Beaches

Famke decided the only thing worse than taking off in a plane was landing in one. The groggy feeling, she from the medication was not helping the situation either. She stumbled down the metal stairs, only vaguely aware of the difference in temperature.

“Miss Noor, the car is this way,” a polite man about Bram’s age waved her. “Come, come.”

“Mommy, wait for us!” Precious screeched as she bounded down the stairs. After her nap on the plane, she’d woken exuberant and full of life and forgetting her earlier terror.

She half turned and held her hand out and Royal took it and kissed her knuckles.

“You look like you need another nap,” he chuckled at her.

“Royal, there better be a hammock where I can lay and listen to the surf.”

“I promise you will love this place.”

“Can we play on the beach?” Precious asked as she bounced in Royal’s arms.

“We sure can. It’ll take about forty minutes to get there but once we’re there we have no need to go anywhere again until we get back on this plane next week.”

“We can’t simply take a boat back?” Famke asked hopefully.

“No but I’ll make sure you have everything you need before taking off and you won’t feel so horrible. It’ll be okay.”

“I don’t like flying.” She admitted as she approached the waiting jeep. The driver grinned a wide smile and she hopped into the back seat. Royal took the front seat after fastening Precious into a car seat. “This is kind of cool.” She met the eyes of the driver in the rearview and he held up his thumb in agreement.

“There’s no roof!” Precious said excitedly. “Uncle Royal, look! You can see the sky!”

He turned in the front seat to look at her with a big smile. “Yes. Hopefully, no birds poop on us.”

“Gross!” Precious squealed at his comment.

The ride to the house was full of Royal making similar off-color comments to Precious who reacted the way any five-year-old would, with shrieks and grosser comments. Famke however was trying not to vomit as the car seemed to hit every single pothole the driver could find. She found herself wishing desperately for another one of those paper bags from the airplane. The closer they got to their destination, the more wretched she was feeling.

“Uncle Royal, I think Mommy might throw up.” Precious called out forcing Royal to look at Famke and he immediately was telling the driver to pull over.

She was gulping in big mouthfuls of fresh air as she waved at him to not stop. “We’re almost there, right? Keep going. I’m fine.”

“You’re green. I’ve never actually seen a human being who turned green before.” He was staring worriedly at her. “We should stop.”

“No. If we stop it means we have to start again. I just want to get there.”

By the time they reached the house Royal was leaping out of the car to help Famke out and she folded to her knees next to the vehicle, heaving but managing to keep her stomach from purging. Her knees stung from the gravel crunching under them and she felt sweaty and damp as the sun beat down on her back.

“Why?” she moaned as Royal rubbed her shoulders.

“I don’t know but we’ll be better prepared for the trip back. Let’s get you inside and maybe into a cool shower?”

“Sounds heavenly.” She let him help her up. She lifted her head and got her first real glimpse of the house and her eyes widened incredulously. “Oh wow. Look at this place.” The house was a sparkling white and she could see right through the front door to the back of the house and towards the brilliant turquoise sea.

“Amazing right?” Royal asked as he unbuckled Precious. She tore off running in the direction of the house, her little legs pumping fast and furious as she climbed the three stairs and then ran squealing towards the beach.

“Go after her. I’ll find our room and freshen up. I’ll be out in a minute.”

“The house has a full staff, and they will bring our luggage.” He was torn between chasing Precious and tending to Famke.

“I need my bag though,” she protested as she looked to the bags.

He was calling over his shoulder to a man unpacking, “can you make sure my wife’s luggage gets to our room first?” When the man nodded, Royal took off running after Precious.

His wife? She shook her head aware of the giant smirk she’d seen on his face at the comment. He was going to play it up. She couldn’t fight the goofy grin of her own as she made her way inside the house. A woman met her at the door, and she gave a little wave. “Hi. I’m Famke.”

“Famke, it is nice to meet you. My name is Marisol. Let me show you to your room. Royal said you desperately needed a shower and maybe a good cup of tea. He said your tummy was upset?”

“That sounds lovely.” She followed the woman down the hall, and she was stunned at the grandeur of the room she was shown. “Holy moly, this is gorgeous.” Never having been on vacation before, she considered if she ever went anywhere else ever again, wherever she went was likely going to pale in comparison. The view was exquisite. She made her way to the bathroom and began the process of undressing to get into the shower. As she removed her underwear, the strangest urge to cry overtook her as she noted the blood. Only she would start her period on the first day of a seven-day vacation on a tropical island.

She had expected it and even packed and prepared for it. She also hoped and prayed for once she was late considering she’d taken the plan B pill, but it was fruitless fantasy. She got into the shower mumbling about the unfairness of her luck.

