Gut Decision

"I'll let you know," she answered coyly.

The tiny granules scratched her toes as she dug them further into the mound of sand that held up her feet. She looked down and watched the tops of her toes peek out as the microwaved-hot-pocket-crust-temperature-sand-sprinkles trickled back down to join the others.

Her head laid low and her long dark hair covered the right side of her face. Her expressions were minimal as her gaze remained fixed on the pillowy sand pile.

"What about now?" he asked, eagerly.

She sharply responded, "I said I'd let you know." She didn't even look up, but continued to dig her toes in and out of the tan-colored mixture.

Her hands were desperately clasped together as if they had nothing else to hold but each other. Her knees sat upright against her chest, as close as they would gather and her shoulders sunk inward in a protective sort of way.

Thirty feet to the left, a visor-wielding-mother and her two young children built a medieval sandcastle. Wielding two buckets - one yellow and one blue - the children took turns filling them with the moist sand and then dumped them onto the wet castle foundation as their turrets grew taller with each addition. The squeals of delight from the children caught the girl’s attention. Her head slightly tilted up to the left so that her gaze was not obvious but it allowed her the opportunity to watch as the oceanside artists created their masterpiece. She studied their small hands and the way they would scurry upwards and away when the leftover wave foam would float towards them.

Further down the shore, past the architects, was a large red and white-striped beach umbrella. This majestic canopy shadowed the likes of a larger woman - thighs that flattened as she lay back-down on her obnoxiously floral towel and arms that looked like bread dough that had seen a few strokes from a rolling pin. The girl noticed that the delightfully packaged woman had fallen asleep though her eyes were hidden beneath her $8.99-forgot-my-sunglasses-at-home-drugstore-bedazzled-sunglasses. The woman’s breathing was in an up and down rhythm that was unmistakably calm and somewhat soothing to watch.

The girl’s eyes revisited the sandcastle views - a few new turrets and various custom additions to the castle could be seen, and the tiny hands of the children were now scooping out fistfuls of wet sand clumps to create a shallow moat around the perimeter of their structure. The children grasped the clumps and then threw them back into the ocean waters where they originated. One child accidentally missed the water and the sand clump landed on her sibling’s exposed back. A shrill shriek of disgust and confusion escaped from the small child’s lungs and out through her mouth as she motioned to her mother to remove the mess quickly.

The girl chuckled and looked back at the space on which she sat. She could sense the impatience from the boy who sat next to her, eager to hear the answer to the question he had asked her moments ago.

The girl reflected on her decision.

“I’ll let you know” was her original response to the question; she wanted to spend some time letting the weight of the question asked sink in before she felt confident in her answer. Spending time in solitude was her way of taking the time she needed for her reply to marinate. She needed to weigh the options and the outcomes and her place on the shore gifted her this opportunity.

The heat of the sun intensified as the time passed. When the sun was at the highest point in the atmosphere, the girl witnessed several seaside ice chests begin to reveal their contents as guests began to consume their afternoon meals. She noticed several different types of sandwiches, most made on standard white bread slices, peanut butter and jelly for the kids and traces of lettuce peaked out the edges of the adult sandwiches; turkey was a safe guess, but maybe ham. Though the roars of the ocean waves were truly the only sound she could hear, she watched the hands of the beach-goers pop open their cans of icy sodas and imagined the ‘click’ of the lid and the fizz of its sugary, carbonated contents.

Below the lengths of her dark hair, the girl’s stomach began to slowly rumble as she recognized her own need for sustenance. The insides of her mouth began to water with saliva as she pictured images of cheesy pizza slices, hot and crispy french fries and her very own white-bread-turkey-sandwich-with-lettuce-borders.

“I’m ready to answer your question,” said the girl as she lifted her head and brushed her hair off her cheek.

The boy looked over, eyes wide with anticipation and an eagerness to hear the reply to his candid question. He scooted closer to her as if the additional inches would aid in his hearing of her response. His hands flattened into the sand to balance his posture and his shoulders tightened.

“So, what’s your answer?” 

The corner of the girl’s mouth slightly lifted and her dark eyes locked on his. Her lips parted and she uttered two clear words, “Taco Bell.”

“Taco Bell?” he asked in surprised confirmation.

“Yes, I want Taco Bell for lunch.”

The sun began to partner with the clouds in the sky and the tides of the sea grew higher as occupants of the oceanside adjusted the placement of their sandy towels and belongings. The sandcastle kids hung their heads low as they watched the waters grab their turrets and bring them back home to the waters of which they came. Empty soda cans and sandwich crusts could be seen hurled into large metal trash cans and the reapplication process of sunscreen lotions commenced.

The girl had decided what she wanted for lunch and there was no retreating. The decision was the worth the wait. The boy and the girl stood up from their sunken sand seating and folded their hands together as they marched across the black asphalt parking lot, their sights set on the glowing green bell.