A Day at the Beach
By Tim Russ
“They call them periwinkles.” She smiled at his lack of knowledge.
“The bugs have always lived in the sand like this?”
“Yes, as long as I have been alive.”
“I always thought it was fun to bury your feet and your body in the sand. Now I find out that there are all sorts of crawling things living down there. Yuck!”
She laughed without reserve. Though he was older he seemed to be completely ignorant of anything that was common knowledge. But then, he was from a land locked state and probably had common knowledge that would make her seem like a hick if they had been near his home.
John stood up and brushed the sand from himself. Then he started screaming wildly as he ran toward the ocean’s edge. She wondered why men always seem to be making some sort of noise just to enjoy themselves. She dismissed it as the inner child that never seems to grow up in men.
It was a gentle day. Like a mother it caressed her with its soft breezy touch. She could smell the perfume of the salt air. There was no other smell quite like it on earth. The clouds were all scrunched up like cotton balls torn out in bunches that revolted against the idea of separation.
“Hi Susan!” Gloria waved as she jogged by and turned to jog backward as she awaited the reply that connected them as friends.
Susan waved with both hands and giggled and jumped up a couple times. “Hi!”
“Time for a swim.” She laid aside her sun glasses and began walking toward the gentle surf. The hot sand wormed its way between her toes as she left footprints that the wind would soon destroy. It was one of those clear water days. A day when you could see the ocean floor as far as you could see water.
She braced herself for the ocean impact. Waves, no matter how gentle were something to be respected. The ocean was always grabbing something in its embrace and it cared not a whit whether it was living or inanimate.
How warm the ocean was today. It was almost as if someone had taken the time to run a warm bath for her. She quickly made her way into deeper water where she could begin the closest thing to flying man had ever discovered.
“Gotcha!”
Just as she was going to dive in to begin her swim, John grabbed her. He had been swimming underwater and coming from behind so she couldn’t see him. She splashed head first into the water unprepared for the topple. Though it didn’t hurt her she was very upset.
“You idiot! Why did you do that?!”
He smiled at her and winked. Never one to explain himself, he slipped over next to her and put his arm around her waist. “Wanna go again?” He got that devious smile on his face and she knew what was coming. She gasped for some air. “Splash”
It was all she could do to keep from chuckling underwater. This wasn’t going to be easy. He was in one of those moods again. She swam about 30 feet before surfacing again and quickly surveyed the area to find the saboteur. He was nowhere to be found even though the water was clear. Of course he could be right out in the open among all these people and she wouldn’t see him. She dove under the water, took a ninety degree turn from her previous direction and surfaced for air. Once again, she took a ninety degree turn the other direction and submerged.
She spotted him when he surfaced. He had been doing the same thing. No wonder she hadn’t spotted him. She had outsmarted him, though. He was looking in the wrong direction. She slithered back under the water, like an eel stalking its prey. They both surfaced and she stooped down in the water so that only her eyes and the top of her head were visible. It took two more turns of playing sub chase before she caught him.
She was just ready to dive for his legs when he turned around and grabbed her. He laughed in a maniacal impersonation. “Thought you had me didn’t you?” Before she could reply he pulled her close and kissed her. She beat his back for a moment. Just enough to be respectable and then she relaxed into the enjoyment of being loved.
“I’m tired. I’m going to soak up some sun for a while.” She pushed him away and headed for her beach towel.
“Aw, who wants to lay around in the sun? Susan? Hey, Susan, lets go play some beach ball.”
She ignored him. It felt good to dry off with the beach towel. She pulled the lotion out of her bag and tossed it to him. She knew just the smile and look to give him to turn him into a weepy little slave.
“Man!” He sat down next to her and she rolled over on her tummy.
Warm day, warm ocean, warm lotion and warm hands. Life was great. Nothing to worry about. At least not today. A few minutes later she rolled over, took the bottle from him and finished the application. John, was cleaning his hands of lotion by rubbing sand all over. What exactly was it about men that made them so allergic to the least bit of lotion?
