Daryl continued to sit on the beach and stare out towards the horizon. He wasn't concentrating on anything in particular, but was lost in his own thoughts. How had everything gone so wrong so quickly? How had the woman that he loved, or that he thought he loved, have hurt him so deeply? And how could she have been so hurtful with her words and actions, almost seeming unapologetic for her infidelity? He couldn't sort any of it out in his mind.
When the beautiful blonde lifeguard had come over to sit next to him earlier, he'd been a bit taken aback. Why would someone like her care anything about someone like him? She was breath-takingly beautiful, especially in that red swimsuit that accentuated her long legs and flawless skin. But Daryl was hurting and didn't know what to say to her questions. She asked if he was okay. She asked if he had slept out on the beach. When he responded that he was "not sure" he meant that. He wasn't sure how long he'd been out on that beach – time seemed to run together and he didn't know if he'd been there an hour or a week. And he was definitely not sure if he was "okay". He wanted to reply that he was definitely not okay, except something about her presence made him want to be strong, to make himself be okay. He couldn't explain it. The blonde lifeguard seemed so good, so sweet, and so compassionate – and all of that for someone that she'd never laid eyes on before. She was like a light in the darkness, beckoning him to move past his hurt.
He thought back painfully on the events of the previous evening.
Daryl had been waiting at home for Andrea for what seemed like hours. They had planned to go out to dinner together, as they normally did on Friday nights, but Daryl wanted to surprise Andrea with a nice dinner at home. It was the least he could do, he thought, after she had done so much for him. They had been having some trouble recently – they just hadn't been connecting as much as they did at the beginning of their relationship. But Daryl was committed and wanted to do whatever he could to show Andrea his love for her. He wasn't always the best with words, but he thought maybe he could show her through his actions.
He had spent a good deal of the afternoon arranging things for the night. He'd arranged to get all her favorite foods from all her favorite restaurants around the island: scallops and coconut shrimp from Red Fish, crab cakes from Truffles, fried green tomatoes and sushi rolls from Skull Creek, gelato from Pino Gelato, and key lime pound cake from Signe's Bakery. Most of the places, once they found out the food was for Andrea, had agreed to deliver it to the house. He'd spent at least an hour at Red Fish talking to the sommelier about appropriate wines to pair with the dinner. He was a little out of his element in all of this, but he wanted to do something truly special for Andrea. Daryl also spoke to Andrea's close friend who was a florist in the area, who made a very beautiful arrangement of flowers for Daryl to give her. It had cost him $300, and, to Daryl they were just flowers, but he knew she adored flowers and knew her friend was sure of what she would love.
Their plans were to meet at home around 7 p.m. to go out for dinner, but 7 came and went and Andrea hadn't come home all day. She wouldn't answer her phone and as time moved away from 7, to 8, and eventually 9, Daryl started to get anxious. Had something happened to her? Why would she be so late? And why wasn't she answering her phone?
Finally, around 10 p.m,. Andrea came stumbling in. She had obviously been drinking and she looked like a mess. Her hair was all messed up and her clothes looked disheveled. Daryl heard a car pulling out of the driveway and it all hit him like a ton of bricks – someone had brought her home, and he had a pretty good feeling of what she'd been up to. He was just in total shock.
"What's all this?" she slurred out, looking at the dining table that had been set with the best china, glassware, monogrammed linen napkins, and silver utensils. It also contained the large flower arrangement, candles (that at this point had burned half way down) on beautiful antique candlesticks, and a small wrapped box that contained a small necklace that Daryl had thoughtfully bought for her. Daryl had packed all the food into the refrigerator over an hour ago, but had helped himself to some of the wine, which also sat on the table.
"I thought I'd, uh, do something nice. Thought we… could stay in tonight. Got stuff from all your favorite places. Not that it matters much now" Daryl said, never actually looking Andrea in the eye.
"Oh… uh….", Andrea replied. It was obvious he'd caught her off guard. He normally wasn't much for these kinds of grand gestures and she always assumed Daryl would be easy to forgive her when she let him down – he had always been kind of a pushover in their relationship. She could tell though, now, that he could see right through her and that he wouldn't be so quick to forgive her being with another man while trying to come home to him.
"That's all you've got to say?" Daryl asked, anger rising up within his voice. "I spent all day doing this for you… and… and… you come in here like that… 3 hours late? I know, Andrea. I know where you've been… what you've been doing!"
"Oh baby, don't be like that…" Andrea started towards Daryl, but he quickly moved away. "Why are you being like this?" she demanded. Obviously she thought she could still talk herself out of this situation.
"Why am I being like this?" Daryl scoffed. "Why are you being like this is more like it! You're cheating and you don't even have enough concern for me to just tell me straight. Instead, I'm running all over the island today, doing stuff for you, talking to your friends, and you're out there making a damn fool of me!". Daryl had raised his voice to a very loud level and was waving his hands around in frustration. How could she ask him what she had?
