MAKING NEW MEMORIES

Coral Miller

      This night was one hell of a night. From finding out my boyfriend was cheating on me with my best friend, to  breaking up with my boyfriend, to meeting a total stranger that would turn my world upside down, a stranger that made me believe in love at first sight, making me believe in a fairy tale love, to finding out later on that I lost my aunt, this night had a lot of things and it was definitely going to be a night I would not ever forget.

I sighed loudly looking at the crashing waves of the oceans, and the beautiful stars that twinkled up in the sky. This night had the good, bad and the ugly and I guess that's what makes it special.

A memory came flooding in just watching the crashing waves…..

Seven years ago…..

I was ten and It was also the year we found out my dad had colon cancer, the doctors said he had only six months to live. We planned to live our last moments with him before he passed. We decided to go to the beach, my dad knew how much me and my mom loved the beach and seeing the ocean so much so he decided to take us there one last time and now the beach was our least favorite place because of the memories it holds. 

I turned to my right and I could see my dad. My dad was wearing blue beach wear, with black sunglasses on, his black skin was shining due to the excessive sun screen he had applied on his body, his bald head had no exception to its fair share of sunscreen.  He laid down on the beach chair with my mom laying down beside him with a beach umbrella over their heads. They were both talking and laughing, my mom looked so vibrant and beautiful, I guess that's what love does to you.

"Coral, come over here" my dad called out to me, as I took on to my heels and ran towards them.

Exhausted from my little sprint, I slumped onto my dad's lap, my lungs burning for oxygen.

"Daddy!" I said, happily chuckling lightly.

"Take it easy young lady," My mom warned, due to my dad's condition.

"It's alright Mat," My dad said, smiling at me and patting my back gently.

My dad often called my mom Mat, it was a short form of my mom's name which was Matilda.

"Why do you always call mom Mat?" I asked, curiously waiting for him to answer my question.

"Why not babe? Sweetheart? And the rest of them?" I added.

My dad looked at my mom and they both laughed out loud.

"What's so funny?" I asked, looking at both of my parents.

"Nothing love," My dad replied, leaning me forward towards him as he kissed me on my forehead.

"Yes daddy, why do you call me Mat," my mom said, bringing back the question.

"I call your mom Mat because for me it's a cute short form of her name Matilda and also a cute nickname that's like an abbreviation that I generated for her only" My dad replied confidently, looking at my mom sweetly.

"Woooow" My mom and I said in unison.

"So tell us the full meaning of the abbreviation" I urged him.

"It means 'My Amazing Treasure' and if I were to add the 'I' I would say My Amazing treasure infinity" He said, looking at my mom, holding her hands and planting a passionate kiss on her hands.

"Awwww," my mom and I chorused in amusement.

My mom pulled his head closer and kissed him on his lips, she broke the kiss and whispered to him.

"You're my own amazing treasure for infinity too baby" my mom said, smiling like a little child that was given an award.

I watched them both, smiling sheepishly at the romantic gestures they both had going on between them. We had lots of fun that day and my dad never stopped to remind me how much he loved me and my mom. His love was so much towards us we felt empty without him in our lives, to such an extent that I and my mom turned against ourselves or rather I turned against my mom instead of we just sharing the love my dad had shared to us.

"I think we should organize an award night, and then award Matilda and Miller as the best couple in Melbourne or probably in the world" Aunt Lydia said, appearing out of nowhere.

"Aunt Lydia!" I shouted happily, jumping into her arms. She planted kisses all over me.

"My favorite girl," aunt Lydia said, snuggling and kissing me.

"I've missed you so much coral," aunt Lydia said, looking at me with so much love in her eyes.

"Coral?" Evans called out, pulling me out of my head.

"Are you okay?" He asked, looking at me intently as I had spaced out.

I chuckled lightly, Evans reminded me so much of my dad, always asking if I was okay.