“Oh, no” Susan groaned. “Here she comes again.”
John looked up and saw Sarah making her way toward them.
“Hi Susan. Hi John.” Sarah smiled and waved as she neared their private section of beach. “Hey, have you guys heard about the new coffee house opening in town?”
Sarah handed them each a flyer prominently displaying the banner, “The Bean Pole”.
“It is a place to hang out with all your friends without the regular hassles.”
“You mean it is a place to get preached at don’t you?” Susan tried not to glare as she said it.
“Aw, come on, Susan.” John said. “Why don’t we try it at least once?”
“Oh NO!” Susan thought as she saw that devious little smile of his again. “He is doing this on purpose! I’ll get him for this!”
“Sure, Susan” Sarah chimed in, “it can’t hurt to try it at least once. If you don’t like it after that I won’t ever bother you to go to anything else. I know I can be a pain sometimes with all this stuff.” Sarah’s voice trailed off as she added the last part to her comments. She looked down the beach at nothing in particular.
Susan thought she could sense just the slightest redness in Sarah’s cheeks and wondered if she hadn’t been a bit hard on her in the past. She looked at the flyer again, not really knowing how to handle this situation.
John was elbowing her in her ribs and grinning like a crazy man. He looked toward Sarah. When he saw that she was still scanning the beach he looked back at Susan and winked. “I’ll go if you’ll go, Susan.”
Sarah turned and stared at John. “Oh would you John? That would be great!”
“Only if Susan agrees to go”, John said. He turned to Susan, “Well, what do you say, Susan?” He sat there with that stupid grin on his face.
“It looks like I don’t have any choice. What time do you want us there?” she asked.
Sarah squealed with glee, “Seven o’clock. We have a special singing group and speaker that’s going to be there tonight.” She turned and sprinted down the beach before anyone could change their minds.
Susan slapped John’s shoulder hard enough to leave a red mark. “Why did you do that?!”
John laughed, again not answering, and launched a tickle attack that reduced her to tears.
The Bean Pole was an old storefront that had been revamped. It had colorful paintings outside and posters and specialized graffiti inside. There were pool tables, ping pong tables and regular chairs and tables. It smelled of hamburgers and donuts. They had a small grill where you could order things.
Susan didn’t want to be here but since John and Sarah had backed her into a corner she felt the least she could do was suffer through it and she would be done with it forever.
“This isn’t so bad. I’m going to get us a couple drinks. I’ll be right back.”
John left her sitting alone in the sea of piranha. She cautiously surveyed the room. All the local religious fanatics were here. John quickly returned. “I hope nobody we know sees us in here.” she said.
Sarah stood up and introduced the band. It was a new group that didn’t play very well but at least it was loud and they didn’t play Amazing Grace or songs like that. Susan began to relax a bit as the band played.
“John why did you get me into this?”
“I don’t know”, he said. “I just wanted to tease you. Besides, these guys aren’t so bad. I mean they’re convinced they’re right and all but then, who isn’t?” John just shrugged. He never seemed to think about how things affect your relationships. Susan began to wonder if she hadn’t misjudged him.
The band stopped playing and their speaker walked out on stage. “Hello, my name is Jeremy. I’ve been asked to share a few thoughts with you tonight. Now, before you all dry up and blow away I’ll let you know that I’m not going to preach at you and I’m not going to be long.”
Susan noticed that he didn’t look like a preacher. He was a little older than they were and he dressed halfway ok. He wasn’t carrying one of those big black bibles. She didn’t even see a bible. “It will all be over soon and I’ll be done with it.” she thought.
Jeremy continued, “I know that most of you probably enjoy the beach..” Susan perked up. The beach was one of her favorite subjects. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
“Jesus talked about the beach. He compared two peoples lives. One of them had built a house on a sound foundation and one of them had built a house on the beach.”
