Beach Walking Lady

The mysterious lady and the artist share a lonely beach all summer.

It was getting late in the season and the beach was less crowded now.
The contrast between the water and the sky became more dramatic as the days drew shorter.

On most days,no more than a couple of people made it this far down the beach.
Most turned back before they reached this area, it was the main reason
he had set up his small easel here in the grass.


There was one lady, the walking lady. who strolled past and waved almost every day,
regardless of the weather, this made her stand out from the rest of the crowd.
She always had a smile and a wave to offer, even when the day was cold and gloomy.

One day just down the beach from his spot, he noticed her stop and pick up a green bottle.
She seemed to find something in it? He was curious as to what kept her attention for so long?
It was unusual for her to linger in one spot for so long, he had been drawn to her daily walks,
noticing her habits along with her subtle beauty.

She was part of the reason he made his way to the beach everyday!
Just to admire this Beach Walking Lady from afar.

He could not find the words to speak with her,finding the courage to wave at least.

His world was one of loneliness, his own making, somewhere along the line he had given up on
people. He had withdrawn into his own world and to the natural world outside of his lonely abode.

This day he watched with interest as she held the green bottle in her hand
and then gently tossing it back into the surf.

On the following day, she appeared in the misty haze down the beach,
approaching with a new found purpose.

In the whole time he had observed her, this was the first time
she appeared to have intent in her steps.

She seemed to be excited about something, unlike her normal wandering
while picking up small shells and beach glass

Soon she was waving as she passed, startled now by how purposeful her walk seemed,
he failed to wave before she passed realizing it too late, he then waved to no avail,
she had already walked past him, moving towards a green bottle on the beach.

This time she rushed to pick up the bottle, quickly she went to the high tide line and sat down.
In the month before, he had never seen her sit down! Not even one time!

She had always walked down the beach in meditation.
Now she seemed to be writing on something, this was puzzling to the solitary artist.
Why? Why would she stop?

Within a couple of minutes she arose with the green bottle firmly in her grasp.
This time she threw the bottle far out into the surf.
Watching, to see if it would return with the first wave......it did not.

He then proceeded to start a new canvas. It featured a lady sitting on the beach,
with a pen in her fingers and a small notepad on her lap,
with a green bottle safely tucked between her knees.
Her hair was flowing in the wind, her red sweater was gently moving in the breeze.

As the days passed, her ritual became an obsession for them both!
Her with her notepad and him with his canvas.
She never knew what he was painting and he never knew what she was writing.
This went on for weeks, until one day as she approached,
he could see there was no green bottle today.

Soon she was close enough to realize the bottle was not there.
The artist panicked when he saw the look on her face!
This being the first time during the whole season, he did not wave as she passed.

The season was soon coming to an end, the cold wind would replace the cool ocean breezes,
both of them knowing they would soon be forced to spend their days inside!
Sharing a dread of being confined within walls was something they had in common!

The bottle now seemed to appear every now and then.
She would just walk by it at times or stop and simply caress it.
Occasionally she would sit in the sand, produce her note pad and write a note.

After placing the note inside the bottle, she tossed it out into the surf,
not often anymore, but sometimes.

Today would be the last day for the artist, he had finally completed the painting.
A labor of love for him, it was one of his best paintings.

After all it was for her!

Knowing this may be his last chance to speak with her, he now had something
to break the ice with, he had created the painting just for this reason.


As she approached, he tried to think of what to say, how could he tell her,
what would she say, what would she think?

For the first time, since he had shared this beautiful beach with her on a daily basis,
he arose to his feet and started walking towards her, carrying the painting in his hands.
He hadn't bothered to frame it, since he had no idea what decor she may have
or even if she would accept it!

Finally he found the courage to speak "Good morning!" she seemed stunned,
for the first time she realized how handsome he was,with his bright eyes and a big smile.

"Good morning" was her reply.
Now she realized he had a painting on canvas in his hands as he drew near.

"This is for you!" he said, she seemed to pause, not expecting those words
from the quiet artist, who seemed content to be alone on the beach!

"Really, for me?" she replied with excitement "Yes, I did this for you!"
Amazed at his sincerity, she stopped and waited for him to close the last few steps!

As he handed her the painting, it was facing towards him and she couldn't see what it was.
With a big smile he waited for her reaction.

"Thank you, but why did you do this for me?" still surprised by the whole turn of events.

"Please look at it , you will understand", as she turned it around, the look of surprise
on her face almost made him panic!

He was not sure what she would think. "Oh my GOD" with a stunned look on her face,
she looked like she had seen a ghost!
"But how did you know?" she whispered in a tone of awe. "This is Beautiful!" she sighed.

The painting of the lady on the beach with the notepad and pen, along with the smooth green glass bottle securely between her knees was striking enough!

But the soft image of the sailor in the sky was almost more than she could
handle!

"I had a feeling about the contents in the bottle and who it may be from?
I thought you may enjoy seeing him!" he stated.

Stunned! The beach walking lady had no words.

She simply stared at the painting with tears welling up in her eyes, it was amazing!

Now the artist knew that his time had been well spent with the artwork,
having accomplished it's purpose, it had connected all three of them!

"Well it looks like winter will be here soon" he managed to stammer out,
"Yes, I think you're right" she replied softly.

"How did you know? Did you read the notes?" she asked. "No, I just knew."

"Why did you do this for me?" she asked him.
"Well, I needed some way to find the courage to ask you... ummm .....
if maybe you would like to go have a coffee or something..... sometime", "Would you?"
he now firmly asked.

"Really! You spent all of this time, just to ask me out?" stunned.
"Yes, I did" with a laugh, "crazy, I know" as they both laughed!

"Sure, lets go have that coffee right now, it is getting cold" she excitedly replied!

Off down the beach they walked, laughing and joking about the smooth green bottle
still laying on the cold lonely beach!



Dedicated to my friend Dee.


thewind 2007