She closed her eyes and waited for the memories to pass. His goofy smile, and big, brown eyes were all she could see. She heard him laughing. She could almost smell his warm, musky cologne. “Excuse me, mam,” a woman said, interrupting her thoughts. Riley’s eyes flew open and reality flashed before her. The light, cheery Christmas music played throughout the drugstore. A few customers were moseying through the aisles, the tips of their noses pink from the brisk weather. The window behind her cash register was covered with snow and icicles. “I’m sorry,” Riley sighed and started scanning the woman’s items. “Cheer up,” the woman smiled. “Christmas is only ten days away.” Riley shut her eyes again. The memories came rushing back.

            As Riley Chapman drove home from work, she knew it was time to take another trip to Folly Beach, South Carolina. She would take a week off work, as usual. She would go to Folly Beach for Christmas and maybe she would feel less alone. She sighed and thought about the fact that she was nineteen and tired of living. She knew her life was dull, but she did not know how to change it. She always ran to South Carolina for the holidays because she had nowhere else to go. “It’s because he used to live there.” Riley said aloud to herself in the empty car. Tears filled her eyes. She missed him so much- her dad, David Anthony Chapman. He was the man who had loved his daughter with all of his heart. Since Riley’s mother has died during childbirth, he has been a single parent his entire life. Riley and her dad shared a bond that only fathers and daughters share. But because of his battle with cancer, Riley was left alone in the big, cold world

            After reserving her usual room at Folly Shores Beach Resort, packing the single suitcase she needed and booking the earliest flight to South Carolina she could get, Riley finally relaxed. She did not call and tell anyone, except her boss, that she was leaving town. She had lost contact with her high school friends. They would not know her anymore, though. After all, she was a completely different person without her dad. She had no other family members in the area, and she could not bring herself to call them anyway. They reminded her of her dad. Riley shook her head and closed her eyes. Tomorrow she would arrive in Folly Beach for another dull, ordinary Christmas alone. But little did she know, this Christmas would change her life.

            Riley settled into her warm, cozy hotel room. She loved this hotel. It overlooked the big, beautiful ocean. Riley loved to look out the window and watch the waves crash one by one onto the shore. It calmed her. She thought back to the days when she and her dad came to Folly Beach. They would visit during the summer for weeks at a time. She remembered building sand castles and swimming in the ocean until the sun went down. “ The beach is the best place on earth isn’t it Riley?” her dad use to say, as they floated over the waves, letting the salty water cool their skin. “I love it here,” Riley would answer, as she smiled and wished that they would never leave. “I just love being here with you,” he would smile, as he wrapped her into a big hug. Riley sighed. She knew her dad was here with her, in spirit, She could feel it.

            Riley put on her long, brown overcoat, hat, and gloves and started walking along the beach. She carried a duffel bag full of supplies over her shoulder. She walked until she reached the solitary spot that she knew so well. She sat down on the lone rock that overlooked the ocean and pulled her canvas and paints. Riley loved to paint since she was a child. It was not until she reached her teens she realized she has true talent. But she painted merely for pleasure and stacked her paintings from the beach in the corner of her closet. After about two hours of painting, Riley was about halfway finished. She stopped painting for a minute and put her hands to her flushed cheeks to warm them. “That’s amazing,” a voice said abruptly behind her. Riley jumped, and turned around, almost bumping into a girl with long, tangled brown hair. Her big blue eyes were staring intently at Riley’s painting. “I’m sorry. You scared me,” Riley breathed. “ You are really good. Are you a professional or something?” the girl asked, still staring at the painting. Riley noticed that it was twenty degrees outside and the girl was wearing ripped jeans and no shoes. “ No…I just paint,” Riley said, fumbling her words. Abruptly, the girl peeled her eyes from the painting, and looked at Riley. “I’m Lucy. Who are you?” “Riley…. Riley Chapman.” “Riley, do you live around here. I’ve never seen you. I suppose I could have missed you, but that is unlikely because trust me, I know everyone in Folly Beach.” Lucy smiled. She sat down beside Riley and crossed her legs, Indian style. Her hair was blowing fiercely in the wind. “I actually just came here for Christmas. I live in Ohio,” Riley almost whispered. “Only you? How old are you? Sixteen?”  Lucy talked, asking question after question. “I’m actually nineteen,” Riley smiled. “Me too!” Lucy gasped. She looked at Riley. “I can’t believe you know about this spot, too. I’m usually the only one crazy enough to walk all the way over here. I live a few miles away, and Daddy tells me that one day something bad is going to happen while I’m walking over here. But I love it here. It is beautiful, and you can really feel that beauty in your painting, too,” Lucy talked. She did not stop talking long enough for Riley to say anything. “Can you paint me?” she asked, suddenly. Riley just looked at her. “ You want me to paint you? I… I’ve never painted portrait before.” Riley hesitated. “Please, Riley? You can come over to my house and sleepover!” Lucy talked, getting excited. “Lucy, I’ve only known you for five minutes,” Riley blurted. “Riley, maybe I have only known you for five minutes, but I have learned a lot about you in those five minutes. I’ve learned that you seem lonely, Riley. Not only that, but you are afraid of your talent. You are an amazing artist, Riley, and you don’t let anyone see that. I think we know more about each other than you think,” Lucy spoke, never taking her eyes off Riley. Riley looked at Lucy, looked at the ground, and then back and Lucy. “I’ll paint you,” she said calmly. Lucy let out a long, loud cheer, and hugged Riley. As they started the long walk to Lucy’s house, Riley could not help but feel a little more alive than usual.

