Chapter Text
3rd person POV:
Before being in a boy band, Jesse's early childhood was fairly normal. He had everything a 4-year-old boy from Charlottetown needed; loving mom and dad, a nice house, steady income, good food, toys, education (he was recently enrolled in preschool), the most whimsical imagination for a boy his age. All of these were nice, but there was nothing in the world that Jesse loved more than his parents love for him. Jesse loved his parents and vice versa, and his parents loved each other. There was never a lack of love and there was always too much love, but that's how Jesse liked it. There was nothing that Jesse loved more than his family, aside from the beach, the playground and playing with toys, pretend, and his parents. His parents really loved the beach so much that they often took Jesse on day trips during the weekends in the spring, and stay for weeks during the summer. There was one trip in particular that always stood out in his mind: The Perfect Beach Day. It was a day he would never forget. A day his memory labeled the earliest memory of his childhood, his parents loving each other, but also the last time he was truly happy.
4 y.o Jesse's POV (Summer, 1983) :
Hi! I'm Jesse! I'm from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. I live with my mom Laurie and dad August, who I love with all my heart! I'm very excited because today was going to be the best day ever! It was the weekend and my parents were taking off work for a week to take me on vacation to Brackley Beach, where we own a beach house. Mom told me that we get to spend the whole week at the beach doing everything we love over there. But in order to get the day going, I have to wake up from my time of sleep and dreams and get out of bed, which is a challenge for mom and dad sometimes.
Laurie: (Gently trying to wake me up) Jesse... wake up. Jesse!
Jesse:(Groaning) Mom...
Laurie:(In a cheery tone) C'mon, get up! It's beach day remember? C'mon, do you really want to miss out on the beach, on the best vacation ever with your mommy and daddy?
Jesse: (Tiredly) Mmm...no....
Laurie: What was that?
Jesse: (Voice with slightly more volume) No...
Laurie: That's the spirit! Now come on, get up so I can change you into your swim trunks.
Jesse: (I yawn as I sit up) Ok, mom.
I get out of bed, still waiting for my brain to wake up. The first thing I see is my mom. She was wearing a long white sundress with small flower pattern on the bottom and a big beach hat. She was beautiful. Mom begins to undress me, putting me in some red swim trunks and a white swim shirt (because mom's worried about sunburns). My brain is finally awake, which gives me this massive energy boost that I can't explain. I run into the kitchen, where I see dad. He was wearing a white tank top with green swim trunks and making breakfast; French toast sticks- my favorite!
Jesse: (Excitedly) Good morning, dad!
August: Hey, buddy! Good morning! I'm making your favorite, French toast sticks!
Jesse: Yay! Thank you!
August: (Handing me a plate of freshly baked toast sticks with a smile on his face) You're welcome, bud! Here, wait for them to cool off! Don't want your tongue to burn like last time.
Jesse:Kay!
I go sit down at the dining table while my dad checks with my mom to see if we have everything packed for a week. I'm excited but also nervous for this trip, since it was the first time we were leaving for a week. I put those feelings to the side for now and eat my toast sticks; crunchy and seasoned with cinnamon, my favorite. Mom and dad walk back into the kitchen, checking off every item on a list they made.
August: Sunscreen?
Laurie: Check!
August:Hats?
Laurie: Check!
August:Tent?
Laurie: Check!
August:Umbrellas?
Laurie:Check
August:Cooler?
Laurie: Check! I packed a 4 pack for you!
August: (Gives a small kiss on her forehead) Thanks, baby! Oh! I almost forgot to mention! I packed 3 pairs of t-shirts, shorts, boxers, and socks in the suitcase for me and Jess! Are you okay with that?
Laurie: I guess... we could just wash and dry over there, we have a laundry set in there! I think.
August: (Clapping his hands) Great! Um... I'm gonna eat before we hit the road. Gotta fuel up! Wanna join?
Laurie:Oh, yes! I'm starving! What's for breakfast, chef?
August: My famous Cinnamon French Toast Sticks!
