Part III: Boy Meets Girl
We’ve followed Boy West. He finds a boat and sails north from LA to Ventura. On his way, he catches up with Friend who just returned home from the Marine Corps.
He nears Ventura Harbor.
The last of the morning fog burns off. Boy follows the buoys between the jetties into a forest of masts. Flags flap in the steady breeze as he needles through the maze of docks. Mountains rise above the palm trees. His eyes follow the ridge line until it slips into the sea.
Boy soaks in the scene.
Music echoes across the water. He looks to see a pretty girl cruising along the edge of the marina. She drives a convertible with the top down.
His mind wanders toward her. He rides in the passenger seat, his arm next to hers on the console. Her sun-kissed skin radiates against his. Salty hair trails behind her like a ribbon. She looks at him. Her eyes sing songs of the sea that have drawn many a sailor to their greatest fortune or inevitable doom.
A seal howls from the end of a dock he drifts by. Boy eases the boat toward its slip. Loneliness passes over him like the shadow of a cloud.
Boy walks down the boardwalk. He looks to the surf line. The tide rises. Surfers ride the crashing waves. A girl runs up the beach with a surfboard under her arm. She skips across the sizzling sand. Boy freezes in awe. The girl stops at the edge and looks both ways before crossing. She disappears down the street.
Boy takes an evening walk around the harbor. His head in the clouds, he imagines falling in love with the girl in the convertible; the girl from the beach. He thinks of Friend and Gracie staying up all night. He wanders under the stars.
Something catches his eye up ahead: a girl reads under the light of a lamp on Cafe’s patio. She’s alone. He floats towards her. When she looks at him, a faint tune rings in his ear: is it a siren or a song?
Boy falls fast for Girl. They ignore the world. Boy holds Girl in his arms. He could hold her forever.
Feelin’ Fine EP Update
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Caswell