"Daryl… listen…", Andrea started. She sat down, head in her hand, seeming to quickly sober from her previous state just a few minutes prior. "I, um… I'm sorry". She seemed to finally realize the severity of what was happening.
"Sorry for what?" Daryl almost yelled.
"I… I haven't been happy for a while. I thought… I thought you knew", Andrea said, somewhat apologetic now.
"Knew what? That you were stepping out on me? Naw… I didn't know", Daryl bit back. Daryl's eyes bored down onto Andrea from where he stood across from her in the room. He wanted an explanation, but she wouldn't even look up at him. She was obviously uncomfortable, but whether she was truly ashamed of her actions, Daryl wasn't sure. "Did you think I'd be okay to just be some sort of 'kept man', Andrea? That I'd be happy just being some man candy for you to take out in public, show off to all your little bitch friends? That's bullshit and you know it!"
Daryl tried to calm down. He tried to think rationally in the moment. But now that he knew that she was cheating, that she "hadn't been happy for a while", some of his old insecurities about her had come flooding back. Daryl had gotten the feeling from Andrea a few times in the last couple of months that she was only interested in having someone very handsome, yet somewhat passive and quiet, on her arm. Even some of her friends had mentioned in passing that they needed to find some "man candy" like Daryl. He wasn't one of those guys who was overly confident of his appearance, but he knew that he was a good looking man, and he'd never had trouble attracting women. Making meaningful relationships with them, however, had always been a problem for him. Daryl was abused as a child and had severe trust issues. Although he tried to move past all that baggage that he some painfully carried, he often found that the women he became involved with either didn't want long-term relationships, or wanted more from him initially than he could give.
He had hoped Andrea would be different. And he tried to talk with her about his feelings. She assured him that what they shared was real, that she loved him, and she would do anything to show him that. He hadn't wanted to walk away, he thought he loved her too, and so, he stayed and hoped for the best. When Andrea and Daryl went out in the area, she would only settle for the finest of things. She wanted to eat at the best restaurants, drink the most expensive wine, and wear the clothes of all the best designers. He hadn't realized early in their relationship, but she was quite materialist and maybe a bit too superficial. Everywhere they went, people noticed her – her success as a very prominent real estate mogul in the area had brought her much notoriety and won her many friends. Over time, it all started to take its toll on Daryl. He had grown up in a very poor family and knew that Andrea saw him as somewhat beneath her, even if she didn't express it.
Finally, Andrea broke the long silence between them, pulling Daryl out of his thoughts and bringing him back to the current situation. "Daryl, listen…." she started. "You are such a great guy… I mean… really. But, we are just too different. You know that right? I'm not sure this could ever really work between us. Not really the way you'd want anyway".
He knew what she was suggesting – he had grown up white trash and while he felt like he'd escaped his upbringing, she still saw him as beneath her and he knew now that it would never change. She would never change. And he would never agree to continue on in some sham relationship only so he could live a lavish lifestyle and Andrea could keep up appearances.
"So this is it then, huh?" Daryl asked, although he already knew the answer. He didn't want to be in this relationship anymore, and obviously neither did Andrea. It was hard for him to leave, though, as he had much more wrapped up in her than she did in him. He had moved to Hilton Head for Andrea. When they first met, while she was on a business trip to Atlanta, things between them had gotten serious quickly. Only a few weeks into their somewhat long-distance relationship, Andrea had asked Daryl to move to Hilton Head to be with her. She had even offered him a good job working for her company. He had accepted her invitation, moving to South Carolina and moving in with her. Her home in Sea Pines was large – her success in real estate in the area had afforded her a very good lifestyle. It had all been a bit much for Daryl to adjust to at first. As an adult, Daryl had made a comfortable life for himself – he worked a steady construction job, even moving his way up to being a foreman. But he never thought he would live in a glamorous coastal home, with a woman that was somewhat of a local celebrity. Now, though, he faced losing both his home and his job, since he couldn't imagine Andrea would want him to continue to work for her. And, he didn't really want that either. Honestly, he never wanted to see her face again.
He left that night, after packing up his things, not saying another word to Andrea. She had tried to get him to talk to her, tried to tell him he could stay there until he found a new place, tried to tell him he could keep his job. But he wasn't having any of it. He couldn't stand her now and every minute that he was around her just made his blood boil.
After leaving her house, he couldn't think of where to go. He didn't have any friends, not really anyway. Those that he'd gotten to be somewhat friendly with were all friends of Andrea's and he'd never ask for help from any of them. He knew he could go to an area hotel, but the chance of finding a reasonably priced one in height of vacation season was slim to none. He also hated the idea of spending hundreds of dollars of his hard earned money on a hotel room. Finally, he decided to drive to the beach. He sat in his truck at the beach access for the longest time, just thinking things over. He finally got out, as the sun was making its way close to the horizon, and headed out toward the ocean, sitting down in the cool sand and watching as the sun peaked up over the horizon. Tears fell down his face as he realized that had absolutely nothing, no one, and that his entire life had been pulled out from under him in almost an instant.
