Vacation
J. Brook
She closed her eyes and breathed in the salt spray of the ocean from her car window. To be on the boardwalk at Virginia Beach was a dream come true. She had heard of the magic of this place from her cousins her whole childhood. This morning she had realized how close they were going to be as they passed through Virginia on their way to her in-laws. After all, it was the first day of vacation and there was no need to rush. If only for a few hours she would finally get to feel the Virginia sun, take in the beauty of the ocean, experience the sights, smells and sounds of the vendors and be part of the crowds. She wanted nothing more than to walk a lazy, hand-in-hand, slow, vacation-walk with her husband sauntering into one touristy store after another and coming out with a few memorable items such as Virginia Beach t-shirts and a few coffee mugs. She couldn’t wait to try on the beachy jewelry and taste the salt water taffy. Already she could imagine them on a romantic spot on the beach, his arm around her, watching the sunset after a delicious seafood dinner! She had begun to worry they would not find a place to park, but once out of the car she expectantly looked ahead and knew this stop would make it a vacation for them both to remember!
Driving since yesterday, he’d pushed himself hard behind the wheel to make it to their destination before dark. He looked forward to turning in soon after they stopped tonight. Tomorrow he would get up in time to watch the sunrise, planning an early start to catch some fish. Dreaming of being on the lake in his dad’s new boat, with his favorite rod and reel, had kept him trudging along on those tough days at work the past few (long) weeks. He was incredibly annoyed that she had insisted on this stop at Virginia Beach. This detour was going to put them an hour or more behind schedule. He pushed down resentment and anger after a search for a parking spot took almost 20 minutes. Against his better judgement and certainly against his wishes, he had paid for parking in the only lot that had an available spot. As he got out of the car and locked the door, he glared past the bright sun to ‘her’ boardwalk, glad he at least had a ball cap with him. There was no way he was going to spend another penny in this tourist trap. He was already annoyed by the crowds after almost being hit by a speeding biker as they crossed the street. Eyeing the shops, he tried to figure out how to keep his wife from going near them. The bright sun was beating down and he was already missing the a/c in their truck. Stopping here was a miserable idea. Looking at Waze on his phone he decided to give her 30 minutes (max) to find a restroom and look around. It would be a hell of a pricey half hour, having just spent $18 for parking, but they had to get back on the highway before traffic got any heavier.
© DJR 2018