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Old 01-21-2015, 12:58 PM
Nich Nich is offline
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Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 25
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Story: Swept Away

I had taken a dive off the pier and splashed into the ocean below. The wonderful sound of the impact ringed in my ears. I let the vibrations course through my body as I headed to the surface. Somehow I had felt lighter. My mood was better as the ocean waves washed away the stress of the past few months.

I had just returned from a tour in Iraq, and the atrocities I've seen... they still weigh heavily on my mind. I wasn't one of those kids that grew up by the beach and went swimming all the time. I was a beginner... Only picking this up because the counselors suggested that a more recreational sport would be suitable. The intrinsic grace of a swimmer contradicted the brutality that I used to immerse myself in during my days as an amateur wrestler. But I can't go back to wrestling for sport anymore... I was tired of fighting. Not after the war.

I splashed around the water some more. I smiled. The taste of salt in my mouth contrasted greatly with the dryness of the sand at the desert. This was a good reminder that there were more things out more. More that I should cherish and savor. I had came to the beach alone. I didn't want any of my old friends to join me. I've changed and they don't know me anymore. I'm used to being alone anyways.

After diving amidst the waves, I decided to head back to the beach to get a drink of water. As I emerged from the ocean, a sudden chill came over me... I realised that the boardshorts that I had been wearing around my waist are gone.

I quickly ducked back under the cover of the waves, checking to see if I had remembered to wear anything underneath. I let out a small sigh of relief. I had searched high and low for something suitable this morning but couldn't find any of my usual trunks. My parents must have thrown them out during my tour. Instead, I had found a small pack of tiny speedos from Italy. My friends had gotten me them as a gag gift for my birthday several years back. They were way too small and showed too much thigh then I was comfortable with, but they would have to do.

Here I am now, in those tiny black speedos, in a vast ocean with many beachgoers around me. I surveyed the landscape. I couldn't see my boardshorts anywhere... I must have lost them when I dove off the pier. I had loosened the waist since it was rather tight. I guess I must have loosened it too much. Everyone around me were in their boardshorts, laughing with their friends and enjoying their family's company... If only I still had people who understood me.

But I can't stay here forever. I have to move on. Get out. I bit my lip and started walking out of the water. Everyone was going to stare as they always have... To whisper amidst themselves... To comment on what they think I've been through. But I still had to go on. Life goes on after the war.

The last few steps were the hardest as my tiny speedos emerged from the cover of water. I looked around... No one seemed to care. There were no pointing or mocking words. I continued to walk towards my belongings. Men played ball games around me, jostling amongst themselves in their shorts. But they paid no notice to my tiny speedo predicament. Perhaps I've been mistaken?

I walked by a mother with her little toddler. The boy looked up at me and pointed. I braced myself for some negative comments. "Soldier! Hero!" The mother smiled and nodded. I nodded back and reached out to touch my dogtags.

Suddenly, it all made sense to me. I had just overcame my insecurities back in the modern world. I had always thought that the world was jeering and examining me... but it turns out that I was just too sensitive. I was too worried about how my family and old friends would react that I covered myself up and pushed them away. But I'm determined not to hide myself anymore.

With a new gait, I confidently walked over to my belongings and took the drink of water I desired. I was not going to conceal myself from the world anymore. And my first step would be to wear these speedos and be proud to wear them!
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