Although Jeremy looked around the place as he talked Susan had a sneaking suspicion that Sarah had talked to him about her and John. He seemed to be looking at them and talking directly to them. This was almost a complete charade, him pretending to look and talk to the others. “I’ll get even with Sarah for this if it kills me!” she thought.
“Each of us is building a house. We may not think we are, but we are. Our lives are houses. Each of us live in our own house, the one we built. I know you probably don’t think about it much but every house does need a foundation.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Susan thought. “I’ve heard all this before.”
John was so stupid. He seemed to be actually enjoying all this drivel. She looked around the room and saw Sarah sitting at the far table with a couple of her friends. They weren’t even paying attention. They were praying. “How rude!” she thought.
“God loves you so much that he sent his son to die for you. The blood of Jesus, shed on the cross, can be the mortar for the bricks in your foundation…If you will only allow it.”
“My God, is he serious?!” she thought. “How absolutely gross! I have to get out of here. These guys must be in some sort of cult!”
She touched John’s hand and harshly whispered, “Let’s go. NOW!”
John looked confused. “You go sit in the car, I’ll be out when they finish.”
“No way am I going to stand up and make a spectacle of myself. Come on. Let’s go!” She pinched his arm.
John glared at her and turned his attention back to the speaker.
“God wants so very much for you to enjoy your lives on this earth and to enjoy eternity with him. I’d like to offer each of you the opportunity to change foundations and move into a new house. A home full of love that is built on Jesus.”
“Thank God”, she thought. “He’s finished.”
Jeremy signaled the musicians and they began playing soft music. It still wasn’t that stodgy old church music but it was designed to force folks to become fanatics. “It isn’t going to work!” she vowed to herself.
Jeremy bowed his head. “Father, as we come to you tonight we ask that you touch those that you have called to eternal life. We ask that you make yourself known to those whom you love so dearly and have chosen tonight. Cause them to understand how very much you love them.”
“Won’t he ever be done?” she thought. The cold room seemed to get a little warmer. Leaving suddenly didn’t seem so important to her anymore. The warmth poured over her like the gentle breeze she had felt earlier on the beach.
“I love you”, the voice spoke gently to her mind.
“Oh great, I’m going nuts!”
“I really do love you, Susan.” the voice spoke again.
In the midst of the warmth she felt a shiver go down her back. This was impossible. Sure, God existed, but he didn’t go around talking to people in coffee shops.
“I have loved you since before you were born. Listen to what Jeremy is saying.”
She felt as if she was in another world. Not knowing what to do, she simply obeyed the voice. She turned her attention to Jeremy.
“God is speaking to some of you. I can tell that his Spirit is working in the hearts of several of you. If you would like to become a Christian just come up here to the stage and we’ll help you.”
Susan looked up as John stood and left her alone at the table. She turned to see Sarah and her friends raise their hands and begin shouting. Why were they crying?
The warmth seeped through her to her very core. “I won’t pressure you. It must be your decision.” The voice seemed so soothing.
“I can’t. I just can’t do this. I mean, I know you’re probably God an all but this is nuts.” She began to shake ever so slightly. She felt the tears begin to well up insider her. She just couldn’t allow herself to cry. Not here. Not now!
“Whenever you’re ready. I’ll be here. I just want you to remember. I love you”
The sadness and resolve in the voice was more than she could take. The unconditional love it bore. The patience. The gentleness.
She had been looking down to at the table top. She noticed that her hands were covered in wetness. “Oh, God, NO!”
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Susan,” it was Sarah, “would you like to become a Christian?” She looked so differently now. Not like the hard core fanatic Susan had once seen her as being. She nodded as the tears poured down her cheeks. She was unable to talk and barely able to stand.
Susan helped her to her feet and they began to walk toward the stage.
“This is the easy part, Susan”, Sarah said. “It's like a walk on the beach.”
By Tim Russ
“They call them periwinkles.” She smiled at his lack of knowledge.
