Beneath the Surface

The ocean is uneasy tonight, but the tourists don’t seem to notice. They run into the water getting deeper and deeper as the waves hit them, throwing salty water onto their faces. It’s not quite sunset yet, but the sun is low across the horizon. It casts a warm glow onto the water, making the ocean a yellow plain when looked at from a distance. It looks inviting, but deceivingly so. When you get closer, it’s obvious that you can’t look through the water. It hides things, namely the danger that can pull anyone under in seconds, especially in tonight’s rough tide. I worry for them even though I’ve seen thousands of tourists run into the water without knowing that they’re taking their lives into their hands, then come out safely none the wiser. I turn away and start my way up the safest route to the top of the cliffside, where I know that Harry is waiting for me.

Upon arriving at the top, I see that Harry has already laid out a blanket and sat down. I join him and we watch as the sun sets deeper over the horizon.

“What took you so long, Hannah?” Harry asks me.

“I was distracted by the tourists about to die at the beach,” I respond.

“I highly doubt that they’re about to die. Although, the ocean is uneasy tonight.”

“Exactly what I was thinking! Can I tell you something?”

“Of course.”

“I know I hide it well, but I’m actually quite scared of the ocean,” I say sarcastically.

“Well, that is shocking news. I would’ve never guessed,” he responds with a laugh.

“I mean, I think it’s pretty and all, but I think I’ve heard too many horror stories. I just really don’t want to die.”

“Hannah, my dear, I’ve been surfing for my entire life, and I have never died.”

“It only takes once, Harry,” I say, cautioning him.

“I can’t argue with that, but I promise you Hannah that I don’t want to die any more than you do. I’m always careful. I know how to take care of myself out there, and I understand that I’m taking my life into my hands.”

I look at him with a worried frown, and he responds with a smile.

“Let’s not worry about it tonight,” he says soothingly. “I’d rather just watch the sunset.”

“Yes, from this safe distance,” I say pointing between the cliffside and the ocean.

“You know, you’re just as likely to die by falling off the cliffs while we’re climbing up,” he points out.

“I never claimed my fears were rational,” I argue.

We fall silent for a while. As the sun sets, it casts pink and orange hues upon the water, but it fades soon enough. We hear the tourists leave the ocean, each one completely fine of course, and I think to myself how when their night is over, ours is just beginning. I pull a sweatshirt out of my bag as it gets colder, but Harry pulls me closer to him.

“You know what might help you if you’re cold, Hannah?” Harry asks me.

“What?”

“Taking a swim,” he answers, smirking.

“I really don’t see how that would warm me up.”

“It probably wouldn’t, but it’d be really fun.”

I don’t answer for a second, still watching the water.

“If I’m scared of the ocean when it’s still daylight, I’ll probably be even worse during the night,” I argue.

“Ok, well what if we swim tomorrow morning before you go to work? You don’t work until the afternoon, right?”

“Yeah. Will you let me off the hook if I go swimming with you once?” I ask.

“I promise that I will,” he assures me.

“Alright, Harry, meet me up here on the cliff at 7:00 tomorrow morning and I’ll swim with you.”

“Deal,” Harry says.

“Well, if I’m going to be waking up that early, I ought to head home,” I say.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow morning at 7:00,” he answers.

We pack up the blanket and walk down the cliff together. Harry walks me down to my car, and opens the door for me.

“Tomorrow, bright and early, I’m going to get you into the ocean,” he says, and wishes me a good night.

The next morning, I pull up to the beach. It’s still early enough that there’s barely anyone on the sand. I walk up the cliffside. I’m still early and Harry hasn’t arrived yet. I sit down and look down at the water. My face gets red and I feel flutters in my stomach. Harry finally shows up, and I can immediately feel that he’s excited. But he looks at me, reading my flushed cheeks.

“Are you ready to head down?” he asks me. I look down to the water and take a breath.

“Yeah, let’s get this over with.”

“That’s the spirit!”

We make our way down the cliffside, and Harry takes my hand. He spreads a blanket over the sand and sets up an umbrella. I take off my cover-up, and he leads me to the ocean.

I take my first step into the ocean, and it’s cold, very cold. It splashes against my calves, freezing me into place. I look down at the water. It’s a light, clear blue. I can look straight through down to the sand. Harry sits down in the shallow water. The waves go up to his chest, but not past there.

