Fiction by Robert Kanehl

York Beach

Invention of the world's first nylon tear. New Fiction By Robert Kanehl

he warm female body lying next to me shuffled in its sleep. Ashiver ofexcitement wakes me to a semi-consciousness. Light from false dawn made the familiarhotel room fill my dream filled mind with a sense of deja vu. "Could it be only yesterday?" 1ask myself."Onlyyesterday that we walked down York Beach hand in hand for the first time?" "Ilove you." The sweet innocent voice bounced from 23-year-old Sarah Little's newlywed throat. She reached her left arm around the waist of Jason Little, her strong young husband; and rested her head on his shoulder. They walked down the lightly populated York Beach. A wind blew in a cooling mist off the Atlantic Ocean relieving some of the hot August heat. The Maine coast village was regrouping, rebuilding, as was the whole nation that August. Slowly trying to return to some sort ofnormalcy as President Harding had stated after that first war, hoping to restore order out ofconfusion now that the second war was ending.

The two honeYmooners walked silent for a minute enjoying each other's presence. The smell ofsalt water, and wet sand filled the air. Sarah snuggled close to Jason. He had been gone too long for her to ever release him again.Allthe fears and unsureness of the past four years disappeared the minute she had found him at her door three days earlier. They had been ineach other's arms since then; through the simple Justice ofthe Peace Service, which concluded ten years of courtship, to this late night stroll along the Atlantic shor~.

The sun edged its way under the roof line of the houses along old Route 1,relievingsome ofthe heat. Jason looked out at the still dark lighthouse which dominated the landscape ofthe area. "Soonthey'll be lighting that again." Sarah followed his glance and nodded. Jason suddenly stopped walking and played with the warm sand with his bare feet. His Army Air Corps uniform dress pants rolled to mid-calf. He looked down and watched the sand filterbetween his toes. "You know, we're married!!!" Looking into Sarah's eyes, there was a smile across his whole face. The two lovers hugged tight and kissed, passionately.

"I,Jason, take you, Sarah, to be my lawfully wedded wife to love and to hold in sickness and in health, till... "The word stuck in his throat; he had seen too much over the skies of Europe recently. "Death do us part." Sarah smiled and placed her head on his chest.

Their war with Germany over. "I,Sarah, take you, Jason ... "His hand ran through her short fashionable hair. Red, yellow, and orange tinted the sky. They began to walk again. "The sunrises must be glorious!"Sarah rolled her eyes. "Can we get up early tomorrow to watch it?" "Anything you want." Jason hugged her tight to his side and looked out to sea, hardly believing that he was holding Sarah. Hislov~ for her swept into total command.

Hesuddenly wanted to crawlinside ofher, where he would be safe and warm; far away from the world he . had just returned from, across that ocean. Hewanted to remain forever inside of her hugs, her arms wrapped tightly around him.Atear of joy stung his eyes. "Ilove you."

Hechoked.

The warm body moved again. "Soon,"1say to myself. "Soonwe'll be watching the sunrise again. The continuing rising sun, like other dawns we've watched only yesterday." "Mommy!" The large round, always questioning blue eyes of two year old Jennifer peered over the edge of the hotel double bed. Sarah groaned and rolled to face her daughtet. "Mommy, up!" She lifted the chilq.'9nto the bed. Jason opened one eye to watch. Mother's and daughter's faces were identical photographs ofeach other. "Where's Daddy?"Sarah playfully asked, the little child's head snapped to the far side ofthe bed. Jason quickly closed his eyes and covered himselfwith the thin white sheet, in an effort to catch an extra moment of sleep. "Goget Daddy."

Sarah mischievously whispered

FICTION

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into Jennifer's ear, and placed the baby down. "Daddyl" The baby squealed and crawled over to Jason, as he prepared himself for his daughter's onslaught. "Daddy, Hug!!"The girl called as she pulled at the sheet. "Hug!!" She attacked her father, sinking sloppy wetl<isses on his neck and cheeks. J~on held her

,i and laughed with delight. arah propped herself up on her left arm and watched them in the light of predawn.

A sting of jealousy pricked her, as Jason held Jennifer with his arms extended and then quickly brought the baby to his chest for a tight love filled hug. There were times when she felt that Jennifer had taken her place in Jason's heart. She had not been given enough time with Jason alone, she constantly complained to herself. But they were at York Beach again, the most special of special places for them. Time seemed to reverse there. Jason looked over at his wife. "What's the matter?" he whispered, genuine concern in his voice. "You look so sad." "Just feeling my age." "You're still my bride," he smiled. "We'll never grow old, until the day we die." He smiled that same smile from their wedding day. "I love you," he added, and continue playing with the two year old child. "Ilove you." She softly responded, stroking his face with her right hand, "soooo much." She prayed that the moment would not have to die, hoping that nothing would ever change. Then she rolled over and kissed her husband's shoulder, knowing the truth of time.

The yawn came from deep inside my body. A lower back pain joined it as Itried to stretch without disturbing my sleeping companion. "Gh God," Igroan, "it was only yesterday that we shared that cup of tea on the beach at dawn."

"Watch Sammy." Sarah pointed at the large black Labrador retrieve~ jumping and twisting in the air after the stick that Jason Junior held above his six -foot body. His hand held transistor radio propped in the sand next to him, , was playing another anti-war song.

Jason Senior sipped from the new thermos cup steaming in his hand.

