2.1: Reading Exercise - Escaping the Chaos
- Page ID
- 275112
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Image by katermikesch from Pixabay
Escaping the Chaos
By James Thibeault
The last thing she wanted to do on a Sunday morning was to spend it at the crowded beach. Mia covered her sun-burnt ears with her wraparound headphones to drown out the country music blasting from the bro bunch three spots down. Shirtless and drunk, they threw a frisbee back and forth over the heads of several couples baking in the sun. How these people could willingly submit themselves to sun poison was a mystery to her. The oppressive heat was already too much for Mia, and it was only going to get worse in the next couple of hours. She was fine under her umbrella—knowing too well how sharp the hot stinging sand could be on her bare feet. With her long-sleeved shirt, Mia scrolled through her feed and tried her best to ignore the festivities.
“Come on, sweetie,” said her mother. “Let’s cool off a bit and dip in the ocean.”
“No,” Mia said while scrolling, “the minute I dry off, the seaweed and salt will make me itch for the rest of the day.”
“You’re just going to sit there the whole time?”
She felt a pang in her mother’s voice. Mia wasn’t a beach person, and every year this conversation came up. Maybe as she got older, Mia would magically transform into a two-piece sun-absorbing fleshy tanning bed. But right now, she was content with her SPF 100, as her skin was caked in a white goo.
“I’m sorry,” said Mia.
“Okay. Well, I’ll get back in a minute. Don’t eat all of the pretzels.”
Mia watched as her mother gingerly stepped around the blankets, chairs, balls, umbrellas, coolers, buckets, and shovels. Instinctively, her mother ducked under the frisbee thrown by the sweaty shirtless men. Eventually, she made it to the waves and disappeared into the sea. For a moment, the thought of the cool ocean intrigued Mia, but before she could will herself to sit up, the frisbee bonked her on the side of the head.
“Sorry bro! Can you toss that back?”
“I’m not your bro!” shouted Mia as she threw the frisbee back at the glistening sack of muscles. The frisbee curved and flopped only a few feet from where she sat.
“Whoops, got to be gentle on the wrist,” said the bro. “I’ll grab it for ya.” Jogging over, the bro squatted down and grabbed the frisbee with one hand. With his other hand, he placed it over his eyes to stare at Mia. After a moment, he smiled. “Hope you feel better!” And with that, he hustled back over to his man pack.
“Did he think I was sick?” she said silently to herself. Mia looked at her long sleeves and felt the tackiness of her outfit. Maybe she should join her mother, battle the heat for a while, and get the inevitable skin damage on her body. All she wanted was to stay home and be left alone on her computer. Now that was the perfect day off, she thought. Suddenly, she began to fidget in her beach chair. The pressure to rise ran through her body. Maybe she should join her mother, be a good daughter and whatnot.
Mia stood up and hit her head on the umbrella. She was about to swear but held it in for the children making sandcastles next to her. Mia took off her headphones, choosing to keep her long sleeve shirt on since it was waterproof. Before she had to chance to take a step, she looked down and saw a seagull waddling towards the bag of pretzels. Like Godzilla, she stomped around the bird until it flew away. Hurriedly, she ate three pretzels and then clipped the bag shut. The sun was already melting away her SPF, but Mia was committed to seeing this out. After taking a deep breath, she moved less elegantly than her mother through the blankets, chairs, balls, umbrellas, coolers, buckets, and shovels. The freebee coasted right at her, and she gently threw it back to the bro with some subtle wrist action. Impressed, the bro gave a thumbs up and Mia returned the gesture. Feeling good, she reached the waves and waved to her mother. Excited, her mother beckoned her into the water.
Mia took one toe into the water and shivered. Nope, she thought, way too cold! However, her mother beckoned her in. Mia couldn’t hear her voice due to the crashing waves and music styles. Tensing her muscles, she placed her whole foot into the murky sand. It swallowed her heel entirely. As though she was just learning to walk for the first time, Mia tentatively inched her way into the freezing cold sea. By the time the water reached her navel, she was wincing and regretted her decision.
“Come on, you’re so close!” her mother said excitedly.
Mia dunked her head into the water and felt the sheer pain of the cold. She burst through the water’s surface like a deformed mermaid—flailing her arms in discomfort. After gasping for air, she fought off her body’s shivers and waded closer to her mother. They held hands and looked out to the vast emptiness ahead. Except for one lone sailboat, the ocean was void of all human life. When Mia turned back around, the sharp contrast of the human zoo surprised her. How can two different things be in the same place?
“I’m pruning. Did you want to come out with me?” said her mother.
“No,” said Mia, “I’ll stay here for a while.”
“Did you cover my pretzels?”
“Yes, but don’t eat the rest.”
Her mother squeezed the saltwater out of her hair and stepped back into the murky mess of muscle and mayhem. Mia chose to turn her back to the beachgoers and stare out into the vast sea. If she only had her headphones, it would be perfect.