my hair. The smell of new outdoor air. The gentle sound of waves lapping on the shore and the seagulls making their early morning cries. The ocean mist that I can practically taste at this hour. And the soft yet vibrant colors of an ocean that's colliding with the sun.

It's all so... Perfect.

"Can't you just feel God?" Lacy asks excitedly, spreading out her arms and standing on her toes.

I look in her direction and am reminded of how strong she is. And that little girl, standing there, somehow pulls the whole view together.

I never understood why some religious people would claim a sunrise is proof of God's existence, but in that moment it all made sense.

I nod slowly and reply,

"Yeah... Yeah I... I guess I kinda can."

Lacy lights up more than I thought was possible. And I grin back. Then, with a mischievous look in her eye, Lacy starts walking toward the water. Warily I follow. Soon, we're so close the water reaches out toes each time a wave comes in.

Then Lacy suddenly bolts and splashes me with a cackle.

I gasp and sputter, grinning at the sight of Lacy nearly falling over; she's laughing so hard.

Guess she didn't expect me to strike back.

I put on a sly grin and say,

"So we're gonna play that way huh?"

I splash her back with as much a strength as I can muster.

She's howling and trying to get me back and still remain upright. The war must've gone on for a full thirty minutes before we both back up towards drier land and collapse on the sand, sopping in our perfectly good pajamas and grinning like hooligans. She turns on her side and wraps me in a hug. I kiss her on the top of her head.

We're just couple of crazy kids; coated in wet sand and love.