Pervade and Faint

Chapter 16

We decided to take a trip to the beach, for the cruel July was coming to an end. Tyrese and I decided to leave early in the morning. The tides, according to Tyrese were enrapturing in the morning .Under the influence of the tardy sun.

I knocked at Cindy's door. It took her a while to come out of her room. Her rheumy, swollen eyes were offering evidence that it was a Saturday morning.
"You guys ready?" she asked and I gave her a thumbs up. She wasn't happy that Tyrese was going with us. But Tyrese was the only one out of us who actually knew how to swim.

We were in the car after a while. I drove with Cindy slouched in the passenger's seat, Tyrese in the back. He was leaning forward like a child, gazing outside the window. The breeze perceptibly changed as the beach drew nigh. The smell of the salty water, the soggy seaweed and the crunchy sand effused in the car.It was pleasant to only some extent. Tyrese had his hand on his nose, trying to get rid of the abominable smell. Cindy was looking outside at the bright blue incandescent ocean. The sound of the waves, the water splashing barbarically, reminded me of mom and dad. Mom and dad used to go to the beach intermittently. Never did they take me with them. And never did they forget their tea before they went to the beach. Despite the fact that I was never with them when they went to the beach, I knew quite well what they did. They entwined their hands and walked, talking about the successful and halcyon days. I've never witnessed a couple, more deep in love then my own parents. Mere their eyes had a bodacious communication. Six months were coming to pass by and I still didn't call them once. I knew that they would encounter like a flood and I was nothing but guilty. I broke each and every single promise I had made with them. I smoked. I drank. I had sex multiple times. If there was yet a promise which was pristine, it was the fact that I didn't lie a single time. I didn't call because I knew that I would have to lie. And if I would lie, all of my rebellious sins would be revealed to them and I knew that I would be done. So I just resisted calling them. What really hurt was that I was totally not in contact with Sophia.

The morning breeze was incompatible at the beach. The hazy sun was just above the ocean, but far away. The rays of the sun hit the water and the water of the ocean glistered like pearls. The waves were moving towards the sand. I took my shoes off and the cold sand felt just heavenly under my feet. The sea breeze mixed with the sand hit my body and it felt like it pierced through. Cindy took my hand and we gained towards the water. I was impatiently waiting to enter the water. Despite the pleasant breeze, I was sweating, but not profusely. It was just a typical July sweat with less severity. Tyrese took his shirt off and put it on the sand. He gingerly placed his wallet and phone underneath his shirt and slithered into the water the next second. I slid my shirt off and placed it right next to Tyrese's essentials. Cindy pulled over her tank top, revealing her body slowly. She slid her cotton pajamas off and put them on top of mines. We put our phones and the keys on top off her clothes. Cindy wrapped her hands around my waist and pulled me closer. She gently rubbed my back and kissed me on the lips.
"Now let's get in", I said, scrutinizing at the water to find Tyrese. Tyrese was already deep in the water, chest deep. Cindy took my hand and we entered the water. The water was cold and it was pulling us in itself like a magnet. Cindy's foot got stuck in the sand and she stopped for a second. She quickly pulled her foot out of the sand and took a deep breath.
"Are you okay?" I asked and stopped. She nodded, squeezing my hand. Her hair was occluding her vision as the wind kept throwing her strands in front of her face. She pulled the strands behind her ear, not leaning my hand even though she was in need of setting her hair. Cindy looked flabbergasted. When a cold wave hit my stomach, but Cindy's breast, she took another deep breath.
"Cindy I don't think you're alright", I said. She just squeezed my hand tighter.
"Don't leave my hand", she said and looked at Tyrese who was beckoning to come further, close to him. Tyrese was at the deep end and he knew how to swim. On the other hand, Cindy and I were struck with a menacing fear as the water grew deeper.

We finally reached Tyrese. The water was violent. It came to my neck and Cindy had to lift her head. Or otherwise her lips would emerge in the water.
"We're going back", I said, mad at Tyrese for calling us at such a perilous point, and also at me for coming so deep. I felt extremely bad and apprehensive for Cindy. When I sensed strong uneasiness on her face, I told Tyrese that we were going back.
"But you just came", he said and dipped in the water, nonchalantly.
We moved towards the shallower end. Cindy gulped, shell-shocked. She was petrified.
"Wait!" screamed Tyrese from the back and I looked back. But I was never going to go back. He beckoned towards the ocean. It took me a while to notice that an enormous wave was rushing towards us. A sudden fear grasped me when I saw how turbulent it was. The rebellious wave gained speed, and so did me heartbeat.
"What do we do now?!" I yelled, fear at the top of my lungs.
"Duck when it comes to you!" he shouted. The wave, in no time met Tyrese. He embraced it and ducked.
Cindy squeezed my hand tightly and I wrapped my arm around her.
"Duck", I whispered, took a deep breath and the tower of water splashed us like, not a wave but the whole ocean.

I fell apart when the wave hit me. I found myself still in the ocean, knee deep water. I rubbed my eyes and the salt burned them. Suddenly, I felt something missing. Cindy. I looked around me, panicking.
"CINDY!" I yelled at the top my lungs. I searched
for her. But she was nowhere to be seen. I cried for her name several times. I saw someone at a distance and squeezed my eyes to get a better view. It was Tyrese. He was also in pursuit of Cindy. I moved toward the deep side.

"Here!" she shouted from quite a distance. She was far away. All I could see of her was her face and some of her neck. She was in the deep side and I had to take her out of there before another wave. I quickly gained towards her and she also tried to move towards me. The water tried its best to stop me from reaching her. But I cut through the water and grabbed her hand. Without speaking a word, we came to the sand.

"Are you okay?" I asked and lifted her chin. Her eyes were red.
"I have water in my head. And even in my nose", she said. Tyrese also reached the sand. He pulled his shirt on and took his phone and wallet in his hand.
"It was all because of you!" I yelled.
"I'm sorry", he said and I really didn't care what he said because my mind totally shifted somewhere else.
"Wait a minute...Tyrese...where did you pick your shirt up from?" I asked, looking at mere sand.
"Right here", he said and placed his foot at that spot. I searched around. Our clothes were gone. Our phones, keys, everything was gone.
"Oh shit", said Tyrese. I thought he was going to portend another wave. But he was looking at the parking lot. It took me just a second to notice what he was looking at. My chest shook as soon as I realized what he was staring at.
Cindy's car was gone.

The three of us stared at each other, transfixed and bamboozled. I looked at Cindy. Her face was serene but who knew what was going inside of her. However, panic didn't meet her face.
"Someone stole it", said Tyrese, walking towards the parking lot. I looked at Cindy once again. The expressions on her face were still calm, but it was panicking me.
"I'm sorry", I said and looked away. She took my face in her hands.
"It isn't your fault. Don't panic alright?" she said. Her voice was soothing. She was consoling me as if I had lost my car. It confounded me that she wasn't anxious about her missing car. Instead, she told Tyrese to call a friend or a cab. Peculiar of her, or perhaps, brave.

One of Tyrese's friends came over and dropped us off. And I swore never to go back to the beach ever in my life.
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