The calm Within the Storm

Mark drank his coffee as he watched the sun rise. He used to do this with his wife, but marriage was something that he or his wife Jennifer could seem to master. They got married young assuming that they would learn how to manage a marriage as they went, but they did this with no luck. Their little girl was the only thing that kept them from divorce. 8-year-old Maggie was the love of their lives. But they did not feel the same about each other. Mark and Jen had loved each other when they got married at 19 and 20, but now well into their 30’s they could not stand each other. They argued often about something and nothing all at the same time. Mark spent too much time working and Jennifer not enough. Money, time and responsibility plagued their marriage with unhappiness and resentment.

               Throughout these struggles the couple still tried their hardest to provide the best life for their daughter. She went to a prestigious private school because her mother wanted her to succeed, and she played baseball because her father wanted her to learn how to let loose and have fun.  These two different outlooks on life were yet another point of argument for the pair and was something that was “discussed” in great length behind closed doors. Maggie was no longer a toddler and understood that her parents were not always happy but like a child did not know why and wished that she could help.

               June 21^st marked the summer solstice which meant two very different things for Maggie’s two very different parents. For Jennifer this day marked the first day of Maggie’s summer school. A summer course not because she was behind, but so she could get ahead. For Mark however June 21^st meant the first day of summer and the longest day of the year. This day for him signified a tradition in which his whole family used to drive down to the beach of Florida and kick off the summer. Although he now lived in California with his small family he still liked to carry on this tradition.

               His plans were meant to be a surprise for his daughter, but after disclosing them to his wife and kickstarting a heated argument Maggie became aware of his intentions for a beach day. Through much convincing of her mother, it was finally decided that Mark and Maggie were going to go to the beach on the summer solstice.

               After persuading her mother to let them go Maggie pleaded with her mother to accompany them to the beach, but she would not hear about, Jennifer was stubborn in her ways and was determined to get out of her husband’s childish traditions. So, with that Maggie and Mark drove down the street on their way to the beach to kick off the summer adventure.

               The trip was short lived however, because even before the pair could turn the corner, a busted transmission ruined their plans. Although his wife had told him repeatedly to get the car checked out, Mark never did. This meant that Maggie sat in the driver’s seat as Mark pushed the car back down the street and into the driveway.

               Disappointed but not yet hopeless, Maggie suggested that her father just drives her mother’s car to the beach for the day. Unfortunately, what the little girl did not understand was that Jennifer’s car was a manual transmission car, also known as a stick shift, also known as a type of car that Mark did not know how to drive. After carefully explaining this to his daughter Maggie began to sob over her ruined  plans.

               The pair unpacked the car and walked defeated into the quiet house. Having heard of this setback and not wanting to see her daughter cry with a slight smile on her face Jennifer offered to drive to the beach. Maggie’s tears dried up instantly at this new plan, she ran over to her mother and hugged her, ecstatic about this turn in luck. Mark looked down, he had been excited to spend the day alone with his daughter, but was relieved to see her happy.

               With that, the family piled into the car, Maggie sitting shotgun and Mark behind the driver’s seat. The 2-hour drive was filled two different types of conversations. The first were conversations between Jennifer and Maggie and the others were between Mark and Maggie, the two never mixed or became combined. Jennifer asked Maggie about school and quizzed her on math and science and Mark asked about friends and games. Eventually the ocean was in sight, just off in the distance. Maggie squealed with excitement, Mark told her all of his plans and Jennifer said nothing, for this was Mark’s conversation not hers.

               Jennifer and Mark were not surprised that the beach was very crowded that day, parties littered the coast, parking lots were full and the ocean was overflowing with people. Jennifer eventually found parking and the family walked casually to the beach. Maggie was bouncing around them eager to swim and play in the sand. Mark was smiling and he took his shirt off, emboldened by the salty air. Jennifer was smiling, but her eyes showed no happiness, she was not happy to be at the beach because she had different plans for the day, but nonetheless she was pleased to see the smile on her daughter’s face as they approached the sand.

               Hours went by and the family started behaving like a family, they swam in the ocean and built sandcastles. Mark and Jennifer buried Maggie in the sand and laughed as she sprang out into the breezy ocean air. They watched their daughter play in the waves together, for the first time in many months the husband and wife were happy to be with each other. Shortly before sunset the couple and their daughter decided to go for a walk along the coast.

They walked for about 20 minutes before the shaking started. The sand quivered as the earth shook, palm trees rocked and buildings were evacuated. Screams could be heard from all around them, people ran consumed with fear from the quaking earth. The shaking stopped as suddenly as it started, leaving people to wonder whether it had all been in their heads. Maggie was afraid and she held onto her parents’ hands. Mark quickly began to lead his family back along the coast towards their car. He became suddenly aware of the receding waterline, but put it out of his head, all that mattered was getting back to the car and driving away from the coast.

               The waterline was getting noticeably further away, and in the distance a wave grew. The wave traveled towards them at an alarming speed. The family stopped moving and stared out into the blue sea. Mark could no longer hear the screams from the many people around him, but he knew they were still there. People ran in every direction consumed with fear. Cars were stopped in the road, helicopters flew above them, but none of that mattered to Mark. Maggie was frozen, staring into something that she had no way of understanding. Mark got on his knees and hugged his daughter as tight as he could knowing that running was pointless. Jennifer also on her knees completed the circle around their daughter. The family created a circle of calm in midst of a storm, a family that had been plagued with the longing for separation was finally at peace together. And with that, the wave overtook them, preserving that peace forever.