Glow

She never liked the sea. The vast expanse of water frightens her and she often wondered what it would feel like to drown there and never be found again.

This was the reason she wasn’t too eager to join Leah and their friends on a weekend trip to the beach after Leah had announced to the group that she has already reserved a cottage at a beach resort in La Union.

Sometimes Leah can be so bossy and it annoyed her no end, even if she happens to be her best friend. She never even bothered to ask for her opinion, only assumed she would be there with her. Not that Leah had trouble getting the approval of the others though, they were all excited to go—even Jeff.

So why was she so bothered about a little weekend getaway anyway? She should be excited. Jeff would be there. He would be there with her. He would tell her again what he told her last week, about how he was growing to like her in a funny, unexplainable way. She had looked at him and wondered if it was all just another joke to him. She didn’t say anything and just laughed off his remark. She didn’t know how else to react and had never been good at gauging people’s sincerity. Fortunately or unfortunately, Jeff didn’t bring up the subject again afterwards. And for almost a week now, she had gone over her head many times what he had really meant and if he really was sincere about it.

The sea made her nervous but she had to get some fresh air, as Leah and the others were again into one of their drunken reveries. Her friends were getting too loud, too noisy. She felt as if she was literally being smothered by the smoke and the noise inside the small, rented cottage.

The night was warm and the moon cast a magical glow over the place. She could hear laughter from where she had left them. Lost in her own thoughts, she didn’t realize how far she had gone and how much time she had spent walking.

The house was quiet when she got back. Bottles of beer were littered everywhere, and cigarette butts formed a grayish heap on the floor. Her friends were already asleep when she entered the room. She fumbled for the light and crept quietly over their wasted bodies. It was almost two in the morning. As soon as she laid her weary body down the soft mattress, sleep came without too much effort.

Sometime in the quiet stillness of the night, a stirring woke her up. A few of her friends had gone outside, probably to smoke again. Looking out the window, she could make out two familiar figures in the shore clutched in what seemed to be a passionate embrace.

Suddenly, she wanted to go home. She went back to bed and counted the hours, the minutes until sunrise.

She would have to tell them she had to leave early for an emergency at work.

The night was warm and the moon bathed the island with a luminous, silvery glow.

She has never really liked the sea and she probably never would. The water scared her and she often wondered what it would feel like to drown there and never be found again.