For the Summer | Chan

3

I woke up the next morning to a gentle knock on my door. I yawned and let my eyes adjust before crawling out of bed to answer it.

"Good morning!" Mema said cheerfully. She handed me a muffin and coffee that I happily accepted.

"Thank you," I told her, taking the first sips from the turquoise-sleeved cup.

"Your grandfather and I are about to leave for church," she informed me.

"Okay," I gave her a tired smile. "Hope you have a good time."

She walked into the room and looked around at all of my things laid out. "We're so glad to have you here."

"I'm happy to be here," I smiled. I unwrapped the muffin and bit into it. It was apple cinnamon...my favorite.

"What are your plans for the day?"

I considered for a moment but answered, "I might go check out a gym."

"Oh!" Mema responded, seemingly surprised. "There's a great pilates gym in Oak Bluffs. I can send you the address if you'd like."

"That's okay! I actually ran into Chris...do you remember him?" I paused. It had been a while since we'd vacationed with their family. When I turned 11 my parents suddenly started taking us to Nantucket instead. I never grew to like it as much, but my mom had insisted we go there since it was nicer.

"Chris?" she pondered. "Chris from when you were a kid?"

"Yea! I went for a walk on the beach last night, and we ran into each other. He owns a gym and said I should stop by."

She had an unreadable expression on her face and eyed his sweatshirt with the gym's logo featuring a lion biting a dumbbell hanging on my bathroom doorknob.

"I forgot how cold it gets at night," I explained away.

She gave me a small nod. "Well, tell him I said hello. And I'll see you for dinner at 6 at Kelley's?"

"Yep!" I confirmed.

With that she left, but I noticed she glanced back at the sweatshirt before closing the door behind her. I hoped she wasn't getting the wrong idea about why I had it. I'd really just gotten cold.

I finished eating the breakfast she'd brought me and dressed for the gym. I felt almost like my childhood self again with how eager I was to get ready and out of the house to see Chris.

I'd become such a night owl in my adulthood and hated waking up early, but as a kid, I was always the first one up and ready. I'd be out of the house by 7 most days. I hadn't had the energy for that in a long time, and it was weird that it had returned so quickly. Maybe it was just the island.

I threw my hair into a ponytail and skipped out of the house. I realized that my grandparents hadn't given me a key to lock up. I'd have to ask for that later. For now, I just let it be and scurried down the street.

It was only about a half-mile walk, so I took my time and sipped the remainder of my coffee along the way. It was a beautiful day outside and the sun was already warming up the street from the cold night. I loved it when mornings felt like this.

I could hear the seagulls squawking above and the gentle sound of waves lapping against the shore. It was peaceful.

The Pacific Ocean had been nearby when I lived in LA, but the apartment I could afford felt so exiled from it. I'd been surrounded by bustling businesses and hotels crowded with tourists. It definitely didn't feel as serene as this when I made my daily commute to work.

The Stop & Shop came into view and just to the left of it, I could see the sign for Chris's gym. He'd simply named it Vineyard Fitness and the logo from his sweatshirt was right above the name.