He nodded his head, “you were asleep for three hours, I got hungry.”
Excited, frustrated, somewhat scared, and hungry, I exhaled a long breath and glanced up and out the windshield. A man in the distance carrying a surfboard walked along the sidewalk up ahead of us in the distance. The thought of surfing was so far from what I was used to, and if we stayed here, something I’d have to get used to. As I stared out the window, my eyes continued to be drawn to the surfer. He was far enough away I couldn’t see any details, but something about him…
I reached down and opened the door to the van.
“What are you doing?” Cade said over his shoulder.
I blinked my eyes and stared.
His hair seemed black, but I guessed it could have been wet from surfing. Something about his walk seemed familiar.
My almost inaudible response to Cade came in a shallow breath.
“Just wondering…” I breathed.
The surfer hoisted his surfboard and glanced to his left. He then turned and jogged across the street. His profile was almost impossible to see clearly, but for some reason, my heart stopped.
Completely.
Standing barefoot at the side of the van, I raised my hand to my chest and clenched the locket in my hand.
My heart began to beat again.
I took off in a dead run toward the surfer. Huffing and puffing for breath, I ran as fast as my little short legs would carry me. The closer I got the less certain I was of anything. He was covered in a black skin-tight suit from his neck to his feet. Now facing away from me, and roughly 100 feet ahead, the surfer sauntered up the sidewalk. I ran across the street, through the grass, and onto the sidewalk. I just needed to see his face.
My lungs afire, and my feet feeling like hamburger, I stopped, pressed my hands into my thighs, and tried to catch my breath. After gulping a few breaths, I did my best to scream.
An inaudible “Ethan,” puffed from my lips.
I inhaled again as he continued to walk away.
This was a pipedream. Ethan didn’t even surf.
“Ethan!” I screamed.
The surfer stopped.
Slowly, he turned around.
He dropped his surfboard.
And my heart jumped from my chest.
ETHAN
A beautiful woman once told me everything happens for a reason. In believing that statement, I must believe everything in my life – every event – happened for a reason. I may not know what the reasoning behind it, but I must believe it to be part of a plan from a being much greater than me. I had lived a life questioning the existence of God because of the death of my brother. And, in an odd series of decisions and events, I tested him.
And the proof stood before me in a pair of jean shorts, a tee shit, and a ponytail.
I dropped my surfboard and ran as fast as I could. Rain ran toward me screaming, her arms flapping at her sides. Beyond her, in the distance, I saw Cade running up the hill.
I swept her from her feet and twirled her in a circle as I held her tight in my arms. Although she was speaking, I heard nothing, only feeling her soft lips against mine when she finally kissed me.
As our lips parted, she slapped her hand against my chest.
“You dick!” she squealed.
I gazed into her magical blue eyes, “All we have to do is walk away. True love tugs at our heart until we return.”
“You questioned my love for you?” she sobbed as she slapped me again.
I shook my head
I widened my eyes slightly as I shook my head, “No dear. I questioned whether or not this thing, this strange relationship was meant to be.”
“And?” she shrugged as I released her onto her feet.
“I bought us a house. I closed on it last week. I don’t have much furniture, and it’s kind of empty, but it’s huge, and only a few blocks from the beach. But I bought it for us. All of us. There’s only one slight catch,” I shrugged.
Cade stepped to our side, not even out of breath from the run up the hill.
“Cade…” I said as I released Rain and grabbed Cade in my arms.
“Love you, brother,” I sighed, “Welcome home.”
“Ethan bought us a house,” Rain grinned.
Cade’s eyes widened as I released him, “Oh?”
“Bought it with the hopes you’d show up, and I knew if you did, this was meant to be. I’m ready to begin living and loving,” I said as I opened my arms and admired the two most beautiful people in the world.
“What’s the catch? With the house?” Rain asked.
I raised one eyebrow and curled the side of my mouth slightly, “It was just meant to be. I got a hell of a deal on it, but there’s only one bedroom. It’s a huge bedroom in a huge house, but there’s only one.”
“So we’re sharing a bed?” Rain asked excitedly as she clapped her hands together.
I shrugged my shoulders as I alternated glances between them.
Cade grinned and patted me on the shoulder.
And Rain responded no differently than expected her to. She raised her index finger in the air and grinned.
“I’m sleeping in the middle,” she exclaimed.
And just like that, we were united. The three of us were brought together, finally, ready to begin a journey together in a life few people may ever understand, but one I would never question. I grinned at Rain, took a step rearward, and crossed my arms.
“Describe yourself in one word,” I said.
She smiled and without thinking, responded.
“Beautiful.”
EPILOGUE
In what Wichita Police Chief Blake Evans is calling a first not only for the city, but a first for the Sedgwick County Jail, an odd sequence of events has left one local man dead, and another now facing life in prison for murder of another inmate.
Anthony Bauer, a sixty-one year old Wichita native and former resident of Wichita’s wealthy east side Vickridge neighborhood, was killed earlier today in what guards at the jail are calling a ‘jailhouse justice killing’.
A former member of an Outlaw Motorcycle Gang, who was currently being held in the jail while awaiting a federal trial, claims self-defense spawned the incident which cost Mr. Bauer his life.
According to authorities, a computer hacker found his way into both the US Department of Justice’s and the Wichita Police’s mainframe computer systems and left a very unique but extremely detailed anonymous tip, photographs, and video footage which lead both Federal authorities and local police to Bauer late last summer. After a short investigation regarding negligence and sexual abuse to minors, authorities served a search warrant on Bauer’s residence.
After finding photographs, electronic files, and video footage of Bauer in sexual acts with what appeared to be minors, Bauer was charged with crimes including interstate commerce of child pornography, sexual acts with minor children, aggravated criminal sodomy of a minor, and rape of a minor. One unnamed source indicated at least one of the alleged victims to be his then eight year old daughter.
KAKE news has learned Kansas is one of only 20 states with no statute of limitations on cases of rape or aggravated criminal sodomy.
The investigation with the alleged killer is ongoing, and as always, the person charged with the crime of murder is innocent until proven guilty.
Any announcements regarding Mr. Bauer’s funeral were not available at this time, and efforts to find or contact his daughter were unsuccessful.