Free From – Chapter 17 – July 17th

I hope you will join me this month as we JOURNEY each day through our short story. It is about finding FREEDOM in the midst of all the captivating pieces in life that steal our peace which we need FREE FROM!

FREE FROM
July 17, 2021

Psalm 34:17-18, ‘Yet when holy lovers of God cry out to Him with all their hearts, the Lord will hear them and come to rescue them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to all whose hearts are crushed by pain, and He is always ready to restore the repentant one.’ (TPT)

Chapter 17

‘Would you go away with me this weekend?’ Nah, that gave her every chance to say no. He tried again, practicing it in the rear-view mirror of his truck. ‘Hey, go pack a bag. I got an idea that can only be talked about amongst us and far from home.’ He winked at himself with a stupid grin swiped across his lips, then shook his head. Nope, that was cheesy. Maybe he should throw some stuff in a duffle and be ready when she got home from her shift. Call it luck, she had off the next several days and had no excuse. Annie used to love to go away. And she loved surprises. Adored hotels, especially without the kids. Better yet, a Bed-n-Breakfast. They’d lounge all day, stay up late spinning dreams, paint pictures from a paintbrush dipped in hope. They loved to play silly games, eat really great bad-for-you food and have to return home to get rested up and recover from their break.
Legend climbed out of his truck, cramming a baseball cap on his grungy hair. He had all day and the ‘Come-to-Jesus’ meeting with Buck had sobered him right up. Time to get it together. The idea was growing on him. He’d surprise Annie, spirit her away, have all the arrangements made so all she had to do was shower and pull on some travel clothes. ‘Thanks, Buck,’ he mumbled to himself, as he walked toward the wharf. It had been forever since he had ambled along the cobblestone street, breathing in the air laden with salt, a bowl of Chowder balanced in his hand, a bountiful “Howdy” on his tongue for the weathered fishermen and wizened shopkeepers.
Legend took a sudden turn, wandering down a flight of wooden steps, worn by time and sand and water. Longer since he had drifted along the shoreline, his feet buried in waves with the beach between his toes. Where had all the time gone? The years, like a slide of hand magically and wondrously disappearing before their very eyes. They used to come here too; they lost days at the ocean, sometimes even nights, laying as if the driftwood were a pillow, the crescendo of waves and the lull of seagulls, a private concert. A hermit crab, naked and lost, scurried ahead of him looking for a home, but like a picky woman turning up a nose at an offering, scooted from one shell to another. The kids used to collect and play endlessly with these creatures. They’d spend hours making ponds for the crabs, linking them with tunnels and rock formations, prodding the crustaceans with seaweed and beach fronds. They were fast and some would eventually get away, and Breize would chase after them while Blayze squealed like a girl.
He found their favorite cove, tears and memories burned his eyes as if he had rubbed salt in them. They’d raised beach babies right here on this sand and he could hear the laughter of his children mingling with the cry of gulls and the crash of waves. It was like uprooting a tree to convince his family it was time to go home. Sometimes he and Annie would relent, gather driftwood, make a ring, build a fire, camp out ‘til the moon and sun began to change places in a lightening sky. They would trip tiredly across the sand, happy and worn out, toward their vehicle as the sun climbed the horizon, spilling like orange juice from a bottle.
The recollections smarted, as if rubbing salt in an open wound. They had been the perfect couple, soulmates, their futures forged in their pasts, the ties that bind forever taut and knotted. He had been lost and she found him. She was floundering and he established her. Now they were both lost and floundering and there was no longer a lifeguard standing by. Well, maybe…Buck. Maybe Buck was leading a search and rescue mission all on his own.
Legend climbed to his feet, dusting the sand from his backside. Along way off against the horizon, as he cupped his hands over his eyes, Legend could make out the outlines of a couple dolphins lazily arc across the skyline. He suddenly felt more alive than he had in a very long time. He’d call and ask the neighbors if the kids could stay over for the weekend. Breize and Blayze would be delighted; they’d be sure Christmas had arrived early. Legend made his way toward the same set of steps he’d meandered down earlier, shielding his face from the sand that whisked by in a small dust storm. Looking ahead, at once, he stopped, dead in his tracks. “No, no, no! No! No! It can’t be!” he shouted into the wind, and then quickly shushed, trying to make himself small.
He was not fast enough to disappear. He couldn’t move; it was as if his feet were mired in quicksand. Just then, Annie pulled back from the man whom she was kissing, from a tight and familiar embrace he held her with, and she turned to look straight at Legend, recognition dawning, a look of horror spreading across her face.
It took only one moment. The daze burned off, and as Annie ran toward him, screaming his name, Legend bolted. He wanted to…drown.

To Be Continued…