Daryl slowly started to bring himself back to reality. His relationship with Andrea was over. He had to come to terms with that – and the quicker he could do that, the quicker he could get on with his life, whatever that meant at this point. He wasn't sure what had occupied his mind in the 24 hours since he'd come out to sit on the beach. He had been in such an intense state that he'd noticed nothing around him, or even the changing of the light, the tides, or the temperature. He vaguely remembered a guy attempting to talk to him yesterday – but he had no idea what he'd said, what he looked like, or who he was.
As Daryl continued to think through the situation, his sadness started to melt away. Instead of the sorrow that he'd wallowed in within the last 24 hours, he was overtaken with anger. Andrea had begged him to move in with her, and now, he was left with nothing – no home, no job. Yes, he had a good amount of savings from his construction work for Andrea's company – he'd rarely ever needed money during their relationship, as she always insisted on paying for everything. He supposed he needed to get up, dust himself off, and try to find an apartment, along with a job. But, as he thought about all this, he continued to get angrier. He realized that, if what the blonde had said was true, that he had been out on the beach for an entire day, that today was Sunday. That meant that no one would be open – he wouldn't be able to find an apartment until at least Monday. And would he even be able to get approval for an apartment within a job? Why had Andrea put him into this terrible position? He couldn't help but ask himself this question over and over again. Then another question surfaced – why had he put himself in this position? That made him even more frustrated. He faced the reality that he may have to sleep in his truck tonight, or, stay out on the beach all night… again.
Daryl wasn't sure what would happen if he tried to stay out on the beach all day again today. What would the blonde do? Would she continue to question him, try to figure out what was causing his strange behavior? Or, would she see that he was hurting, and somewhat nonresponsive, and leave him alone to his own thoughts? While he should have hoped for the second option, he found himself hoping desperately that she would approach him again. For some reason, the girl gave him hope. He didn't know her at all, but he found himself glancing over at her guard chair, more than a few times. He found himself wandering about who she was, what she was like, and, over and over, why she'd wanted to approach someone like him. He knew it was all crazy, that he was being crazy thinking about her, especially in his current state. But he just couldn't help himself.
All of a sudden, Daryl realized he'd been staring at Beth for a very long time. He wasn't sure what time it was, but he was completely surrounded by others now – families, mostly, of all types, shapes, and sizes. He looked down at his watch, wondering what time it was and realized that it was about lunch time. He had hungrily devoured the granola bar that Beth had sweetly placed in his hand earlier, but it was almost 5 hours later and he realized just how hungry, and thirsty, he was after not eating anything (other than the granola bar) for the last day.
Slowly, carefully, Daryl stretched his legs out and dusted himself off. He stood up, feeling the pain of his legs, which hadn't moved much in the last 24 hours. He continued to move his hands over his pants, trying to get as much sand off of himself as possible. He didn't know what he would do today, but he knew he needed to eat. Luckily, there was a café right next to the beach club and he started walking towards it. As he headed towards the café, somewhat lost in his own world and mind, the beautiful blonde popped up in front of him suddenly.
"You leaving?" Beth asked, sounding a bit confused.
"Oh… uh… Naw", Daryl replied as he looked down at her. He hadn't realized before when she sat next to him how tiny she was in comparison to himself. She almost seemed disappointed that he was walking away from the beach, he thought. Why? "I'm gonna go over and get some lunch… I… um… haven't eaten in a long time. Other than that bar…. Thanks", Daryl said shyly, looking down at his shoes. He wasn't sure why, but she made him nervous.
"Oh, well… I'm… uhhh… about to go over there too. Wanna eat together?" Beth suggested somewhat nervously but eventually looking up to him with a smile.
For the life of him, Daryl couldn't figure out why she'd asked him this. Why would she want to eat with him? Was she just nosey? Did she just want an excuse to ask him a lot of questions? Did she think he was homeless – needed someone to buy him a meal? He couldn't imagine that she really thought that and he really wanted to be near her, just to feel her presence around him. He knew he was feeling vulnerable and alone, but something about her was magnetic, and he was drawn to the idea of Beth.
"Yeah, uh, okay" he finally answered her question. And for good measure, he added, "how about my treat?"
"Oh…" she said, shaking her head, "you don't have to do that…".
"No, I'd like to. Um, you… you gave me some breakfast, right? So, I should buy you some lunch", Daryl offered. He even smirked at her a little, unsure of how he'd somehow lost some of his anger and sadness and replaced it with hope and some other emotion that he couldn't quite explain.
Beth looked up a Daryl for what seemed like an eternity. Her face was hard to read in those moments and Daryl was terrified that she would turn him down. Instead, though, she replied with a simple "okay" and turned around to walk beside him waving her hand to signal him that she was ready to go. They walked comfortably in silence toward the café and all Daryl could do was smile to himself and wonder what in the world he'd gotten himself into.