What's better than a teaser for Teaser Tuesday? How about part of chapter 1? Now, you didn't think I was going to to say all of it, did you? After all, it is TEASER Tuesday!
Sometimes
people enter our lives, leaving an imprint forever embedded in our hearts. They
serve a purpose, however short that time together may be.
I will never forget the first time I saw him
standing all alone on the beach. His dark hair was blowing in the breeze, and a
cigarette was hanging from his mouth. Normally, that would be a turn off to me,
but there was something mysterious about him… something that made me unable to
look away, even though a small part of me was saying to run as fast as I could.
I seemed to be drawn to this stranger by some unforeseen force. The cool salty
mist veiled my face, causing a strand of my long brown hair to stick to my
cheek. I slowly inched closer, startling
him as he turned around to face me. His steel blue-grey eyes locked with mine,
and in that instant, I knew my heart would never be the same again.
Was it crazy? Maybe.
Was I scared? A little.
Had I ever been this forward with a stranger
before? Never.
I stood
there silently as we slowly looked each other over. A large purple ring
encompassed his swollen left eye, and as I glanced downward I noticed that his
upper lip was equally swollen.
“Are you
okay?” I finally found my voice. He nodded and looked away, silently staring
out at the water, taking another drag of his cigarette. “My – my grandmother’s
house is right up there.” I motioned up to the beach cottage just a few feet
away. “I could get you some ice if you need it.”
His mouth
turned up in a smile. It wasn’t one of gratitude; in fact it was just the
opposite, cold and callous. “What makes you think I need ice?” he snapped.
My heart
began to race as I nervously pointed to my own eye. “It’s just….your eye. It’s
all swollen.”
“Go back to
your perfect life with your perfect family and your perfect house, and don’t
worry about me. I can take care of myself.” I was in shock as I stood there
quietly staring at him. I knew I should just do as he said. He wanted to be
alone, and my presence was clearly annoying him. “Did you not hear what I just
said? Leave!” he said raising his voice. His eyes met mine once again, and I
finally relented, giving him his wish.
I walked
along the edge of the ocean for what seemed like forever before finally taking
a seat in the sand, still a little rattled from the abruptness of that
stranger. Who was he to judge my life? He knew nothing about me. If he did,
then he would know that my life wasn’t perfect… far from it. I looked out at the water, trying my best to
calm down from my recent encounter. The waves crashed onto the shore with full
force. There had been red flags up all over , warning swimmers to stay out due
to the rip currents caused by a passing storm that was out at sea. Sadly, the
loud roar and velocity of the ocean were more warm and welcoming than my life.
I stood up and walked to where the waves were breaking, wondering if anyone
would even notice if I were to be taken away forever. Probably not. If anything
it would just be an inconvenience for my parents, causing them to take time
from their political agenda to mourn the loss of a daughter whom they didn’t
even really know. Being the daughter of
Senator Maxwell Carmichael wasn’t an easy task. To outsiders looking in, it
appeared to be a piece of cake. I was given everything in life… a top education
at one of the most prestigious all-girls boarding schools, a brand new car when
I got my driver’s license, and I was a soon-to-be freshman at Georgetown
University studying international affairs because that’s what my father wanted
me to do. And in return, he demanded perfection. I wasn’t allowed to act like a
normal teenage girl, for fear I may do something that would embarrass him. So,
I basically shut myself out of the social scene all through high school with my
only outlet being the drama club. My dream was to become an actress. Acting was
my passion. In addition to drama club, I took acting lessons during my summer
breaks. My father scoffed, never allowing me to pursue that dream, calling it a
“hobby,” but to me it was so much more. It allowed me to become a different
person, even if for only a few minutes. I was able to escape the loneliness
that was my life. As I stepped into the water further and looked out at the horizon,
I couldn’t help but think my parents were on the other side of this great big
ocean. If I had my days straight, they were in London at the moment. They were
spending the summer in Europe, traveling to a slew of countries. I once again
chose not to go, but this summer instead of staying at my home in Maryland with
our housekeeper, who was more like a mother to me than my own, I decided to
spend the summer with my grandmother at her beach house in North Carolina.
Grandma
Caroline was my rock. She was always there for me. I knew if I needed her, she
was only a phone call away. It saddened me to see her now. She wasn’t the same
strong woman I knew my whole life. Alzheimer’s had taken her away, and as her
condition continued to deteriorate, my father continued to throw money at it,
instead of spending time with his mother like he should have been. He had hired
a live-in companion to care for her in addition to Hadley, her live-in
housekeeper, who over the years had become more of a friend to my grandmother than
an employee. I was willing to postpone my first semester of college to stay and
help take care of her, but my father was adamant that I go to school. Part of
me wanted to stand up to him. I was eighteen years old and no longer a child,
but I still continued to allow him to treat me as such. I was so deep in thought that I hadn’t
realized the undertow had pulled me out. Panic began to take over as the tide
carried me further, and my attempt to swim back to shore became fruitless. The
lifeguards and all of the beachgoers were gone with it being early evening. I
was going to die alone in this ocean, and no one would even know it. The waves
were merciless, coming one right after another, not even allowing me to catch
my breath. My throat began to burn from the salt water that I was
unintentionally consuming, and my body twisted and turned like a rag doll,
being no match for this powerful force. I tried my best to swim parallel to the
shore line, but it was no use. The current was so strong and the waves too rough,
crashing into me from every direction. At that moment I was prepared to die. I
had given up. My body was too tired from fighting a losing battle. I was no
match for this great big force, and I was surrendering. I submerged myself
under the water hoping it would be over soon as the waves above me continued to
roll. All I could think of was how angry
my dad was going to be at me for this. His trip was going to be interrupted to
attend my funeral. I surfaced once again, while gasping for air and taking in
more salt water in the process. I didn’t
know what was happening when I felt someone grip me tightly from behind. I
tried do wiggle out from the hold that was on me, but just like the waves, it
was of no use......
copyright
2015 Beth Rinyu
Read the rest of chapter 1 and the entire book on Thursday!!
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