Rhodes (beach)

a short memoir from my trip to Rhodes

You hold me by the hand as we wildly run and our bare feet sink into the soft, ice cold sand. Our hair gently moves, blown by the sweet sound of the northern winds, and our vivid eyes sparkle behind the golden threads. My tired legs struggle to keep up with the excitement and euphoria flowing inside my veins, but I keep on running and running towards the crystalline turquoise waves, crashing on the delicate silver pebbles lying on the shore. I unzip my navy blue sweater and throw it to the ground, my green, pink, red, yellow, white and blue striped bikini is now showing, and my pale skin finally meets the warm amber beams of the setting sun. You grasp my hand tighter as we set foot into the gelid glass-clear sea and our goose-bumped calves are lightly caressed by the salty foam. Our wet swimsuits slightly stick to our sun-kissed skin and our stomachs suddenly turn concave, stung by the pungent, numbing, cold, but as we breathe in the fresh, sunny breeze, we laugh and forget about the bitter chill. Slowly, he starts trudging against the azure, spumed crests and heads towards us, arms around his chest, shielding it from the shivers of the brisk air. His torso is now buried halfway underneath the translucent film of the sea, the tension in his muscles has been released. He seems to have adapted to these frigid conditions, when suddenly, a myriad of clarion beads of water meet the soft skin on his arching back, causing his lively expression to fade and leave space to the painful sting of cold. We all turn around and she is right behind us, freckles shining under the pink projection of the sky, strawberry blonde hair in a long, perfect braid, white, spotless teeth showing under a genuine, ecstatic smile. The sweet sound of her effervescent giggles echoes inside our bubble, as our being is enclosed behind the raw, candid innocence of our youth.