Sand Castle Sandy

He asked, "Do you want to be with me?"

"Yes," I responded without hesitation. "So badly."

"Yeah, OK. Me too you. I have some ideas. Can we talk about them now?"

I nodded in return, only making eye contact briefly as further approval.

He started, "Option one. You come to San Diego, stay with me, find a new school to teach at."

I put down my knife and fork, "I could find a new school easily. They are hurting for teachers all over California. That wouldn't be a problem. And living in San Diego would be a dream come true, especially because you are there. It's just that... well... I couldn't leave my school in Bodega Bay hanging, and with such short notice."

"I understand," he said. "I respect that. Something else I love about you."

He was about to continue when I cut him off, "Would you wait for me? Could you wait that long?"

"No, I don't think I could," he said. I felt the cinder block back in my chest. "Option two. I will go with you to Bodega Bay and spend the school year with you. We could decide what to do next later, if you don't get sick of me."

I laughed, suddenly feeling elated, "My apartment is pretty shitty."

"So? It's got to be better than the RV."

"True," I answered. "The shower has hot water and I know how important that is to you. There's no sand in the sheets either. But what about your business?"

"My GM covers most everything. I'm more of a silent partner to the managers who run the shops. I can cover what I need to online, and maybe just occasionally make a trip when I'm needed."

I was beaming so hard I could feel my cheeks wind up as hard as golf balls. I had thought I would never want anything like this and now I wanted nothing more. There was no way I was going to let my crazy spoil this opportunity.

"OK, then it's settled," he beamed back at me. "Bodega Bay, shitty apartment with hot water, a new school year, and then... "

He suddenly looked pensive.

"What?" I braced myself.

"We go RV shopping for something new. With plumbing. For next year."

I got hit with emotions like lightning bolts but didn't actually get burned. It felt good even. "OK. We'll see." It was all I could say. He smiled like he had a small victory and wasn't going to press for anything more. Until later.

"One more thing," he finally brought up, "Our last stop is Santa Cruz because you tend to skip San Francisco, the final contest on the circuit, which is kind of a big deal. Let's do it. Not out of the RV, but we can stay at the Ritz. Kind of like the grand finale of our life-changing summer. What do you think?"

I think I was a little punch drunk with how my life changed over a single dinner. "I'd love to," I told him honestly, though I'd have to get him to rethink the Ritz and go less swanky. I would work on that later when the time was right.

"Great. That's great." He finally dug into his steak, this time with vigor.

He noticed me staring into his plate, I smiled back up to him. He sheepishly grinned in return and then made a show of spearing broccoli and cooked carrots on his fork and popped them into his mouth.

I nodded in appreciation and smiled so hard at my own plate I almost couldn't take my next bite.

We finished eating in comfortable silence, occasionally exchanging smiles. My mind was on our new life and future together.

Only, I knew he wasn't finished in the life-changing department. I could almost smell the smoke from the gears running hot between his ears and I soon found out what was remaining on his mind. There was no way I would have seen this one coming.

"Sandy." He said gently, as if testing out the waters of a cool ocean surf with his toes. "Over your winter break, there's this 3-day class. It's in Finland. And then after that, there's a competition held at a castle near the training center, called Olavinlinna, it's an ice castle."

I scrunched up my face in confusion, not understanding what he was saying, though 'Finland' and 'castle' sure piqued my interest.

He saw my face and then just went for it, "How would you feel about ice carving together?"

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* 6 * Epilogue

The king and queen looked over their princess with pride and pure love. She was everything the royal couple had dreamed of and was looked on as an epic celebration of their marriage. Even the kingdom was a good one. The only thing that was missing was perhaps a good, protective dragon that could wipe out the occasional foul things from the sky.

I took stock of the stimuli coming from all around me. There was the sound of the tide returning in its cycle to retake most of the beach, growing in volume and strength with every pounding wave. There were the seagulls, screeching and randomly covering the coast in their villainous missions. There was the sound of children and families at play. There was the feeling of the cool sand I had buried my feet in. There was the feel of a growing child kicking at the inner walls of my womb.

The stimulus that made my tummy really flip though was the giggle of our daughter as Rick built a castle on the sand, located at the center of a ring of towels we had laid out to stake our part of the beach. He was giggling too but I was sure he wasn't even aware of it. He was a great father. Building a castle in the sand and playing with our daughter while he half-heartedly prevented her from tearing down everything he erected.

I'm not going to lie, I'm still crazy. My mind still laid down silly narratives to keep out the darkness. Only there was an overwhelming majority of light that came from the love I was enveloped in from Sir Rick of the Order of the Sand (and now Ice), and daughter, whom we named Callie Jane.

Rick made eye contact with me and he gave me a look that made my tummy flip again, which amusingly, put a pause to the internal kicks within my belly. His face was an open book to me these days. He loved me and cared about me and was just relishing this family moment. He mouthed a silent, "I love you."

I returned out loud, "My good King of Hearts, I love you too."

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It comes across as if Santa Cruz is a villain in this tale, and I probably shouldn't have done that. It's just that geographically, it fits the story well. Santa Cruz is actually a very lovely and fantastic place. It is a great example of the beauty and gold that California has to offer and I highly recommend a visit to anyone. It has a lot to offer and for all ages.