THE WAY TO THE PIER 

Green Steps and the Sea

There were concrete green steps, and the bottom had a solution and paper towels asking people to check for tar and take any off their feet. That was for the way back in. Out there even before the steps, from an outdoor hallway and inside the stairway for square cutout openings, one could see the sea, the marvellous part of the Atlantic Coastline and its waiting energy and mysteries. 

Tom and the Remote-Control Jeep

One time I was just near there with the remote-control jeep and playing. Tom talked to me and asked if he could try the jeep. He was always around and a genuinely good soul, a native to the place, born and bred as they say. He knew the lands inward and the sea outward. A great fellow much missed always and forever. 

The Sister and her Two Brothers 

Also there at the beginning were Haley, Daniel, and Cameron. They were American but not from that state. I am not American. How they were there every single time basically, that I was, I’ll never know. Though I miss them and in a way, they are surely far different persons now. Then, we just ran around and swam and were quite carefree, exploring the coastline worlds. 

Randy the Salt of the Earth

Later, Randy and I went along there. He was cool. We talked about several things. If you wanted to swim then he swam, and if you wanted to walk then he would walk. Yet he was not a follower but just was easy going. Back home in the north we looked at comics and watched war movies and sometimes roamed the ravines on our bikes or played road hockey. But none of that compares to the salted sea and its tides and the accompanying coastal worlds. 

Jimmy and the Lizards

Jimmy lived in the condominium next door, the one with yellow railings. His parents were the property managers or something. He was adept at catching lizards and said he was a surfer though the waves there were never big enough to surf. He was prone to lying often, making himself to be more an adventurous figure than he was. But, overall, he was okay, more like a kind of rebel-spirit than an actual criminal type. 

Sam the Liar

This guy on the other hand was some liar to be sure. He was insecure and tried to impress people and had been involved very early on with the police and car theft. There was nothing I liked about him. There didn’t seem to be much other people liked about him either, which in turn made him worse. Girls immediately backed off when he tried to talk to them. I didn’t want to be around him and tried to distance myself almost immediately when I found out how he was, willing to steal and lie like that. 

The Kind Homeless Man

I liked that guy I though only spoke to him once. He had a dog that sat quite comfortably on his bike on blankets and a stand on the back. Said the dog even leaned into the corners, the turns. He was around the streets there causing no harm. He was perceptive and friendly and, in a conversation, could scan the environment and people and point out things you might miss, things that were accurate. 

Ruth and Annie by the Fountain

They stopped me and said hello and I kept going after saying hi. They followed me. I thought they were cool and friendly. We made plans to swim in the sea. Ruth’s brother worked at The Howard Johnson and secured some of these nice blue beach chairs with umbrellas. That doesn’t sound like much, but those lounge chairs were in short supply and that exact area was a real popular hot spot where everyone wanted to be. So, we went there soon after and became friends, walking the area and enjoying the world. Ruth was from England, I think staying for the summer, and Annie was from Texas, her family having moved there, to the southernmost state, permanently. 

Natasha 

Natasha was easy to talk to and trying to learn how to ice skate. They had built a rink at that time not extremely far from there. She had self-taught the ways to skate like a figure skater, and I think on rented skates. This was remarkable because she had gotten so good. Perhaps she was a natural athlete. If you live in a place, you might eventually tire a bit even of the obvious sights and sounds and activities. For instance, you might want to leave the sun and sand and become an ice skater. 

The Energy by the Pier

Wild and free and many birds and places where it was empty of people but other areas full. Fun eateries and stores just there close, beyond the verdant palm trees in the warm breezes. The sand sparkles like crystals and put your hand in the sand, feel its warmth, and gather grains. Old fisherman, or walking exercise types, plus a man looking for treasure with a metal detector. The whitecaps on the medium waves. Distant cargo ships like ghosts going along the horizon line. They seem incredibly rusted. Glossy power boats somewhere. Suntan lotion scents and let the bright sun hurt my eyes a bit. Let the water go into nostrils. The sun and water are medicines that heal the body and soul…

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