Laurie: Mmmm... my favorite!
August:(Hands her a plate with fresh toast sticks) Compliments from the chef! Now, eat up! We've got to get going soon.
Laurie: (Sitting down) Oh, relax!
She turns to look at me
So, Jess, how you feeling?
Jesse: A little nervous, but I'm really excited!
Laurie: Why do say?
Jesse: (With a little fear in my voice) Well, we've just never been away for a week. I don't know what's it's like to be away from home for that long.
August: (Sitting down beside me and putting his hand on top of mine) Hey, bud, it's going to be alright. We're going to have a really, really amazing time. We'll have the ocean, good food, and each other.
He puts his hand on my shoulder
We're gonna have so much fun! So much that time will fly by fast and we'll be back before you know it!
Jesse: That fast?
Laurie: Pretty much!
My eyes widen from surprise
Jesse:(Excitedly) Whoa... now I REALLY wanna go!
Laurie:Really?
Jesse: Yeah! But, now I wanna stay there. I wanna make this week feel like forever!
August: HA HA! That's the spirit!
He gives me and my mom a great big hug so tight we could barely breathe. After a minute, he let us go to catch our breath.
August: Kay,um... finish up, brush your teeth, get your sandals and your bag.
Jesse:Got it!
I shoved the rest of my toast sticks into mouth, dropped my plate in the sink, hurried to the bathroom to brush my teeth, ran to my room to get my bag and sandals. Going back into the living room, mom and dad were full and ready to get going! Out the door we were! We were going to be on the road for about 30-40 minutes depending on traffic conditions, so we might as well get settled in for little. About 20 minutes into the drive mom got bored and decided to insert Bob Marley's "Legend" CD into the radio.
This song called "Is This Love?" starts playing.
Laurie: Oh yeah! This is my jam!
Laurie and August: I wanna love you
And treat you right
I wanna love you
Every day and every night
I couldn't quite understand what Bob was saying, but I felt the love he sent out
We'll be together
With a roof right over our heads
We'll share the shelter
Of my single bed
We'll share the same room, yeah
For Jah provide the bread
August: This is my favorite part!
Is this love? Is this love? Is this love?
Is this love that I'm feeling?
Is this love? Is this love? Is this love?
Is this love that I'm feeling?
I tried to join in, but I couldn't tell if he was even singing in English.
I wanna know, wanna know, wanna know now
I got to know, got to know, got to know now
Ah, ah, ah, I'm willing and able
So I throw my cards on your table
I wanna love you
I wanna love and treat
Love and treat you right... [Music fades]
A few minutes later, we finally made it to Brackley Beach. Mom and dad stepped out the car onto a sidewalk to stretch, which makes sense since we sat down for 30-40 minutes in the heat. Mom unstraps me from my booster seat and sets me down on the sidewalk with them to stretch.
August:(Takes a deep breath) Ahh... HELLO BRACKLEY BEACH! Take it in Jess!
He puts a hand on my shoulder
(Calmly) Take it in.
I take a deep breath in, smelling nothing but a strong scent of saltwater, then let it out
How does it feel?
Jesse: Good...
August: That's good. I'm going to start unloading the tent and umbrellas. You can go in the water now if you want.
Jesse: (Excited) Really?!
Laurie: (Running over to me) Wait a minute! You know I can't let you go out there without sunblock!
Jesse:(Annoyed) Mom...
Laurie: Uh-uh! No excuses! You know I just want you to be protected, and trust me when I say sunburns are NOT friendly.
Jesse:But-
Laurie:No buts! Do you want to go in?
I nod "yes"
Then I'm applying sunscreen before you do. Now, get over here, and stay still unlike last time!
I huff out a big sigh before walking over to her, taking off my shirt, and letting her apply this uncomfortable cream on my body. I don't like it because of how cold it feels when it first touches my skin, not to mention how sticky it feels. But after a while, I forget about because I'm too busy exhausting myself in the ocean.