            Riley settled down in Lucy’s room, which was painted in bright oranges and yellows. “Wow, Lucy, you really do like the beach and the sun,” Riley said with a smile. She felt like she needed sunglasses to shield her eyes from the bright colors. “Yeah, Daddy thought I’d get sick of my room being so bright, but it’s been this color for five years and I still love it,” Lucy smiled. “So, do you still live with your parents?” riley questioned. Lucy fidgeted, and looked at the ground. “Yeah, this is their house. I…I’m not, well I can’t, go to college,” Lucy finished, awkwardly. Riley assumed it was a financial problem, similar to her own, so she changed the subject. “Can you sit right there?” Riley asked, pointing to the chair where Lucy would be sitting for the portrait. “Should I smile, Riley< or should I do more of a serious face?” “Just be natural,” Riley advised. She hesitated as she pulled out her brushes. She was going to have to make sure she brought Lucy’s personality to life in the painting, and that was where she would struggle. She painted for hours, and they talked, until finally she said, ”Can we be done for tonight? We could finish it tomorrow or another day,” “I was waiting for you to ask that. I can hardly sit still or longer,” Lucy giggled. She propped her bare feet on her bookshelf. “Have you ever considered showing anyone your paintings?” “No. They really are not that great, Lucy. Only you, and well, my dad, have seen them. I’m going to try to make your portrait really great, though. It will be your Christmas present,” Riley explained. “I can’t wait to see it,” Lucy smiled. “You really should show people, Riley. You have talent.” Riley just looked out the window. It was getting dark, and there was a light snow falling. “I’m sorry about your dad,” Lucy said, quietly. Riley’s head snapped up, and she looked straight at Lucy. “What? Lucy, how did you know?” Riley stared at Lucy, unexpectedly. She was always coming up with impulsive ideas that made no sense to Riley. But Riley liked to go along with them because Lucy put life into everything.

            Riley and Lucy became inseparable, and they decide that even though they had just met, they were best friends. They spent their days together, visiting places in Folly Beach, or just walking along the beach. Every evening would work on Lucy’s Christmas portrait. On Riley’s third night in Folly Beach, she met the rest of Lucy’s family. “Daddy’s setting off fireworks on the beach! Come on Riley!” Lucy exclaimed, and they started running to the beach, which was close to Lucy’s house, but far away from the solitary spot where they first have met. Lucy was barefoot, as usual. Lucy’s father and brother were already at the beach when they arrived. “We’re here, Daddy!” Lucy yelled, and ran through the sand until she reached her dad. She gave him a big hug. Riley stood back and watched them. “I’m Matt.” Riley turned and saw a good-looking boy, who she assumed was Lucy’s brother, walking towards her. “Hi, I’m Riley,” she said timidly. She guessed that he was in his early twenties, and she could not help but smile when she looked at him. They were shaking hands when Lucy came running back to Riley. “It looks like you already met my big brother, Matt,” she giggled. “Hey Luce,” Matt said, playfully shoving her. Lucy ran back down to her dad. Matt shook his head, smiled. “She’s crazy. Look at her- running around barefoot in the winter,” he laughed. “When I met her a couple days ago, that’s the first thing I noticed about her,” Riley said laughing with him. “Yeah, that’s Lucy. She has so many quirks ad so much energy. You’d never guess…” He smiled faded as his sentenced trailed off. “What?” Riley asked, glancing over at him. He looked at her and flashed a quick smile. “So you will be going back to Ohio soon?” Riley was surprised at his sudden change of subject, but answered, “Yeah, I’m leaving the 26^th. I told Lucy that she would have to visit me often. You can come visit, too.” Matt smiled, and Riley felt warm inside as they stood on the beach watching the fireworks.

