A Memory of a Lifetime

“I remember…” said Sarah as she gazed out at the sunset, standing in the frigid cold water.

The year was 1976, Peter had just left his after school shift at his father’s garage and headed for home. The air was particularly cold that day. He could feel the skin on his hands cracking as he rubbed them together in an attempt to warm them. Luckily Peter had managed to finish his workload before the sky got dark. The walk home was short, but felt longer on those cold winter days.

His family lived up north, their house sitting a few hundred feet from the Atlantic Ocean. Peter’s parents had dreamed of owning a beach home, and after many years of saving, were able to do just that. As Peter finally reached home, he noticed a moving van sitting outside the house that was up for sale next to his. A ‘sold’ sign sitting in the mound of snow that covered the front lawn.

“I’m home!” Peter shouted as he opened the front door.

Peter’s mom came out to greet him, a pink floral apron wrapped around her waist, “Hi, Peter. How was your day?” she asked, giving him a quick kiss on the cheek before running back to the kitchen.

“It was fine.”

Peter threw his school bag on the stairs and removed his oil covered overalls before walking upstairs to shower. He opened his bedroom door to grab clean clothes, taking a quick peek out his window. His bedroom and his parents bedroom sat at the back of the house on the upper level; their windows getting an amazing view of the ocean water crashing onto the beach. The sight relaxed him after a long day.

As Peter turned to step away from the window, he noticed something floating in the water. It was a person! He quickly ran down the stairs and out the door, not worrying about closing it behind him. His sock covered feet freezing as he ran through the wet sand. As he approached the waters edge, he lost sight of the person he had seen before. Peter stopped and anxiously searched along the top of the water hoping to see something.

Finally, he spotted the person he had seen from his window. She was floating face up, her eyes closed and her skin turning blue from the cold. Peter took a deep breath and jumped into the freezing cold water; swimming as fast as he could to the girl. His muscles stiffening as his whole body began to freeze. When he reached the girl, he was startled when she began to fight off his attempt at saving her.

“Get off me!” she yelled as she pushed him away.

“What are you doing out here? It’s freezing. I thought you were dead!” Peter yelled a bit aggressively, his heart ready to explode from his chest in shock.

“I was going for a swim… obviously!” the girl yelled back in defense.

Peter raised his eyebrows in confusion, “It’s the middle of the winter… why would you be going for a swim?”

The girl rolled her eyes and got out of the water like the cold didn’t bother her. Peter ran out after her, still frustrated with the almost heart attack he was given.

“The cold water is refreshing and good for your health. Maybe you should try it sometime.” The girl began walking up the beach towards the house with the sold sign. Water dripped from her short blonde hair, making a trail behind her in the sand as she walked.

“The names Sarah, by the way…” she yelled back, not turning around, “… nice to meet you, neighbor.”

Peter watched as she walked into the house; curiosity of her mental health getting the best of him. A sudden ocean breeze blew along the beach, reminding him that he was soaking wet. Quickly walking up the beach and into his house, Peter closed the front door behind him. He stood motionless in the foyer as the water dripped onto the floor making a large puddle.

“Peter… are you alright?” his mother asked, noticing the blank expression on his face. She took the towel she was holding and wiped her son’s face,

“Why are you all wet?”

The look in his eyes had turned from anger, to that of confusion as he tried to decipher what just happened. Suddenly, his eyes had gone wide with lust as his mind lingered over the encounter.

“Yeah, mom. I’m good...” Peter said, a smile growing on his face. “...But I think I just found the girl I’m going to marry someday.” Peter walked up the stairs, his eyes not blinking and his legs seeming to move on their own. He got in the shower, spending too long under the hot running water as he tried to warm his frozen body. That night he went to sleep and dreamed about Sarah. He dreamed about the life they would one day share together.

“Do you remember this place?” Peter asked as he held his wife’s hand; their feet planted in the sand under the freezing cold ocean. The look on his face hopeful as he waited for her response.

“I remember…”

Something about the combination of the ocean water and the sunset on a brisk winter afternoon triggered her memory. A tear slid down her almost frostbitten cheek as Sarah glanced at her husband. They had been married for forty-five years. But for the past eight months, Sarah had been fighting a brain tumor that was putting pressure on her hippocampus, and slowly she was losing her memory.

But finally, two months ago, a surgeon from their hometown offered Sarah an experimental surgery that could save her life and her memories. Without hesitation, she accepted the risk while she was still lucid enough to consider her options. The twenty-hour long surgery had gone smoothly, but while in recovery, Sarah wasn’t showing any signs of her memories returning. Peter had decided to take one last leap of faith, and asked the doctor if he could bring her somewhere. To the place he and his wife first met.

“I remember.” Sarah turned and gave Peter a hug, the tears rolling down both their cheeks as the bittersweet memory of their first encounter played in their minds.

“Thank you, Sweetheart.” Sarah said as she continued to hold onto her partner.

Peter smiled as another tear rolled down his face that was now expressing euphoria, “Anything for you, my dear.”