#surfer!joy

You always come by the beach every 5 am

Right before your mom wakes up to make breakfast and before your dad takes the newspaper to read it

You’ve been doing it for as long as you can remember

It was just a way to start your day strong

Looking at the serene and calming waves and feeling the white sand beneath you wakes you up better than anything else

The cool breeze and how the sky is painted with a somekind of mysterious color brings you to life

One summer, things were just a tad bit different

Even if it’s more leisurely in the summer, you still wake up early to look at the waves crashing against the sand

You heard from your dad that someone rented the beach house near yours, you didn’t give it much thought

People rent beach houses every summer

But starting yesterday, every time you get up to head back, there’s this girl who comes and surf

Every single morning

Except it looks like she’s awfully new at it

Having no reason to stay, at least just yet, you always head back home before long

Though the more you watch her falling to the water again and again like a leaf, you find yourself saying what you had in mind when she passed

“You shouldn’t hesitate, eyes forward at all times” you say, with a nice smile, hopefully

Up close, you can see her sun-kissed skin and slightly surprised expression

“I just need to get the hang of it” she said, smiling a little “I keep losing balance”

“Hold your arms out a little more and focus putting slightly more weight on your backfoot”

“Thanks” she smiles with a hint of pink on her cheeks, but maybe you were imagining it “I’ll keep it in mind”

The next day, she asked how long you have surfed

You simply said since you were little and that you stopped surfing

The day after, she asked you to give pointers and you gladly complied

The day after that was the start of necessary coversation between the two of you

And after each day, she was getting better and better

She could stay on the board longer and when she came back with her wet hair and honey skin, she would grin at you

You started to look forward to those kind of mornings where you have these lovely conversations with a lovely girl

Her name is Joy and she’ll talk about her sisters, sometimes how she misses her dog

One time, she even asked why you stopped surfing

“It just grows out of me”

Of course it was lie

You want to surf, you just don’t know why you should

“Well, if you decide that you want to surf again, tell me” she said as she bumps her shoulder to yours “I’d like to see you surf”

You only smile at her

Days gone by along with the summer breeze

You’re amused every morning a little bit more than yesterday because of Joy

Even if you’re only watching her from afar, your eyes following her glistening hair against the blue of the waves and glimmer of the awaking sun

When she came back covered with seawater, smiling so brightly the sun might not even need to come up

You didn’t want to take this for granted

Before you knew it, summer was over

And when Joy came to the beach one morning with a sun hat instead of her swimsuit, you couldn’t help the feeling of your sinking heart

Something in your stomach churn

Maybe it was disappointment; the fact that your mornings won’t be as lively as when Joy is around

She said her goodbyes and you only wished summer lasted forever

“I’d come back next summer” Joy said, maybe she could see the disappointment in your eyes

You look down at the sand beneath your feet and focusing on the tingling feeling it gives

“Okay” you simply said

You look up again, showing her a smile

That was when she leaned in and kisses you on the cheeks, maybe a little too close on the lips but you didn’t mind

You were too shocked at what she did

You must’ve looked funny because she laughed

She took hold of your hand and said, “See you next summer”