We met on Crimson Beach where the red crabs wash up in the summer of '72. It is one of two days that burn in my memory like the marks of a red-hot branding iron. That first day when our eyes locked and we held each other's gaze brought a jolt of surprise. It was a sweet yet painful, almost flesh searing mark she left on my soul. The second scorching memory is of the day she disappeared without a trace.
From that moment on, I knew freedom was nothing more than an illusion dreamed up by lonely men. No amount of foresight could have spared me from the bindings that wrapped around my heart when I met Maria. Nor could they prepare me for a life of ownership without a master.
With A Casting Net & Sand On My Feet
Crimson Beach was within walking distance from my small cozy shack of a house. When the tide was right at the beginning of summer the red crabs would float in and cover the beach. They came in what seemed like the millions, so that red would meet blue as it stretched from the sand to the ocean.
It was still early that morning, though the sun had come up, with no more than a handful of people walking the miles of beach. People tended to avoid the beach when the red crab appeared. They came in so thick some days that a person could barely walk without crushing them. I learned that by shuffling my feet, I could scoot them out of the way. And once I reached the water, it was much easier to maneuver.
Maria Came Skipping And Hopping Along, Trying To Miss Each Crab
I noticed her out of the corner of my eye as I was preparing to throw out my cast net. There was no way to not pay attention. Her timid yet graceful step made me cut short a burst of laughter. As I tried to cover my stare, my mind numbed at her simple movements. I felt stupid and knew instantly that she was the sexiest woman I ever laid eyes on.
“What are you trying to catch?”
I swear I jumped about a foot in the air. She might have sounded off an air horn and had a lesser effect. I finally turned to meet her and was able to stammer out the following words.
“I um uh, I'm uh, trying to, uh....”. Then my mind grasped a straw. I pulled a red crab from off my net, held it up with a smile, and said...
“Red Crabs!!!”
We Were Inseparable All Summer Long
For Maria and I, there were no first date jitters or blissful kisses after walking a girl to her front door. These nuances of culture passed us by in the moments our eyes first met. When my memory of Maria rises above the pain, I like to believe that she belonged to me as much as I belonged to her.
As the summer days began to thin out and a touch of autumn filled the air, I could no longer imagine a life without her. In the short span of several weeks, Maria had become my everything. I was ready to move mountains for her at the drop of a word.
And Then She Was Gone
Of this part, I can't tell you much. I wish and have wished for years that I had the slightest clue. Maria didn't have family that she spoke of, and we never really got around to talking about it. I sensed it was a difficult subject for her to broach and I didn't care to press her about it.
In the following months after Maria disappeared, I did track down the few friends I knew of. They didn't seem to know any more about her history than I did, nor did she tell any of them where she was headed. Did someone take her? Was this her M.O. to love a guy and leave him? I couldn't tell you if she left or if something bad happened to her. All I know is that one day her car was gone and most of her few belongings. The police found no sign of foul play and advised me that she had probably just left town.
I walk along the sand on Crimson Beach sometimes, though the red crabs haven't been back for many years. The red landscape that met whitewash as it fell into a blue ocean no longer exists. It lives on in my heart as the image of Maria and all her beauty slowly fades away. I can barely make out her face in my memory these days, but that feeling of her love still burns its brand into my soul.
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There are no words. Written beautifully and accessible to the non-native speaker)
Thank you @amalinavia. That is so nice of you to say. I'm glad you enjoyed and found that it wasn't too tough to read. :)
Beautiful ways we go in our lifes. Path to embrace, to smile and to thrive!
Wonderful!
Thanks @spellmaker. I'm always enthralled with your poetry. :)
woohoo congrats friend!! awesome post :D
Thanks neighbor. I sure do appreciate you stopping by and saying a nice word. :)
anytime! let me know when we can stop buy and blow some smoke in the air :P
Wow... This is extremely touching... I almost got tears in my eyes! This is amazing! I Wow...
Thanks. It was a sad tale. Glad you enjoyed. :)
Wow! This is so beautifully written!! You've taken me back to my years of teaching English, when I'd get that piece of writing that made me just stop in my tracks. I was transported to Crimson Beach and quickly felt the love and pain here. So well done. Thank you ;)
Wow. Thanks @lynncoyle. I don't usually (like pretty much never) get professional feedback on my writing. Never knew you were an English teacher, but I'd say those are good qualifications. :)
You are so welcome! Even though my voting power is dismal, I was sitting here re-reading it and upped you a second time haha . I curate for @asapers and am always on the search for unnoticed quality content! This is one of those :)
I taught English for 20+ years on and off with maternity leave etc. But it was something I loved :)
That's awesome Lynn. Thank you so much for your support and curation. I really appreciate it. :)
I could check, but are you a member of @asapers?
No Lynn but I just gave a follow. Is there more I need to know and/or do?
In their discord channel, (here's the link), there's a "read-me-first" channel. Have a look at that, but really you only need to (ONE time only) upvote/resteem our curation newsletter called READ me ASAP. Like I said, our goal is to find unnoticed quality posts and feature them in the newsletter.
Your writing really deserves to be noticed :)
woohoooo!!!! You got it :) I'm smiling like a fool here...so happy for you! You totally deserve it; congratulations on getting noticed by curie :)
Oh, @lynncoyle I am beside myself with happiness right now. Thank you so much for delivering the post to @curie. There are so many great writers out there to choose from. It truly is a HUGE honor. :)
My pleasure buddy! It makes me feel like a parent again on Christmas morning ;)
I rarely read fiction on Steemit, but you got me with that first sentence! Well, well done on the @curie. Well deserved and I agree with @lynncoyle1 - a gem.
There were certain elements of truth. Red crabs do wash up on our beaches sometimes. :) Yea I made it up. :) Glad you enjoyed. :)
:) I am sure!
It's not often that I comment on something that isn't sci-fi or within my "comfort zone" However, this moved me completely. I can't help but wonder if this is a true story? Just delightful in either case.
Thank you @markangeltrueman. I'm not too picky with my genres. I love sci-fi too.
And since you asked, I'll spill the beans about the story. Made it all up, though I can say I have lost at love. Guess it gave me something to draw upon. :)
I think that makes it even more wonderful.
RE: Sci-fi. I always like to make a recommendation - have you ever read anything by Joshua Dalzelle. The Omega Force series is superb.)
https://www.goodreads.com/series/113707-omega-force
I haven't but I do appreciate the recommendation. My 12 year old is on Tolkien, but he likes sci-fi too.
It's been years since I read any sci-fi. I think Piers Anthony was the last. Love DUNE, Star Trek, Aliens, lol. You can really let your imagination soar. :)
Agreed. The fact that we thought it was real certainly shows to the quality of this piece of writing :)
Great work @inalittlewhile!
Thank you so much for supporting my post via curie. I really appreciate the honor. :)
So glad I followed the #socalsteemit breadcrumbs to your blog! Amazing!
Thank you. I sure appreciate it. Hopefully we can catch up on discord or maybe I'll even attend an event one day. :)
You’re welcome!
lovely day to you!