All American Boys

20. A Crown of Stars

All American Boys

Chapter 20: A Crown of Stars

I managed to coax the teary-eyed boy to swap seats with me. He was still shivering as he sat there, wiping away his tears with the back of his forearm. He had calmed down, leaning back into the passenger seat as I drove.

"Where are we heading?" he finally asked, breaking the silence, his voice weak and soft.

"Not to school," I chuckled. "Of course."

"Alexander Sawyer playing truant?" Isaac said softly, a soft sad smile on his lips. "I never thought I'd see the day."

I only chuckled as we drove out of town, leaving Bethlehem behind. We got on the freeway along the coast, heading south.

Isaac seemed. . . better I guess. He had certainly stopped crying, sitting silently in his seat. He had slumped as he leaned back, making him look smaller than he was. Exhaustion was written all over his face as the tears dried.

I totally understood how he felt. Breakdowns were draining – mentally and physically.

Before long, we had arrived at our destination. It was about a ten minute drive further south along the coast, past the hills and thick forests that surrounded Bethlehem like a snug scarf.

Pulling into an empty parking spot, I brought the car to a stop. It didn't matter at all to be honest, the entire lot was empty. There wasn't a single person in the area.

Why would they be? It's 8 am on a weekday. The kids were at school and the adults were at work. But not the two of us.

"The beach?" he asked me as we got out of the car. "Why?"

"It's a nice place don't you think?" I replied, handing him his own keys. "You know, a nice place to relax, clear your mind for a bit. There's no one around at this time."

"I can see that" he chuckled slightly as he locked his car.

We walked down to the beach from the car. Taking his hand, I led him closer to the shore. The smell of the sea was strong as the gentle morning breeze blew inland. I could hear the seagulls in the distance, squawking as they flew high above us in circles. The waves were crashing against the sand, the foams of the crests rising and disappearing as the ocean hit the shore, only to retreat again. We had the whole beach to ourselves, sharing it with no one but the animals and each other.

I held his palm within mine as we stood there, staring out into the ocean, before we finally decided to sit down. The young man nuzzled up to me, his head leaning against my shoulder. His soft hair brushed against my cheek.

We just sat there, enjoying each other's warmth as we stared out to the endless horizon stretching out from the glimmering sea. Summer was almost over, and soon the season of death would be upon us. Reaching down, I planted a kiss on his cheek. It was the only way I knew to comfort him without sounding patronising.

"The sea is really beautiful isn't it? I said to Isaac as I panned the horizon before tuning my attention back to the young man.

"Yeah," he said, his knees pulled up to his chest.

I wrapped my arm around his shoulder as Isaac let out an audible sigh.

"I used to come here a lot," I said to him. "Whenever I felt sad or alone. Staying in the house was really suffocating you know?

"I'll just come here sometimes before school and close my eyes – enjoy the breeze and the sounds of the waves," I continued. "It helps a lot. Helps calm me down."