“The bugs have always lived in the sand like this?”
“Yes, as long as I have been alive.”
“I always thought it was fun to bury your feet and your body in the sand. Now I find out that there are all sorts of crawling things living down there. Yuck!”
She laughed without reserve. Though he was older he seemed to be completely ignorant of anything that was common knowledge. But then, he was from a land locked state and probably had common knowledge that would make her seem like a hick if they had been near his home.
John stood up and brushed the sand from himself. Then he started screaming wildly as he ran toward the ocean’s edge. She wondered why men always seem to be making some sort of noise just to enjoy themselves. She dismissed it as the inner child that never seems to grow up in men.
It was a gentle day. Like a mother it caressed her with its soft breezy touch. She could smell the perfume of the salt air. There was no other smell quite like it on earth. The clouds were all scrunched up like cotton balls torn out in bunches that revolted against the idea of separation.
“Hi Susan!” Gloria waved as she jogged by and turned to jog backward as she awaited the reply that connected them as friends.
Susan waved with both hands and giggled and jumped up a couple times. “Hi!”
“Time for a swim.” She laid aside her sun glasses and began walking toward the gentle surf. The hot sand wormed its way between her toes as she left footprints that the wind would soon destroy. It was one of those clear water days. A day when you could see the ocean floor as far as you could see water.
She braced herself for the ocean impact. Waves, no matter how gentle were something to be respected. The ocean was always grabbing something in its embrace and it cared not a whit whether it was living or inanimate.
How warm the ocean was today. It was almost as if someone had taken the time to run a warm bath for her. She quickly made her way into deeper water where she could begin the closest thing to flying man had ever discovered.
“Gotcha!”
Just as she was going to dive in to begin her swim, John grabbed her. He had been swimming underwater and coming from behind so she couldn’t see him. She splashed head first into the water unprepared for the topple. Though it didn’t hurt her she was very upset.
“You idiot! Why did you do that?!”
He smiled at her and winked. Never one to explain himself, he slipped over next to her and put his arm around her waist. “Wanna go again?” He got that devious smile on his face and she knew what was coming. She gasped for some air. “Splash”
It was all she could do to keep from chuckling underwater. This wasn’t going to be easy. He was in one of those moods again. She swam about 30 feet before surfacing again and quickly surveyed the area to find the saboteur. He was nowhere to be found even though the water was clear. Of course he could be right out in the open among all these people and she wouldn’t see him. She dove under the water, took a ninety degree turn from her previous direction and surfaced for air. Once again, she took a ninety degree turn the other direction and submerged.
She spotted him when he surfaced. He had been doing the same thing. No wonder she hadn’t spotted him. She had outsmarted him, though. He was looking in the wrong direction. She slithered back under the water, like an eel stalking its prey. They both surfaced and she stooped down in the water so that only her eyes and the top of her head were visible. It took two more turns of playing sub chase before she caught him.
She was just ready to dive for his legs when he turned around and grabbed her. He laughed in a maniacal impersonation. “Thought you had me didn’t you?” Before she could reply he pulled her close and kissed her. She beat his back for a moment. Just enough to be respectable and then she relaxed into the enjoyment of being loved.
“I’m tired. I’m going to soak up some sun for a while.” She pushed him away and headed for her beach towel.
“Aw, who wants to lay around in the sun? Susan? Hey, Susan, lets go play some beach ball.”
She ignored him. It felt good to dry off with the beach towel. She pulled the lotion out of her bag and tossed it to him. She knew just the smile and look to give him to turn him into a weepy little slave.
“Man!” He sat down next to her and she rolled over on her tummy.
Warm day, warm ocean, warm lotion and warm hands. Life was great. Nothing to worry about. At least not today. A few minutes later she rolled over, took the bottle from him and finished the application. John, was cleaning his hands of lotion by rubbing sand all over. What exactly was it about men that made them so allergic to the least bit of lotion?
