It all Comes in Waves: The Solitary Joy of the Ocean

Chapter 1

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It was late at night and I was sitting at the diner's bar with my head in my hands. Besides me, there were only a couple other people still here. Even during day hours, there was never many people in here anyways. That's how it was in a small town.

"See ya'll tomorrow." Sherry said, as the last people left.

Sherry was the owner of the diner, who was standing behind the counter I was seated at. Her parents owned this place in the 60's and now runs it with her daughter, Carrie. Many decades later, and the designs are all still the same, and everything still has that 60's charm.

"It's about time I close up now, Eileen. You can come back tomorrow." She smiled, though I couldn't see her face with my head down.

It felt like I physically couldn't move my body. When I didn't respond, she studied me a moment.

"Why the long face, honey? It's your birthday!"

I was never open to anybody about anything. But Sherry, she was very understanding. And I could use someone like that right now. I've known her all my life and I trusted her.

I shrugged and looked up at her. "I have no where to go."

"What do you mean?"

There was a beat of silence.

"My parents died a few hours ago. The fuzz wants me out of the house, says I'm not old enough to live on my own. I ran here before they could do anything."

Sherry knew my family real well, and was stunned by the information. Either more shocked of what happened to my parents, or that she was unknowingly hiding me here from the cops.

"Oh, honey, are you okay?" She put a hand on my shoulder.

"I am. Thanks."

I didn't know if that was true or not. I really wasn't sure how I was feeling. My parents were something.

I lived in a small two bedroom house with my mother in this little town, Paxico, Kansas. There were hardly any people and most of them were old. A population of 210. We didn't have many buildings and only had one stoplight.

As for my parents, my father was always in jail. Never really home. Once he got out of jail, he always ended up right back in by the next day. Because of that, I didn't really know him.

Did I hate him for that, not really. I hated the decisions he made to spend his entire life in jail. Addiction might do that sometimes. But I wanted so badly to get along with him, especially as a kid. This might be because being around my mother was like suffocating. Addiction might do that too. 

She worked hard at multiple jobs when she was able to, to keep our house. And I admired that. At least she was able to do that. I helped her a lot too.

Even then, we still didn't have much. But we got by. The only thing this town gave me was the burning passion to get out of it. I was seventeen now. I knew it was going to happen. I've been wishing on the day since I was old enough to know it. 

Sherry turned on the radio that was sitting on the counter. She turned the knobs to the local news station, and a report of Mary and James Weston's deaths played through the speakers.

The reporter gives details about the auto wreck that had killed them. What wasn't mentioned of course, was that my mother was on her way to pick up my dad from jail, despite the fact he would've ended up there again tomorrow.

My dad was slammed and drunk, and probably picked a fight with my mother, causing her to wreck. They were the only people killed. The ones in the car she wrecked into were only injured, thankfully. Nothing worse.