Bradin sat by the pier looking out at the ocean and waiting. Every few minutes he looked down at his watch for the time. 5:56 it read the last time he checked. She must not be coming, he thought. He gathered up his school books from the ground around him and shoved them into his back pack. The time he spent waiting wasn't a total waste, he had completed most of the work. He had a final summative evaluation in history due in a week. He finished most of the text book work, just the library research he could finish on the weekend.
He stood up and started for the beach house. He was almost clear of the pier when he heard his name being called. Bradin turned around to see Gabi coming from the other direction. "Sorry I'm late," Gabi apologised.
"Don't worry, besides the ocean was entertaining enough." Gabi and Bradin started walking down the beach in an awkward silence.
"So," started Gabi. "How long have you been living in Playa Linda?"
"Ten months and twenty-eight days," replied Bradin. Gabi let out a muffled giggle.
"Wow, exact. Where did you live before?"
"Kansas," replied Bradin. "How long have you been living here?"
"As long as I can remember," she said sadly. Bradin sensed the depression in her voice.
"You ok? You seem sad." Bradin looked at her with concern.
"Oh it's nothing. Just wishful thinking, that's all."
"You sure?"
"Yes I'm sure." Gabi didn't sound too sure. Bradin opened his mouth to say something more, but then just shrugged it off. It was her life and if she didn't want to tell him, he shouldn't force her. "So what are we going to do about the F.S. project?"
"Well, ummm, maybe we could start by writing about are favourite memories, or something like that," suggested Bradin.
"Favourite memory could be anything right?" Bradin nodded. "Ok, what's yours?"
"Well I was maybe five or six at the time, my parents wanted me to go to this community picnic," Bradin paused to see if she was listening. Gabi nodded and he continued. "I didn't won't to go, but my parents said that if I didn't I couldn't go riding later." Gabi gave him a questioning look. "I lived on a farm and riding is what I did in my spare time." Bradin explained. "Anyways so of course my parents won. We went and it was a lot of fun. I hung around my parents for most of the day, but played tag with a group of kids around the same age as me. By the time I had to go, I didn't want to leave. Growing up on the farm I didn't really meet any kids my age until the picnic, or when I started school. I begged my parents not to leave just then, and I was allowed to stay for an other half hour, but you know how parents are when they get talking to other parents, they talk and talk." Gabi nodded, Bradin's speech had been steadily growing in pace and she was starting to find it hard to keep up with him. "Anyways the half hour turned into hours and soon it was dark. There was only me and the girl left when it was time to go. I still remember the look on her face when I invited her to come over someday. She was really nice and she wasn't like the other girls, she wasn't annoying. Anyways we had to go and I talked all the way home and thanked my parents for taking me. I didn't see any of the kids I met at the picnic until the first day of school. I 'rescued' my friend from the third grade bullies and after that we became best friends, almost inseparable. I guess it's my favourite memory because if it weren't for my parents, I probably wouldn't have made the greatest friend I ever had."
"Do you still write?"
"No." Bradin sat down I the sand and stared out to the ocean.
"Why not? Did you get into a fight or something?" Gabi asked sitting beside him.
"She died, in the fourth grade." Gabi gasped.
"That's so sad, she died so young. How did she die? If you don't mind me asking," she asked sympathetically.
"A flood took her house. The river broke through and her family was swept away. Only two bodies were found, her older sisters and younger brothers, during the first search. I remember going to her house after it happened. My parents were on the search and rescue team at the time so they brought me out because I new the house better then they did. I had so much hope that she'd survived. I used to have nightmares after seeing what happened. It was horrible-" Bradin trialed off and looked into the distance. His eyes glazed over as he remembered the scene.
Coming up to the house, Bradin watched and worried that she'd be alright. 'Dali's going to be fine right mom?' asked a nine year old Bradin.
'Let's hope so, let's pray so,' she said.
