Another Tomorrow

I step onto the hot sands of the beach, both my feet and head already feeling the full force of the blazing sun despite it being late afternoon. My feet sink into the sand with every step I take, leaving a set of footprints to sizzle in the sun. I find myself a nice spot away from all the laughing families and giggling couples. It’s only the mocking sounds of seagulls and gentle waves of the sea that I hear now.

This set of contrasting sounds, harsh yet kind, reminds me of our time together on the beach. We would play in the waters, splashing about, getting wet from head to toe. Sometimes we would get too into it, and tackle each other in the knee-high waters, only to laugh it off at the very end. It was that playful kindness that I can’t help but remember now.

As I lie down with my back resting against the sands, similar memories of happiness flood back at once. It doesn’t take long before I find myself dozing off in nostalgia, wondering where you are now and how you are doing.

“Hey.”

A voice calls out to me from above, pulling me away from my past fantasies.

“Hello?”

The feminine voice calls out to me again. My initial lack of response must have prompted her to repeat herself. This time I’m more awake, and I find the soothing voice to be extremely familiar. I open my eyes to find a figure looming over me.

The brim of her straw hat blocked the sun from my view, but the shadow it created didn't let me see her face. Even then, there was no way I could mistake her. Her long black hair that fell from her shoulders, her voice that stood out from a sea of people, and her positive aura that cured depression, it was all too familiar.

I stood up, unable to speak a word.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?"

She flashed a smile that instantly brought me back to my senses. Tears began to well in my eyes, but for some reason they didn't fall.

"Yeah."

As much as I wanted to talk to her, to tell her how much I missed her, I was still at a loss of words, the indescribable feeling choking my throat.

She let out a small giggle and turned around, her white one-piece fluttering along.

"Come. Let's walk along the shore."

And so, we walk to the waters. I'm wondering if she's changed since the last time I saw her. To tell the truth, I'm a little scared that she's moved on without me. With these thoughts lingering on my mind, she begins to alleviate my concerns one by one.

We talk about the past more than the present, of the fun times more than the not so fun, the lighthearted memories that I've cherished for so long. We laugh along the waters like we used to, quickly filling the gap between us that I thought had existed. In the end, she hasn't changed at all, has she?

Before I knew it, the sun has almost set. The skies have darkened a bit, and it's gotten a little colder. Our conversation was soon coming to a close as well.

"How long are you here for?"

"I actually have to go pretty soon."

Her response saddened me, but nothing could be done.

"Then, when can I see you again?"

She keeps walking forward as if she doesn't hear me. After taking a few more steps into the water, she puts her hands behind her back and twirls around to look at me.

"Do you know how high the sky is?"

I pause for a moment from the sudden question, unable to grasp her line of thinking.

"Umm... what?"

"Well, I guess it depends on how you define the sky, but clouds can be as high as 10 kilometers."

She points towards the setting sun, and my gaze follows suit.

"The sky and the ocean are so far away from each other, yet at some point they will eventually meet. It might not be here. It might not be now. But at some point somewhere, they'll meet again."

I smile at her words, and the tears that I've been holding in begins to fall.

"So I can't come with you?"

She gently smiles and shakes her head. Her eyes with a kind yet distant look pierce through my heart.

"Not yet."

The meaning of her words sinks in, and I swallow the lump in the back of my throat. I didn't get to say a proper good-bye back then, so I'll do so now.

"Good-bye."

It's not easy, but I turn around, my back facing the distant horizon. At some point, the water has reached my torso, and my clothes are all wet. I trudge through the waters slowly, holding on to what I have left, and leaving behind what I held most dear.

When I finally reach the border of the sand and water, I realize it's another checkpoint I have to cross. People will come, and people will go. We can hope to meet again, but there might not be an again.

And so, I follow the single set of footprints back home. Because in the end, we're all alone.