Jesse: (Impatiently) Ok, I've got sunscreen on, now can we please go?
August:(Holding two umbrellas and a duffle bag containing a tent) Yep! We're all set bud!
I begin to take off like nothing, instantly heading for the water. Now, I could simply just walk into the ocean slowly and progressively walk faster as I get deeper, but why would I do that when I could book for the ocean and completely exhaust myself being even staying here for an hour? As soon as I first step in, the cold of the sea stings me for a second. But the longer I stay in and move around, the more my body gets used to it and suddenly feels warm. All I'm doing is running around and kicking the water, all while feeling so carefree. Then, I get an idea: what if I decide to swim a bit deeper. I look behind me and see that mom and dad aren't looking;they're walking towards the sand while carrying everything we unloaded. So, I decided to book it and swim a little farther than I'm used to. I'm scared at first because I'm thinking that if I stop to catch my breath, I might drown because the ground is too deep to reach, but I'm trying not to listen to fear. As I continue to swim further, I began to regret my choice when I hear...
Laurie: (Panicked) JESSE!
I turn my head around
Laurie: Come back a little bit! You're going too far!
Jesse:(Nervously) Ok!
I swim back a little bit until it looks like I'm close enough to my parents and where my feet can feel the ground. I'm comfortable here, comfortable enough to the point where I decide to lay on my back and let the ocean rock me like a boat. Cold, smooth waves soaking my face, lifting up and setting down my body, no thoughts in my mind, and my brain just feels still. I like this, I liked feeling relaxed. I can't explain it, but it feels like the world just paused for no reason. I don't know. I dive underwater, swimming freely like I'm a fish. The beach in general makes me feel free. I swim back up to hear...
August: Hey, Jess! Come back! We got your surfboard!
Jesse:(Swimming back) Coming!
I arrive back on the shore, running towards dad with my surfboard in his arms. He hands me my board, and I run back to the ocean to try to catch any waves. There's a lot of good ones here for regulars, but not too many for someone like me. Whatever, I'm still going to try. I'm swimming on top of my board, passing over a couple of waves here and there, but nothing good so far. That was until I could feel something heavy starting to pull me. It looked like a wave was forming, but this wave looked taller than most I've seen here. I start to paddle quickly, making strokes with my little arms, waiting for the wave to pick me up. Once I feel it, I pop-up(push up, slide my back foot under my body, and bring my front foot forward between your hands in one smooth movement), keep my knees bent, back straight, arms out for balance, and look toward the shore. I could feel myself getting higher, until the wave just took over. I was surprised and enjoying myself riding this massive wave. It was fast, but so exciting. Fast enough to take me back to the shore, where my parents have already set up our tent and umbrellas. I run back to them, hoping they saw it.
Jesse: Mom! Dad! Did you see? Did you see me?
Laurie:(Happily) HAHA! Good job, honey! I'm so proud of you!
She gives me a kiss on the forehead while dad pats me on the shoulder
August:(Excitedly) Oh, wow! Look at that! FANTASTIC, my boy!
He kneels down
I want to tell you something; whatever spark or energy you had in you to do something as crazy as surfing a crazy wave like that, never lose it.
Jesse:(Nodding without really understanding what he meant) Ok!
I pick up my board
I'm going to head back for a little bit.
Laurie: Ok! Be safe, son!
August: Love you!
Jesse: Love you too!
I run back to ocean, where more waves and fun were waiting for me today and all week. No worries. What a blessing.
3rd person POV:
August and Laurie cuddle for a moment, then August kisses Laurie on the lips with her kissing him back. They break apart for a minute to watch their little boy enjoy himself out on the shore. It warmed their hearts to know that out here, Jesse could just be a kid. Carefree, fearless, and not thinking about anything besides this moment. August put his arm around Laurie, letting out a big sigh with a big smile on his face.
August: Why can't everyday be like this?
Laurie: (With a smile just as big as August's) I know, right? It's just... perfect.
Little did any of them know, this would be the last happy memory of them as a family, and for Jesse for a long time.