They had had tV' '

husband. "I love you," her voice deeper than he wished to remember, spoke the words that had surfaced rarer and rarer over the years. "It's always so nice coming back here." Jason shook his head, and stared at the rising sun, picturing the past, triggered by the near forgotten feeling. "It's like a cool wind on a hot muggy August day." He looked at his wife, seeing the 23year- old he married. "Revitalizing, refreshing, rejuvenating." The red and orange of dawn gave way to yellow, ending the daydream in Jason's mind. "It's as if we need this sunrise each year to continue living." "Uke recharging our batteries." Sarah joked and hugged him again around the waist. He placed the tea on a rock jutting out of the sea wall, and hugged her back.

s~ "Like we're reliving that first

.,~?:"."" ~~:~. time all over again .. "

~.;~~~~¢:;:0~.... ., He scanned the honzon smelling the sweet . cologne that he had brought their All back for her from France in 1945. moments at She had worn it on their wedding home, the World War veteran fac- day. His young wife had been a ing off against the young teenage warm free spirit then. "I wish we radical, but York Beach always could go back!" He sighed, and a seemed to soothe over any anger. tear wet the corner of his eyes. A pilgrimage for forgiving and "There's so much I'd love to make remembering. up to you!" The tears became

The hot liquid from the thermos almost too hard to check, and his burnt his tongue, the roof of his lower lip quivered. He shook his mouth, and all the way down his head in despair. "Times I should throat. The morning was already have been with you, and times I warm, but the tea was needed to should have walked away." replace the missing early morning "Everything is just fine." Sarah stimulation of love making, long kissed the little boy inside of Jason. since disappeared with time. Sarah All the disagreements and fights shared a sip of tea, and hugged her that had happened over the years,

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longsince put out ofher mind. Disappearing with time likethe dawn does to the night, they had forever vanished. "You've always been wonderful." She stroked his face hoping to relieve some ofthe anxiety inside her husband. "Anexcellent father and husband." Turning his face to her's, she stared Jason inthe eyes. The lines oftime beginning to mark progress in hers. "I couldn't have done better." "But I've gotten OLD!" Fear raced across his face, "Andthere's still so many things Ipromised to do for you!"Tears rolled down his cheeks. For the first time, Sarah saw the powerful man brought to his knees. She quickly hugged the frustrated, frightened man, and kissed away the salt tasting tears. "Shusss." She stroked his face. "I've disappointed you." He looked down at the beach. "Igrew old, something Inever wanted to do because ofyou." "No!You couldn't ever disappoint me. ILOVEYOU." "But I failed? I didn't set the world on fire." "Yes you did, mine." She bent and looked him in the eye. "And that's allthat counts. ILOVEYOu." She rested her forehead on his. "I loveyou," she choked. "Iloveyou," he echoed and they kissed the same passionate kiss that they had shared that first dawn so long before on York Beach.

roll over and silently watch my bride in the light of false dawn. Ihave seen her this way too many times, and yet never enough times. Leaning over I gently kiss her awake. Those caring eyes which had captured my heart only yesterday, slightly sparkle again. "Ilove you." Iwhisper and brush a few uncombed strands ofgray white hair from her forehead. She pulls me close for a hug. "It's almost time." She nods, and we dress.

"How's the pain?" She asks as we finish. "Hardly feel it," Ismile, "except here." Ipoint to my heart. "It'snice being here again."Iramble and she nods, not really listening, but caring enough to show an interest. "It's like coming home, or rediscovering the joyofsomething from childhood." I smile at her. "It's a dream world where everything is the way wewish itto be.Youknow Iloveyou." . tear of love filled her eyes. The years have never removed that emotion, though time had stopped the expressing of it. We walk actoss old Route 1 to the short gray sandy beach, hard from the overnight tide soaked into the' sand. Red and orange fillsthe sky as the sun lies just below the horizon. We share a warm cup of tea. . Three joggers and a dog runs past us, unaware of our love still nestled deep within. "Takemyhand," Sarah asks, and Islip mine into hers. She readjusts it to interweave it between the arthritic knuckles. That simple action triggers a long forgotten smile to my face. "Charging our batteries once more." I nod and look across the beach area. "Not a bad one for the last," I state knowing her cancer or my arthritic back willprevent any further trips north to YorkBeach. "Pain bad?" She asks again, concern for only me rooted deep. "AsIsaid;~lhardly feel it today, only in my s¥l heart." I notice a possible tear Inher eyes. "Look,"I change the subject, and point to a young couple hugging in the first lightofday, the Atlanticmist blowing in on them, causing them to cuddle closer. "Honeymooners, I bet." We smile and kiss, the same passionate kiss we shared over 45' years before. I look into her face and see my bubbling energetic bride Sarah. "Iloveyou."

Her eyes sparkle, "Ilove you."

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Sheshakes her head. "Icouldn't have done any better." "You know," 1 say, finally totally content with mylifewith Sarah, and all 1 could have done, "he's finallybeating me." "Who?" "Time."

She squeezes my hand tight. "Icouldn't have done better."

"Jason?"Mydictatorial wife's voice reluctantly drew my eyes from the Evening Herald 1was reading. "Jason Little!" she snapped as I did not respond verbally, a hint of her Lancashire English accent coming through. "Yes, dear," I muttered mechanically, eyeing my barren ambitious war-bride of 45 years. "Youreally should pay more attention to me, at dinner time, .instead ofthat paper." "Yes,dear," Imuttered again, my eyes returning to the Sarah Mead Cooper obituary. Diedof cancer, survived by two children, Jennifer age 44,and Jason age 36.Sarah had not been able to wait for V-Eday either. Her dear John letter had reached me in England. I sipped my wife's strong Air Force coffee, remembering. We had met before the letter, but still Sarah had remained ina corner ofmy heart. "Jason?" My English wife's voice was strangely tranquil, as ifshe could see into my mind.

t· "Do you ever: wonder what your life would be like, if we hadn't married?" There is always someone that each ofus longs to have grown old with, but fail to because the Faiths twist our lives the other way. Mymind cried Sarah. 1looked at my wife over the top of the. newspaper, and smelled York Beach. "No, dear." •

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