Lifeguard from Maracas Bay

Chapter 03 - Heartfelt Thanks

Shortly after 12:00 noon, Willie casually scanned the cars in the parking lot and spotted the red sports car. His heart thumped so hard that he looked around to see if any of the other lifeguards heard it. He then put one hand over his eyes and carefully surveyed the crowd looking for the face that was now indelibly etched in his mind.

He was so busy looking for her that he did not hear the voice saying hello at his feet. One of the other lifeguards answered and jumped off the booth to speak with the lady. She identified herself as the person they rescued two weekends ago and asked him to express her thanks to the other lifeguards. He called to his teammates saying, “Hey guys! Look who is here!”

Recognizing her, they all jumped off to meet her. When Willie realized that he was alone on the booth, he looked down and saw her surrounded by his teammates. He was immediately captivated by her radiance and could hardly believe that she was actually standing there.

When their eyes met, he smiled softly and his world literally stopped. Everything appeared to move in slow motion and everyone except her faded into oblivion. She blushed and looked down at her feet. Willie jumped off the booth and extended his hand saying, “Hi, I’m Willie!”

With a simple head gesture towards the ocean he added, “We met out there a few weeks ago.” She smiled and said, “I’m Maria. I was told that you met me out there but I don’t remember. Thank you for saving my life. I owe you one.”

Without even thinking about it, they walked away quietly, hand-in-hand, as if they knew each other forever. Maria broke the silence and jokingly asked, “Do you always hold the hands of every girl you rescue?” Startled, Willie let go of her hand and apologized for holding on to her like that. Maria laughed and ran ahead.

When Willie caught up with her, he gave her a big bear hug and lifted her off her feet. He spun her around as if they were the only ones on the beach. When he finally set her down, she took off again along the water’s edge and he ran after her. Breathless they fell into the water and frolicked for quite some time.

Wet and breathless, they sat on the beach and Willie related everything that happened from the moment he rescued her. She held his hand and listened attentively to every detail. He told her about the crowd on the beach and the ambulance that whisked her away. About how he chased after the red sports car and ended up in church praying for her to recover. About the sleepless nights and the melancholy days that followed.

After a while, Willie stopped talking and stared at the waves for a moment, lost in his memory. Maria squeezed his hand gently and leaned on his shoulder. She then thanked him again and explained that the people who chased after the ambulance in the red sports car were her parents.

With a start, he jumped to his feet and declared, “I’ve got something that belongs to you!” He grabbed her hands, pulled her to her feet and started running. “Come with me,” he said. “It is at the booth!” Puzzled she asked, “What is it? What do you have that is mine?” Finally, she shrugged and followed him wondering what he had that was hers.

At the booth, Willie produced the torn and tattered copy of Run Baby Run by Nicky Cruz. Surprised, she asked, "Where did you get this? I had a new copy of this book but I lost it sometime ago.” Willie grinned mockingly, “I know, I found it when it fell out of your car.” Covering her mouth with one hand, she playfully asked, “And you kept it! Why did you not return it to me?”

“Believe me, I tried but you did not respond to my frantic calls. I waved and hollered but your shiny red sports car just sped away as if I was not even there!” With that he hugged her and said, “That book brought me many happy reading hours since you lost it. And, now I have the best benefit of all – you are here with me.” He leaned forward to kiss her and she quickly blocked her mouth with her open palm. “I don't know if I want you to kiss me,” she said laughing. “I don't usually allow strangers to kiss me.”