"Yeah, I'm okay. I just traveled back in time to a memory I had with my dad, the last moments we had with him" I said, forcing a smile on my face.

"Don't mind me, just having the euphoria feeling and all that," I added.

"Okay," He said, acting hesitant and trying to make me feel as comfortable as possible.

"You don't want to go anymore or you still want to?" He asked, looking at my face one more time for approval.

"Yes absolutely" I replied without hesitation.

I looked at the Oceans and everything one more time, I wasn't sure I was going to be here if not for Evans bringing me here and I wasn't sure if I was ever going to come back here. The beach was beginning to hold so many memories for me, it'll be hard coming back here.

"I'm gonna miss here for a while" I whispered underneath my breath.

Evans took my hands in his, he held my hands so softly. His hand was soft, it felt warm, big and safe. I chuckled lightly seeing him holding my hands, it felt cute and genuine. We walked towards the car park of the motel which was a bit distant from the motel.

"Are you not going to call like an Uber or something?" I asked curiously, wondering why we were going to the car park.

He flashed a grin at me. "Why would I order an Uber or anything like that when I've got this" he said, taking out his car keys and pressing it to unlock the car and the car responding back.

I turned to see which of the cars and I was dumbfounded when I saw the car. It was an Audi sport R8 Car, it's one of the best cars in 2018. It was a Daytona grey pearl color.

"This is an Audi sport R8 car right?" I asked him, checking out the car.

"Yes it is," he laughed at my reactions.

"I'm surprised you know more than just the brand name of the car" he said, grinning.

"Trust me, I'm a lover of cars," I said, looking at it with such admiration.

I was such a big fan of cars, so was my dad and aunt Lydia. I always kept myself updated about the latest cars and this baby right here was one of them right in front of me.

"Oh that's pretty cool," He said, with a smile plastered on his face.

"You want to give it a spin?" He asked, stretching his arm towards me with the car keys in his hand. A silent request for me to take the car keys.

"Naaaa, I'll pass on this one," I replied, waving my hands as a gesture of me not driving.

"Wait a minute!" I said, walking up to him.

"What is it?" He said, his brow arched.

"How old are you?" 

"Why are you suddenly asking that?" 

"Because you have a car of your own and you're driving, so?" I said, waiting for his response.

"I'm 22, Coral," he replied, opening the car door and entering the car to sit in the driver's seat.

Hearing him say he was twenty two years old wasn't what I was expecting. He was four years older than me, I was going to be eighteen soon. He looked younger than his age. I was thinking that we were probably the same age. I entered the car and sat in the passenger seat, putting on the seatbelt.

"Are you disappointed that I'm 22?" He asked, turning on the ignition of the car.

"No, just that I wasn't expecting it. I thought we were the same age, you look younger than your age, like you've still got your teenage features" 

"22 isn't old right?" He asked, turning the steering wheel and moving out of the car park.

"I guess my teenage features landed me the modeling job, I mean who could say no to this face?" He asked, his voice filled with sarcasm.

"Oh, don't be surprised, but I would say no" I replied sarcastically.

"Oh, you wish," he said, as we both laughed.

"So how old are you?" He asked, his gaze focused on the road.

"I'm 17," I said, looking at him.

"What!"

"Breathe, I'll be turning eighteen in the next one month," I assured him.

"Why did you exclaim like that?" I asked him.

"I just wasn't expecting that" he replied, giving me a sarcastic look, before returning his gaze back on the road.

"Oh, I see what you did there," I said, laughing out loud.

We were both just living our lives, escaping realities and just trying to be happy at 3:00am in the morning and I can for sure say it feels good.

Aunty Lydia, wherever you are, I don't want you to worry about me, I'm not crying. Although I miss you a great deal, I think I'm doing just fine and I'm finally starting to understand things better. Thank you for sending another guardian Angel in human form to me because I wasn't sure if I could have handled all that pain alone.

Whatever dream I was in, probably another alternate dimension, I don't want to wake up from it.