            “Merry Christmas!” Lucy cried, as Riley walked through the door on Christmas day. Riley took a deep breath so she could savor the smell of the ham in the oven, the crisp pine of the Christmas tree, and the faint peppermint. Riley was in high spirits the whole day as she ate dinner, sang Christmas carols, opened presents and drank hot chocolate with Lucy and her family. The day seemed to end as Lucy’s members went to bed, one by one, “I’m going to miss you so much, Lucy,” Riley sighed. They were sitting at the kitchen table, drinking more hot chocolate. Lucy piled hers with marshmallows. She looked more tired than usual, and yawned when she said, “We have to give each other our presents.” “How could I forget!?” Riley cried. She grabbed the portrait and handed it to Lucy. She had it wrapped in yellow cloth, Especially for Lucy, “I really hope you like it,” Lucy started taking off the cloth as she talked. “Riley, of course I’ll like it. I’m not going to like it, I’m going to…” She stopped talking, and opened her mouth in shock when she turned the portrait around and saw it. “Love it,” Lucy whispered, finishing her previous sentence.

            The portrait was beautiful. Riley had painted the faint smile, slightly flushed cheeks, and piercing blue eyes perfectly. Riley had truly captured the essence of Lucy. “This is so amazing, Riley,” Lucy whispered, again. Her eyes were filled with tears. Riley felt rushed of warmth in her body, and imagined her dad smiling as he looked at his daughter’s painting. “I have to give you your present,” Lucy smiled, and walked into the living room. She came back with a single envelope. “ Riley, you have to promise me something,” Lucy said, seriously. Her eyes were fixed on Riley. “What?” “You cannot open this until December 30^th because I’m going to send you another letter in the mail. You can open the envelope you get in the mail first, and then this one. Do you understand?” Lucy asked, still fixing her eyes on Riley. “I can’t open it now?” Riley asked. “No, Riley you can’t. I know it will be tempting, but you have to wait, do you promise?” “I promise,” Riley smiled, sighing. “Thank you so much, Riley. I love my portrait,” Lucy gushed. “Lucy, you have to visit me. I’m going to miss you,” Riley exclaimed suddenly. Lucy smiled, but said nothing. “I’ll miss you, too,” she said, quietly, as she looked out the window.

            Riley flew home the next day and waited anxiously for December 30^th. Finally, when the day rolled around, Riley ran out to her mailbox. Sure enough, she has a letter from Lucy. She ran inside and sat down, enjoying the final moment of suspense, before she ripped the letter the letter open inside was a letter that read: Miss Riley Chapman, We, The University of South Carolina, are eager to inform you that you have placed first place in our annual art contest. As our first place winner, you receive a full scholarship to the University of South Carolina. The portrait you submitted displays your incredible artistic talent, and we are very excited to see you in August. Congratulations! Riley dropped the letter in shock. Lucy has submitted her portrait in an art contest, and she had won! Riley’s hands were shaking as she began to read the letter Lucy gave her on Christmas day. Dear Riley, Merry Christmas! I knew you would win the contest, which is why I had faith that another letter would come for you in the mail. Going to college will so good for you. Do not be afraid to show others your talent, Riley. I know we only knew each other for a week, but I feel like you know me better than anyone. You are my true best friend, and I am so grateful for the memories we made this week. Riley, please remember that I will always be watching over you. Don’t forget that. And don’t spend your life alone, Riley. Find someone that makes you happy, that makes you feel alive. Not only are you an amazing artist, you are an amazing person. Thank you for everything. Love, Lucy. Riley started at the letter in her hands, tears streaming down her cheeks. She knew that Lucy had changed her. Lucy had relit the fire inside Riley, the fire that had burned out so long ago. Riley quickly reached for the phone, and called Lucy. She had to thank her. “Hello?” It was Matt. “Matt, can I talk to Lucy?” Riley asked, quickly. Matt paused. His voice was hoarse and unsteady. “ Riley, didn’t you get her letter?” “Yeah, Matt, I did. I have to thank her for everything,” “ Riley explained. Matt paused again. “Riley, that letter was good-bye.” “What?” She could hear Matt trying to gain control of himself. “Lucy’s gone, Riley. She’s… she’s been sick for a while. I’m sorry.” Riley dropped the phone back up, but all she heard was a dial tone. Riley threw the phone down and fell onto the couch. She felt numb and empty as she cried endlessly.

No one has commented on this article.

Please keep your comments brief and on topic, and remember that this is not a discussion thread.
Name :	Title :
E-mail :	Website :
Text ColorAquaBlackBlueFuchsiaGrayGreenLimeMaroonNavyOlivePurpleRedSilverTealWhiteYellow
Comment(s) :
Verify :	The opposite of BOY is ?

J! Reactions 1.09.01 • Professional Site License
Copyright © 2006 S. A. DeCaro

---