“Oh, no” Susan groaned. “Here she comes again.”
John looked up and saw Sarah making her way toward them.
“Hi Susan. Hi John.” Sarah smiled and waved as she neared their private section of beach. “Hey, have you guys heard about the new coffee house opening in town?”
Sarah handed them each a flyer prominently displaying the banner, “The Bean Pole”.
“It is a place to hang out with all your friends without the regular hassles.”
“You mean it is a place to get preached at don’t you?” Susan tried not to glare as she said it.
“Aw, come on, Susan.” John said. “Why don’t we try it at least once?”
“Oh NO!” Susan thought as she saw that devious little smile of his again. “He is doing this on purpose! I’ll get him for this!”
“Sure, Susan” Sarah chimed in, “it can’t hurt to try it at least once. If you don’t like it after that I won’t ever bother you to go to anything else. I know I can be a pain sometimes with all this stuff.” Sarah’s voice trailed off as she added the last part to her comments. She looked down the beach at nothing in particular.
Susan thought she could sense just the slightest redness in Sarah’s cheeks and wondered if she hadn’t been a bit hard on her in the past. She looked at the flyer again, not really knowing how to handle this situation.
John was elbowing her in her ribs and grinning like a crazy man. He looked toward Sarah. When he saw that she was still scanning the beach he looked back at Susan and winked. “I’ll go if you’ll go, Susan.”
Sarah turned and stared at John. “Oh would you John? That would be great!”
“Only if Susan agrees to go”, John said. He turned to Susan, “Well, what do you say, Susan?” He sat there with that stupid grin on his face.
“It looks like I don’t have any choice. What time do you want us there?” she asked.
Sarah squealed with glee, “Seven o’clock. We have a special singing group and speaker that’s going to be there tonight.” She turned and sprinted down the beach before anyone could change their minds.
Susan slapped John’s shoulder hard enough to leave a red mark. “Why did you do that?!”
John laughed, again not answering, and launched a tickle attack that reduced her to tears.
The Bean Pole was an old storefront that had been revamped. It had colorful paintings outside and posters and specialized graffiti inside. There were pool tables, ping pong tables and regular chairs and tables. It smelled of hamburgers and donuts. They had a small grill where you could order things.
Susan didn’t want to be here but since John and Sarah had backed her into a corner she felt the least she could do was suffer through it and she would be done with it forever.
“This isn’t so bad. I’m going to get us a couple drinks. I’ll be right back.”
John left her sitting alone in the sea of piranha. She cautiously surveyed the room. All the local religious fanatics were here. John quickly returned. “I hope nobody we know sees us in here.” she said.
Sarah stood up and introduced the band. It was a new group that didn’t play very well but at least it was loud and they didn’t play Amazing Grace or songs like that. Susan began to relax a bit as the band played.
“John why did you get me into this?”
“I don’t know”, he said. “I just wanted to tease you. Besides, these guys aren’t so bad. I mean they’re convinced they’re right and all but then, who isn’t?” John just shrugged. He never seemed to think about how things affect your relationships. Susan began to wonder if she hadn’t misjudged him.
The band stopped playing and their speaker walked out on stage. “Hello, my name is Jeremy. I’ve been asked to share a few thoughts with you tonight. Now, before you all dry up and blow away I’ll let you know that I’m not going to preach at you and I’m not going to be long.”
Susan noticed that he didn’t look like a preacher. He was a little older than they were and he dressed halfway ok. He wasn’t carrying one of those big black bibles. She didn’t even see a bible. “It will all be over soon and I’ll be done with it.” she thought.
Jeremy continued, “I know that most of you probably enjoy the beach..” Susan perked up. The beach was one of her favorite subjects. Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad after all.
“Jesus talked about the beach. He compared two peoples lives. One of them had built a house on a sound foundation and one of them had built a house on the beach.”
