When The Ocean Met The Sky - One Year Later


Steph sat in the sand at her favorite section of beach at Point Pleasant, coat wrapped around as tightly as possible to keep the cutting wind out. March is not her favorite beach month, but the salt air and sound of the surf calms her soul. Face down on her knees she is finally able to cry out her sadness. A cautious sea gull has wandered over to see if any random food has magically appeared - sometimes these big creatures leave food around.

She heaves a sigh and scrounges in her messenger bag for a tissue and blows her nose. Her phone rings and she pulls it out of her pocket and answers it.

"Steph, this is your mother..."

Just shoot me now and put me out of my misery.

"Yes mom. Now what?"

"Well isn't that just wonderful. Why did you not make it to the funeral today? That was entirely disrespectful..."

"I know mom, and any random Burg girl would have gone to the funeral and not embarrassed her mother."

"Stop taking that tone with me, you are entirely disrespectful."

"Mom, I am not going to deal with you today. Unplug the phone, or just stuff it where the sun doesn't shine." She clicked off her cell and shoved it back in her pocket. Getting up she slogged back to her car and headed off on the hour and a half drive back to Trenton.


Reaching home, she intercepted the shaggy golden retriever/yeti cross dog and clipped a leash on him and headed across the street to the dog park to let him have some running time. Twilight was one of her favorite times to let Bob run. Previously she would get off work and head over to Joe's to get Bob to have someone to run with. Now that Joe was gone her twilight runs with Bob made her as much melancholy as glad to see a simple creature having fun.

Sitting in the hospital with Anita off and on for the last three weeks was not so much as a duty as a closure. Sharing stories of life with Joe with his wife and a changing group of Joe's relatives while his life clock slowly ran down made her reflect at all the good and bad decisions that lead them to where they were now. If only Joe had managed to meet Anita three years earlier when she had first graduated the nursing program and found her job at the hospital. If only Joe hadn't considered Steph his ideal woman and flirted with the pretty little red headed nurse. If only they had gotten married, they could have had three good years together. And if wishes were horses beggers would ride as the saying goes. Though Anita asking her if she would like to have Bob back, along with the Joe and Steph photo album his sister had made and Joe had shoved into a cupboard one of the off times in their off and on relationships made Steph sad, she agreed to take them both. She thought she would throw away most of the pictures and that Bob would enjoy the dog park across the street from her place.

The buzz of her phone ringing in her pocket jolted her out of her trance.

"Hello?"

"Steph, this is Anita. Everything is finally packed and we are leaving in 20 minutes."

"This late at night?"

"I just don't want to stay any longer. Bella is geting all witchy at me, as if I had anything to do with that damned bank robber that shot Joe."

"Bella hates everybody, don't take it personally. I could come over and threaten to shot her for you ..."

Anita laughed 'Thanks, I would consider taking you up on the offer if I was going to be staying here. My brother thinks that we can make it at least 4 hours before he needs a break. That should get us to Richmond if traffic allows.


"Ocean Breathes Salty" - modest mouse

Your body may be gone, I'm gonna carry you in.
In my head, in my heart, in my soul.
And maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both live again.
Well I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. Don't think so.

Well that is that and this is this.
You tell me what you want and I'll tell you what you get.
You get away from me. You get away from me.
Collected my belongings and I left the jail.
Well thanks for the time, I needed to think a spell.
I had to think awhile. I had to think awhile.

The ocean breathes salty, won't you carry it in?
In your head, in your mouth, in your soul.
And maybe we'll get lucky and we'll both grow old.
Well I don't know. I don't know. I don't know. I hope so.

Well that is that and this is this.
You tell me what you want and I'll tell you what you get.
You get away from me. You get away from me.
Collected my belongings and I left the jail.
Well thanks for the time, I needed to think a spell.
I had to think awhile. I had to think awhile.

Well that is that and this is this.
Will you tell me what you saw and I'll tell you what you missed,
when the ocean met the sky.
You missed when time and life shook hands and said goodbye.
When the earth folded in on itself.
And said "Good luck, for your sake I hope heaven and hell are really there, but I wouldn't hold my breath."
You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste death?
You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste death?

The ocean breathes salty, won't you carry it in?
In your head, in your mouth, in your soul.
The more we move ahead the more we're stuck in rewind.
Well I don't mind. I don't mind. How the hell could I mind?

Well that is that and this is this.
You tell me what you want and I'll tell you what you get.
You get away from me. You get away from me.

Well that is that and this is this.
Will you tell me what you saw and I'll tell you what you missed,
when the ocean met the sky.
You wasted life, why wouldn't you waste the afterlife?