By the time she dug through her suitcase, found something to wear and was ready to exit the house, she was in a decidedly wicked mood. She stomped all the way down the beach to where Royal and Precious were digging in the sand.

“Don’t either of you want to go get shorts and t-shirts on?” she asked as she flung herself down in the sand.

Royal waved to where he’d rolled his pantlegs up. “I’m fine and Precious can strip down to her undershirt and undies if she gets too warm for now. How are you feeling?”

She made a huffing sound as she flung herself backwards. “I’m cranky.”

“I couldn’t tell,” he chuckled at her.

“Monthly cranky,” she turned her head to catch his gaze.

He frowned, “is it why you were sick?”

“No, I was sick because of the flight and the car ride.”

“Cramps?”

“No. I don’t usually have cramps.”

“Did you need anything?”

“No, I packed for the possibility.”

“Then other than a bit of crankiness, it’s business as usual.” He looked her over in the jean shorts and white cotton shirt. “Where’s your bikini? You should be in a bikini.”

“Did you not hear what I said?”

“Yes.” He frowned, “oh, are you a heavy flow kind of gal? Don’t worry. I’m not bothered by it.”

She smacked his leg as he wiggled his eyebrows. “are you crazy? We can’t –”

“Why not? I mean if you’re bothered, I’m fine to wait but I’m not freaked out by it. It’s a normal bodily process, Famke. If you’re not feeling sick, not in pain and don’t need anything, I don’t see the big deal. At least you’re not knocked up.”

She pointed at him, “that’s true.”

He leaned sideways and kissed her nose, “I’m simply happy we’re here, Famke. I’m in for the good and the bad. Your crankiness isn’t going to make me run for the hills.” He motioned at Precious who poked her tongue over her lower lip as she focused hard on the hole she was digging. “If you aren’t feeling up to helping us with the hole, then you can simply lay right there and be with us. If you want some space, there’s an umbrella and a lounger set up closer to the house.”

“I think I’m going to lay here and bake into the sand.”

Eventually Royal excused himself to get changed and she lay propped up on one elbow watch Precious who was stripped down to her undershirt and was squatted in the big hole. “Are you having fun, Precious?”

“I like the beach.” She said shooting Famke a sideways glance. “Can we live here forever?”

“No. We can stay for the week but then we have to go back.”

“Can we get a sandbox for the new house?” Precious asked, her tongue darting along her lip as she focused.

“You can get one for the yard but not inside the house.”

“But then I can’t play with it until the summer.” She lifted a palmful of sand and let it trail between her fingers. “I like the way it feels.”

“Well, you can bundle up and play in the snow. Pittsburgh gets loads of snow.”

“It does?”

“It does.” Famke watched Precious, her dark brows furrowed thick, knitting at the top of her nose. “What are you thinking about Precious?”

“Grandma.”

“Oh.”

“She was crying last night because Uncle Royal said we have to move away. She called you a bad word.”

“She called me a bad word?”

“She said the b word. It’s not tattling, right, Mommy?”

“No baby, it’s not tattling. What else happened?”

“She said if I didn’t want to move away, I could live with her and Grandpa.”

“What did you say?” Famke felt fire burning through her blood. She wanted Imani’s head on a pike.

“I said I want to go live with my new mommy in Pittsburgh with my new Uncle Bram and with Uncle Royal and go to a new school and make new friends who won’t laugh at me because I cry.” She smiled widely, “and we can see Uncle Keshaun all the time now and Cesar makes the best cookies. I want to live in Pittsburgh.”

“You do?”

“Yes.” She smiled at Famke, “I love you Mommy. I want to live with my Mommy.”

“I love you too, Precious,” Famke wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and cursed the hormonal reaction her body was having with all the emotions and exhaustion she was feeling.

“Are you sad Mommy?”

She knew Precious was calling her mommy far too frequently for it to be natural and Precious was forcing herself to remember but each time she uttered the word, Famke’s heart felt it was growing exponentially in her chest. “I am the furthest thing from sad you can imagine. I’m the happiest mommy in the entire world.”

“Because we’re at the beach?”

“Because I’m with you, Precious. You make me happy.”

“Even when I’m bad? Like when I cried on the plane?”

“I wasn’t happy you were scared,” Famke admitted, “but being with you is the best thing in the whole world.”

“I like being with you too,” Precious lunged at her, kicking sand up in the air and landing on Famke’s chest to hug her tight and press kisses to her cheeks.

Famke gave a loud laugh as she rolled the child over and peppered her face with kisses and hugged her tightly. Suddenly, she wasn’t feeling cranky anymore.