Although Jeremy looked around the place as he talked Susan had a sneaking suspicion that Sarah had talked to him about her and John. He seemed to be looking at them and talking directly to them. This was almost a complete charade, him pretending to look and talk to the others. “I’ll get even with Sarah for this if it kills me!” she thought.
“Each of us is building a house. We may not think we are, but we are. Our lives are houses. Each of us live in our own house, the one we built. I know you probably don’t think about it much but every house does need a foundation.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Susan thought. “I’ve heard all this before.”
John was so stupid. He seemed to be actually enjoying all this drivel. She looked around the room and saw Sarah sitting at the far table with a couple of her friends. They weren’t even paying attention. They were praying. “How rude!” she thought.
“God loves you so much that he sent his son to die for you. The blood of Jesus, shed on the cross, can be the mortar for the bricks in your foundation…If you will only allow it.”
“My God, is he serious?!” she thought. “How absolutely gross! I have to get out of here. These guys must be in some sort of cult!”
She touched John’s hand and harshly whispered, “Let’s go. NOW!”
John looked confused. “You go sit in the car, I’ll be out when they finish.”
“No way am I going to stand up and make a spectacle of myself. Come on. Let’s go!” She pinched his arm.
John glared at her and turned his attention back to the speaker.
“God wants so very much for you to enjoy your lives on this earth and to enjoy eternity with him. I’d like to offer each of you the opportunity to change foundations and move into a new house. A home full of love that is built on Jesus.”
“Thank God”, she thought. “He’s finished.”
Jeremy signaled the musicians and they began playing soft music. It still wasn’t that stodgy old church music but it was designed to force folks to become fanatics. “It isn’t going to work!” she vowed to herself.
Jeremy bowed his head. “Father, as we come to you tonight we ask that you touch those that you have called to eternal life. We ask that you make yourself known to those whom you love so dearly and have chosen tonight. Cause them to understand how very much you love them.”
“Won’t he ever be done?” she thought. The cold room seemed to get a little warmer. Leaving suddenly didn’t seem so important to her anymore. The warmth poured over her like the gentle breeze she had felt earlier on the beach.
“I love you”, the voice spoke gently to her mind.
“Oh great, I’m going nuts!”
“I really do love you, Susan.” the voice spoke again.
In the midst of the warmth she felt a shiver go down her back. This was impossible. Sure, God existed, but he didn’t go around talking to people in coffee shops.
“I have loved you since before you were born. Listen to what Jeremy is saying.”
She felt as if she was in another world. Not knowing what to do, she simply obeyed the voice. She turned her attention to Jeremy.
“God is speaking to some of you. I can tell that his Spirit is working in the hearts of several of you. If you would like to become a Christian just come up here to the stage and we’ll help you.”
Susan looked up as John stood and left her alone at the table. She turned to see Sarah and her friends raise their hands and begin shouting. Why were they crying?
The warmth seeped through her to her very core. “I won’t pressure you. It must be your decision.” The voice seemed so soothing.
“I can’t. I just can’t do this. I mean, I know you’re probably God an all but this is nuts.” She began to shake ever so slightly. She felt the tears begin to well up insider her. She just couldn’t allow herself to cry. Not here. Not now!
“Whenever you’re ready. I’ll be here. I just want you to remember. I love you”
The sadness and resolve in the voice was more than she could take. The unconditional love it bore. The patience. The gentleness.
She had been looking down to at the table top. She noticed that her hands were covered in wetness. “Oh, God, NO!”
Suddenly she felt a hand on her shoulder. “Susan,” it was Sarah, “would you like to become a Christian?” She looked so differently now. Not like the hard core fanatic Susan had once seen her as being. She nodded as the tears poured down her cheeks. She was unable to talk and barely able to stand.
Susan helped her to her feet and they began to walk toward the stage.
“This is the easy part, Susan”, Sarah said. “It's like a walk on the beach.”
Copyright © 2008 Tim Russ. All rights reserved.