Chapter Text
“So,” a quiet voice in Ava’s memory lingered as she stared back at the sea’s horizon meeting the orange sun, “are you happy now?”
Hugging her knees in a sitting position, Ava tucked her head to hide the tears she’s been trying to hold back.
“No, not yet.”
—
For the past two months in the late afternoons, regular folks who visit the beach would often find a girl sitting alone by the shore. To those who kept track, the girl never took a step into the water, nor even tried to walk along the shore. She was just sitting there, staring at the sea. Sometimes she would read books, much rarer times she would bring her old sketchbook and try to draw the waves. If it wasn’t for the golden retriever always taking guard beside her, some playful dudes would have hit on her or at least tried to talk to her.
But Ava would pretty much want to be alone.
Because that’s what she is truly, alone.
—
Thankfully, some genuinely caring older folks in the neighborhood took note to watch over the girl, who according to some local gossip, was the daughter of Old Silva’s estranged daughter. Old Silva had died three months ago and the state had to find the heir of the older woman’s estate. They found the granddaughter in some small town in Spain.
No one knew much of the story behind the girl. But every now and then some of the neighborhood mothers would check up on the girl and give her home cooked meals, which the girl would politely accept and quickly close the door before any uninvited intrusion by the curious mothers.
By the end of the first two months, the folks generally decided to leave the girl alone and just look after her for the sake of Old Silva’s memory.
—
Summer arrived as Ava noticed the increasing number of people going to the beach. It would feel oddly calming for her to watch the different dynamics on the beach this season. There were loud kids with annoyed mothers, groups of teenagers goofing around, fit goers who always screamed during beach volleyball, and there were the surfers.
There were one or two surfers catching the waves when Ava first got into this town. But now in the summer, almost a hundred would try to take a chance on the waters. Some kids would watch in awe when a surfer rides on a good wave. Ava silently admits how cool it is. She glimpses a memory of one of the spectators’ happy shrieks.
In a flash, Ava closes her eyes and hears a familiar voice in her head.
“Are you happy now?”
—
Before Ava can process the surging feelings in her chest trying to burst through her tears, a gentle accented voice calls her attention.
Under the orange sun, warm chocolate eyes meet Ava’s watery ones as she looks up to the stranger wearing a surfing suit who laid down her board to take a seat beside Ava at a comfortable distance.
“Hey, are you alright?”