Lake story

IT HAPPENED AT THE LAKE

It had been so long since I had been to that pristine lake between the mountains. Yes, I may have loved it more now than I did as a kid. The dock hadn't changed much. It was so serene. How could I possibly not want to be here with my new beau? 

Of course, I chatted up the place. All the adventures I remembered with cousins and acquaintances. It felt like a lifetime ago. And we were going camping.

Really, it felt odd to be a grown-up now. Almost out of college and marriage-bound. Besides, Scott was the camper and loved to rough it. I wasn't sure if I could count on his cooking since he insisted on fishing for supper. 

I made plenty of snacks, from peanut butter and jam sandwiches to plenty of fruit and veg. After all, I felt I needed to treat him like my firstborn. But then again, I slipped in a couple of bottles of wine, his favorite beer hoping somehow I could unwind on this little getaway. 

Luckily, we made camp in no time. A little tent for two. Honestly, it was a first for both of us. I hope this wasn't the end. I did my best to savor the sun at the edge of the dock in my sunshades. I brought some old paperbacks I needed to get through and give to the library booksalw. Yes, I would do my best to be quiet while Scott was one with the water.

But that only lasted, maybe forty-five minutes. Unexpected company arrived and to my surprise it was Zane who I hadn't seen since high school.

It was kind of funny, we were full of pleasantries. Only, that hadn't been the case Senior year. We'd had a falling out over a guy and vowed to never speak to each other. Thankfully, she didn't remind me of what the spat was about. After all, she wasn't with Noah, either. 

While they set up their tent, it crossed my mind how I might have reacted if she had been here with him. I hugged myself in thought.

"I don't think the fish are here," Scott winced in the sun.

"What?" I squinted back at the thought of us moving somewhere sacred for his fishing. My teeth clench. Really, I was happy not to be alone on the lake with him. Sure, I loved US, but not that much when it came to the outdoors. "My friend is here," found myself saying even if Zane was my friend-enemy.

"But, we came all this way to get away from everyone," Scott fretted. He was in a miserable mood ever since he got on at the high school as the Girl's Wrestling Coach. All this time, he just knew he'd be ace if he was coaching the football team.

"Oh, just take a walk and find a spot, will you," I put my hands on my back as if this was the last thing I needed. I really didn't want Zane to see us arguing, either. 

Soon enough, Zane sent Jared off to fish with Scott. We were alone and I hesitated. It was as if my throat was too raw to speak. I felt a little jittery.

"Sara, we have to talk," Zane said.

I nodded. I knew she was right.

"Lets take a walk," So off we went in the opposite direction of the guys. She mentioned no one was here and she was glad. Zane remembered coming here with her grandmother.

"How is she?" I looked at her blankly.

"She passed during the pandemic," Zane pointed to where her ashes were laid to rest. "This was her happy place." She smiled with a shrug. "I'm beginning to think it takes a lifetime to be happy, you know."

Zane said she was between jobs. It had been stressful at the wedding company she'd worked for. 

"I'm afraid Scott will quit before he ever starts his," I confessed. I told her he was a bit timid.

"But he's fit," Zane smiled. I smiled back.

"Jared has been my friend for so long now, we thought we'd try being together," she said she'd been with him longer than her previous boyfriends. "See what happens to you when you work for a wedding company." She laughed.

It was good to hear her kind voice. But she was so adamant about Noah back then. We'd had a fight in the girl's bathroom and both said a few things I knew we regretted. Yet we'd left it with a monumental FINE. Neither of us would date him. We wouldn't be friends either.

Funny, I couldn't recall Noah's face now as I watched her skip a rock a rock across the still water. Why had I wanted to be with him so much? 

Zane helped me along the rocks as we headed back to the dock. It was then we decided it was too hot to stay out of the water so we both made some noise and jumped right into the cool waters. Finally, it felt like a clean break. We were friends again. And this time we would be there for each other.