Where
I want to be right now…
It’s
a week before spring and the ice has already melted, the trees started to
blossom, the fresh cut grass perfumes fills the sleeping air, and the birds coming
out to sing every morning. It’s getting
near the time where people bury away their coats and pulling out their
flip-flops. After a few months of complete
silence you can sense nature deliberately trying to awaken.
I
am sitting inside a cold classroom trying to think about a place I would rather
be than here. Many places invade my thoughts but only one stands out the most. I can overhear my fellow classmates talking amongst
themselves. They talk about going camping beside the lake on their spring
break. I can there picture them going
along with their beloved families, appreciating the outdoors while they fish
for rainbow trout, and roasting gooey marshmallows on an open bonfire. I, on the other hand, won’t do any of that. After
leaving this cold room I will be headed straight to work. I am pretty sure that’s how it’s going to be
all week long, but in reality that’s how I rather things to be. I have no family and no close friends to spend
my spring break with. So, why not spend it working? Besides the fact that I need the money, I
rather do something productive and occupy my mind with a lot of work than spend
it alone.
Even
though I will have plenty to do for the next week or so, I can’t resist myself imagining
suddenly waking up and encountering myself at home. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, where
it’s mostly hot all year round. It’s an island
where birds never stop singing and where the grass and flowers never stops
growing. I have to say that I’m in love with its breathtaking flamboyant
scenery.
Staring at the computer screen, flashbacks of my
family and I going to the beach on a lovely sunny day, took over my mind. Huge umbrella stands in the middle of the
golden hot sand protected us from the mighty sun. The tall palm trees that disappear into the clear
blue sky would also protect us from the blazing heat. A mound of different sea shells were scattered
all around the sand, some consists of crossing spiral lines and radiating sharp
ridges and others were smooth and round. Hermit crabs usually are hard to spot, but if
I paid close attention, I can see them dancing across the beach.
I see my brothers setting up the barbeque and
my sisters getting ready to dive into the turquoise water. From a distance, it seemed that sailboats
floated on the edge of the earth. Reckless
teenagers raced Jet Skis across the ocean’s surface and I could hear its motor
roar from a striking distance. My
nephews, Giram and George, two young boys of four and five years of age, both
made sandcastles at the beach’s shore.
My dad and I lodged a two seat kayak and went off to the open ocean and began
kayaking. As we paddled into deeper sea,
the palm trees started to mix in with the umbrella stands and it all started to
look the same. I felt the kayak shiver
as the gentle ripple of the sea pushed us into profounder waters. The cool breeze brushed my hair from side to
side and small drops of water sprinkled on my face as I stroked my paddle. A bitter tanginess ticked the back of my
throat as trickles of sea water bounced into my mouth. I will never forget the ocean’s fresh breeze
and my curiosity for its unique vast mystery.
The aromas of the sweet honey
barbeque chicken brought my father and I back to shore and it attracted even
the most curious creatures from the bottom of the sea. We all gathered to eat some scrumptious juicy
beef and honey barbecue chicken burgers and cheesy curly fries. An enormous fresh coconut was pilled and cut
for each one of us to drink.
The perfect ending to this day was far more
than a typical day at the beach. My brothers, sisters, and I scattered around
the oceanfront to soak our feet and tell jokes. My father on the other hand, wanted to enjoy
more of the ocean’s wonders. He went off
to a deeper part of the sea border. Less
than five minutes passed and we heard whining and crying from a far. Chills went down my naked spine and the
thoughts of horror invaded my troubled brain. We immediately rushed and dived
into the water to reach our father. Also
some fishermen came to help us. To our
surprise our dad was only stung by a small jellyfish. I am sure that like my brothers, I felt a huge
weight of a thousand pounds lifted off my longs and I suddenly began to calmly
breathe again. Even though my father’s ace was heartbreaking, we just couldn’t
help but feel relieved it wasn’t a shark or anything like it. The skin of his leg started to get redder and
redder by the minute. Small bumps began to
appear and the unbearable itchiness and stinging followed up seconds later. I tried to sooth him by telling him everything
was going to be okay.
In Puerto Rico when a jelly fish stings you,
the best method to alleviate the symptoms and maybe take the pain away is for
someone to urinate on the wound. Both of
my nephews without thinking it twice, they pulled down there pants and started
urinating on my father’s leg. We
couldn’t help but to burst into laughter.
Our eyes watered and we could barely stand from laughing so hard. Even my father, couldn’t help but to crack up
laughing.
Our day ended with a sidesplitting
laugh and an unforgettable family moment.
If only I could go back in time and relive those amusing priceless
moments. I guess only in my memories those moments will remain, and the new
ones are always welcome.