'We're almost there,' said Bradin's father. They pulled into the driveway of the Dalijandro residence, as far as the car could take them. Bradin jumped out and sunk waist deep into water and mud. The water had gone down since the a lot weekend. He ran, or at least tried to run, towards the house as fast as he could. 'Dali!' he shouted as he raced across the front porch. He tried to push open the storm door, but it wouldn't budge. 'Dali let me in!' he cried as he body checked the door. Still it wouldn't move. Bradin ran to the side or the house, a window had been broken my the pressure of the water. He climbed through tearing his pant leg on the broken glass still attached to the window frame. 'Dali? Are you here? Dali, come out, come out wherever you are. Dali this isn't funny, where are you?' Bradin walked are the ground floor of the house. He picked up photographs off the floor and placed them back on the tables. He could faintly hear crying from upstairs. Bradin raced up to the second floor, the crying was coming from Dali's room. He opened the door leading into the room where he had spent so much time in before the rain had come. Dali shared this room with her baby brother.
As he walked into the room the crying stopped. Bradin looked around, in the corner or the room, close to the front of the house, most of the furniture had gathered, pushed by the water. 'Dad, mom, dad, mom! I need help up here!' shouted Bradin. He walked over to the pile and started to pull off loose objects. Mr. Westerly soon joined his son's side removing heavier objects.
'Why are we doing this' questioned Mr. Westerly.
'I thought I saw something move,' replied Bradin while gripping a side of the dresser tilted against the wall. 'Or it could have just been my imagination.' Mr. Westerly assisted Bradin in moving the dresser. Once out of the way and against a different wall, Bradin looked at the floor. His face turned white in horror. On the damp floor a blood drained hand lay sticking out from under the rubble. The medical bracelet on the wrist identified the body as Dali's older sister, Isabelle. 'Dad its Isabelle!' cried Bradin. A few tears leaked out of the child's eyes.
'Stop that Bradin, men don't cry.' His father's voice was emotionless and airy. 'Help me get her body out, there is no hope left for her. Even if we could've gotten here earlier, we wouldn't have been able to save her.' Bradin sniffed and obeyed his father's command. He new exactly what his father meant. Isabelle was a haemophiliac, and always had to be careful. Bradin pictured her sitting on the front porch reading the newest edition to the town's library.
He smiled at that thought as he worked to uncover the rest of her body. Slowly the pieces of furniture were removed and the only thing remaining was a mattress. Under the mattress lay Isabelle and the body of a baby boy. Mr. Westerly ran a finger along the sole of the baby's foot. 'He's alive, but barely.'
'How can you tell?' questioned Bradin.
'No questions, Bradin, we need to get Derek to the hospital.'
"Bradin are you ok?" asked Gabi. Bradin shook his head.
"What?" he asked in reply.
"You kinda stopped talking mid-sentence. I was wondering if you were ok."
"Ohh, yeah, I'm fine," he said softly. Bradin shook his head again. What about you? What's your favourite memory?"
"Probably when I came home from the hospital. I was ten and I don't remember much."
"Why were you there?" he asked with concern.
"I think it was because had water in my lungs. According to my aunt I was half drowned when she found me. She doesn't like to talk about what happened, she doesn't talk that much about anything anymore, I think she blames herself for what happened. The few facts I know, I found them out from the doctors. I had been in a coma for about two months, and they didn't expect my to wake up," she explained.
"Nice doctors," Bradin said in disgust.
"Yeah tell me about it. They kept me at the hospital for two weeks after I woke up to make sure 'nothing was wrong'. They also kept asking how it happened. I don't remember." Gabi stared silently at Bradin. Her eyes moved from him to the ocean. "Remember how I said I lived in Playa Linda as long as I could remember?"
"Yea," Bradin whispered. He coughed then spoke again "Yeah." His voice was much louder the second time. Gabi looked back at him.
"I don't remember anything before the hospital. The doctors say the memory loss is permanent. They've tried everything to bring it back, but nothing. The first nine years of my life have been taken away from me. The memories of my parent, my life before just gone, like they never happened." Gabi turned back to the ocean shocked that she opened up to him so much. They sat in silence looking out just thinking about their past.
Minutes passed, each not knowing what to say to the other. Soon those minutes turned into half an hour. Bradin couldn't stand the silence anymore. He decided to open his mouth and say the first thing that came out. "Funny isn't it?" he asked.
"What is?" she questioned.
"Our memories," he replied. Her face displayed a look signalling that she didn't follow. "I mean both our memories lead to something terrible. See my memory leads to my friends' death, and your memory," he paused. "It leads to no memory, therefore, funny." Gabi looked at him confused. "Not in a ha-ha, you slave me kind of funny, but in a more coincidental, ironic kind of funny, get it?
"Yeah," she laughed. "I get it."