Winter, 2007

The drive to the beach is different in the winter. There was not a single grain of sand in sight, only an endless blanket of heavy snow melting into the water. I hopped out of the car in my tennis shoes, instantly burying them in the snow drift as I ran towards the swing set. Mitch followed. No snow had accumulated on the seats, as if someone had just been sitting there. I squeezed my adult bottom into a child-sized swing and swung my legs back and forth. It  felt awkward with my long legs that dragged on the icy ground trying to get a rhythm going. Mitch sat on the swing next to me, facing in the opposite direction. Slowly, our swings became synchronized and we swung on in silence, the only sound was the creaking of the chains that held them.
“Who does this? Goes on the swings like an idiot in the middle of winter in the dark? This is so sweet!” Mitch smiled.
I froze, legs askew and limp over the edge of the swing seat like a rag doll. I looked over at my friend.
“One of Sam’s many phrases.”
“So sweet?”
“Mmm hm.”
Mitch paused, looking out into the sheets of thick snowflakes that continued to fall.
“When we do weird stuff like this, I feel like he’s here with us.”
“I know.”
“Like he would have been totally up for this strangeness.”
I smiled, swinging slightly.
“Do you want to go see what the lake looks like?”
“Absolutely.” I could barely see anything through the snow shower. I slowed the swing down with my left leg, dragging it through the ice underneath me. When I had stopped completely, I sat for a moment, staring out into the white nothingness. A big, lone snowflake separated from the masses and kissed my cheek. I smiled, squeezed the chains of the swing one last time, and followed Mitch towards the lake.

Luciana, 20