Sunday
I spent
most of Sunday afternoon casting a green, gummy worm into Lake Okeechobee. I’m
not an expert fisherman (fisherwoman) or anything. I sat on a pier, the tips of
my toes barely brushing the smooth water’s surface, the end of the fishing pole
wedged into that little niche place just below the hip and at the highest point
of the thigh.
I think God
created that niche with the idea that a fishing pole could rest there, or a
child after they’ve fallen and scraped their knee. It could have been made for
other things, but at this point in my life, it has only found purpose after
Bennett, my niece, has hurt herself and I’ve lifted her to that niche and this
past Sunday when I sat on Lake Okeechobee- casting what could be a child’s hope
into the water- the only marker of time the click,
click, click of the reeling and the ziiiiiip
of the casting.
I was
glad I wasn’t wearing sunglasses, not just because I didn’t have to worry about
“raccoon eyes,” but because there was nothing between me and the sun. Sure, I
had to squint when throwing out my line, but a little discomfort is worth letting
sun entering the windows to the soul and filling the darkest places there. No one
should wear sunglasses to keep the sunlight out. If I wasn’t so worried about
blinding myself or causing serious damage, I’d look right into the sun, and
burn my soul with its light.
Eh, that
last part might have been a bit dramatic, but you get the idea.
I didn’t
catch any fish. Jesus could have been sitting with me on that pier, and I still
wouldn’t have caught any fish. But I caught other things. I caught the sun in
the tan of my skin, and in gold strands in my hair, and in the freckles on my
shoulders, and I might have gotten a ray or two into my soul for later keeping.
So, it
was a good day.
Monday
I might
have caught more than a ray or two of sunlight in my soul on Sunday, because
most of it was gone on Monday, but it was warm and the clouds weren’t dark like
some overcast days can be.
We slept
in (that’s important, because sleep is wonderful) and then we went to the
Atlantic.
The waves
were perfect, as the romantic would say. They were terrifying, as the tiny girl
would say. They were much taller than my head. They were big, green, rolling
waves…constant, like hungry mouths opening and closing, and I didn’t want them
to swallow me whole. So I ran from them again, and again.
And
then, being stupid and young, as well as persuaded by a certain Sarah and
Jordan, I finally turned, ran towards one of those giants, and dove straight
into the mouth of it, felt it close over my head, torso, legs, and feet, and
then with one gulp, it swallowed me whole. And I wanted to be swallowed again
and again, so I spent the afternoon in the belly of those green, rolling waves,
and it was wonderful.
That
night, we met Sarah’s mom and aunt at a Cuban place for dinner. I had frijoles negros
con arroz, but I think Sarah said something like “black beans and rice together
is just ‘congri,” so I had congri. I also had fried, sweet plantain, but I’m
not going to attempt to say that in Spanish. I don’t know what it is, but I
love Cuban food. I also love Spanish, and I’m sad that I didn’t keep trying to
speak it.
Tuesday
(Today)
We went
to a Mexican grocery this afternoon. It was once a bowling alley, but if you
didn’t know that going in, you wouldn’t know it looking at the aisles of food
and the crates of produce. I bought plantain chips, coconut water, and some
kind of Aloe Vera drink.
I love grocery
stores, in case I’ve never mentioned it. And this grocery store was like being
in another country. I practiced rolling my “r’s” when I read “frijoles negros,”
and I repeated it to myself looking over the different brands, trying to
imprint those Spanish words in my memory.
“frijoles
negros, frijoles negros, frijoles rojas…” Red beans, another one to learn.
I
inspected the ground maize, and the packages of rice and brown azúcar, and the meat behind the
glass in the back. And leaving, I tried to think in Spanish, but I thought in
English, and I thanked the woman at the cash register in English too…but I said
“frijoles negros con arroz” on the way to the car and “banana amarillo” and
felt a small victory.
We had
lunch at a small café. Our forks clinked against the china, and the freshly whipped
cream on our key lime pound cake was….you’d have to taste it to understand its tangy
flavor, and texture, and the coolness of it with the warmth of the coffee (I
won’t try, I’ll ruin it). Cake and coffee. Is there a better lunch? I doubt it.
We lounged
until we left to go to the shops and restaurants at City Place. We meandered
there too. Barnes and Nobles is always a must, though small book stores are preferred,
at least by yours truly. We went to
stores where I couldn’t afford the things they sold: white, pleated sofas, and downy
comforters, and pretty tables. Though, I took the entire store with me in the
form of a catalogue. It fit right into a small bag and went right out of the
door with me. For free. I win.
We sat,
resting against a fountain. We threw two pennies over our shoulders and made
quiet wishes, because you should never be too old to wish. We laughed at a Dachshund
being walked by a woman. It was obviously old and exhausted. But it was fat and
happy, like the kind of dog that sleeps in front of the fireplace and drinks
milk and fits in the family like a child. He smelled at the red flowers that
everyone else walked by, and then waddled quickly after some birds, which made
me and Sarah laugh. But I was happy that he was happy and chasing after birds. We
watched kids chase the birds too, and I remembered that just Sunday, I was
chasing after Grackles, the “pigeon of Florida,” Sarah says. But I like the
Grackles like that Dachshund liked those flowers. Someone has to like them,
someone has to notice them. I guess I’m one of those “someones.”
We took
a Trolley down Clematis Street, where we ate pizza at an unassuming place. We
sat outside, and leaned on our elbows, and ate our pizza off our paper plates. And
when we threw away the empty plates, we meandered back to the car and drove
home.