“Care to join me?” he invites.

“I’m scared that a crab is going to come up out of the sand and pinch my butt,” I respond, and Harry laughs. He pulls me down and I shriek at how cold the water is, which only makes him laugh harder.

“Harry, it’s so cold. I don’t think I can handle it.”

“See, I think you’re wrong. I think you can handle it.”

“That’s nice of you to say, but you overestimate me.”

“Well, you are currently sitting, so it seems like you’re okay.” I look down at my legs.

“I think it’s actually getting warmer,” I tell him.

“That’s not how that works. You’re just getting used to it,” he responds.

“I didn’t think that I could ever get used to it.”

“So, are you saying that I might be right?” he asks. I splash him, and it gets in his mouth. I laugh at him as he keeps spitting the salty water off of his tongue. In response, he splashes me back, and won’t stop. I get up, running away as he keeps throwing the water into my face. I get tired from laughing and running, and stop. He picks me up, and throws me into deeper water. I float up to the top, still laughing.

“Well, are you a little warmer now?” Harry asks me.

“Yeah, I guess so,” I respond.

“Maybe tomorrow you’d want to join me again,” he suggests. I look back at him and sigh. I think he can tell that I’m about to agree.

“Same time?” I ask.

“Works for me,” Harry responds.

“Well, I better get going. I’ve got to shower before work.”

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow.”

I grab a towel from my bag and start my way home. I look back for a second. As I back away, the ocean seems to get darker.

The next day comes all too quickly. I change into a swimsuit, then make my way to meet Harry. It’s a cloudy day. I believe that it’s supposed to rain later today. It’s evident in the dark clouds. There’s a dark cast over the sea and the waves are choppier than they were yesterday. When we walk into the water, I can only barely see my own feet. It makes me nervous, and Harry reads it in my face.

“It’s alright, Hannah. We’ll be careful,” he assures me. I look him in the eyes and nod. He splashes me, and I sort of laugh. We go a little deeper. Harry brought a beach ball today, and he throws it through the air towards me. I lunge for it, but just miss. It floats on the dark water and I swim for it. I throw it back to him, and of course he catches it perfectly. We keep throwing the ball back and forth. I need to swim for it considerably more than Harry does, but I start to have fun and laugh. He throws it over my head again and I go swim for it, when suddenly I lose control. There’s a current, a very strong current, trying to sweep me out further.

My head sinks under the water. Every wave comes, and I try to gain momentum to get above the water again, but instead they push me sideways. I can’t figure out which way is up, but it doesn’t matter anyway because I don’t have control over my body. My arms and legs move frantically, but only seem to push my body towards death. It’s been too long since the last time I could breathe, and my head feels heavy. It is as if the weight of the water in my lungs is pulling me down.

I’m just about to give up as the world gets darker and darker, when I feel strong hands grab me, pulling me out of the current. Harry drags me to shore, and places me on my side. I cough up a significant amount of water, and get my first breath of air. It feels like heaven. I begin to feel lighter, but I start sobbing. Harry grabs me, and tries to wipe away my tears, but I can tell he was scared as well.

“Harry, I was close to dying, wasn’t I?” I ask him.

“Honestly, Hannah, yes. But I would never let you drown,” he comforts me.

“What if you weren’t there, Harry?”

“If I weren’t there, you wouldn’t have been in the water, anyway.”

It starts to rain, and he carries me to his car and drives me to the hospital.

“I’m fine, Harry, this isn’t necessary,” I tell him.

“Hannah, I promised you that I would be careful.”

I look at him, realizing that he is careful. The water was unpredictable, he’s admitted that himself. But he took the proper precautions. He’s a strong swimmer, and trained in CPR. He knows that I’m not as strong of a swimmer as he is, and never went too far from me. Even when I was taken by the current, he was right there, ready to take life-saving actions. I trust him in the water.

I know that the water has not gotten any less dangerous, but somehow when I look at him, I feel that the risk is worth it. I know he’ll always be there for me.

“Harry, I’m not ready to go swimming again tomorrow,” I tell him.

“I wasn’t even going to ask you to,” he responds.

“But I want you to teach me to be confident in the water. I want you to show me how to be safe in the ocean,” I ask him.

“Of course,” he responds.

“I trust you.”