summer romance (e.d.)

thirty-seven

anna

"anna!" ethan calls from down the sand a little bit.

the wind whips through my hair as i shield my hand over my eyes, trying to block out the burning sun.

ethan motions for me to come over to him, and i brush the sand off of me and stumble across the uneven and squishy ground.

we've been on the beach for the whole afternoon (since it's my day off) and i'm starting to get either a burn or a tan. i can't tell yet.

but as i near ethan, he squints his eyes at my skin and tells me.

"you're a lobster, an."

"ugh, i knew it," i groan, touching my arm gingerly. "i even put on layers of sunscreen? did you see how much i applied?"

"i saw," he nods. "you used the entire bottle."

laughing, i look at his hands. they hold a small and flat, white disc.

"what's that?" i ask, reaching out to touch it.

he places it in my hands and i inspect it closely. it kind of resembles a shell, and has a small little starfish design on the top.

"it's a sand dollar," ethan explains. "never seen one?"

i shake my head. "i've rarely been to the beach. this summer is actually only the third time in my life. the beaches in jersey kind of suck so my dad and i never went."

"well, it's really rare to find a full one. and i did. see?" he asks, taking it carefully and showing me how none of the edges are chipped.

smiling, i ask, "have you ever found a full one before?"

he nods, looking out at the water for a glimmer of a second. then he turns back to me. "i was nine, and my dad found it, technically. but he let me keep it."

"do you still have it?"

my words make him hesitate for some reason, before he nods. "yeah, i do."

"have you kept all the shells you've found?" i ask quietly, still inspecting the smooth sand dollar in my hand.

i look up to see him scratching his head, staring at his feet.

i furrow my eyebrows. "what's wrong?"

"nothing," he quickly assures. "you're just... the first person that has really... cared."

a smile takes over my face. "i care, ethan. will you show me them sometime?"

he gives me a long, soft look. "yes."

in his eyes, i can tell that no one really understands why this is so important to him. he thinks other people portray it as silly and childish, but i think it's really intriguing and sweet.

he's keeping his father's spirit alive in their tradition.

"i'm really starting to regret not taking that conch shell off your hands from awhile ago," ethan says as we walk slowly back to our towels.

"yeah?" i laugh. "why's that?"

"all of mine have chips in them. yours was perfect. where'd you find it, anyway?"

"in the wet sand," i say, shrugging. "i stepped on it by accident, and then picked it up."

when we get back to the towels, ethan hands me a smaller tube of sunscreen and gives me a look that tells me i need to reapply.

"okay, if a full bottle of banana boat didn't protect me, what's this stuff supposed to do?" i ask, wrinkling nose as i inspect the tube.

"it works like magic. and smells like tangerines," he adds happily.