Scene from the Beach

They were five- three boys and two girls standing among the rising and
falling waves, shouting with thrill in their voices as a tall wave
approached them to drench them. And they still stood waiting to be
drenched by another. Waves after waves formed in ripples at a distance
and rose to their peaks as they reached the banks where the five
adolescents stood. They played with the waves as the waves pranced
around them.

It was evident that one boy was just a fifth wheel, for the other two
boys stood behind the two girls holding them at their waists and
resting their chins on the girls' shoulder in an intimate embrace. The
girls no more than sixteen seemingly had given up their unsure teenage
awkwardness on wearing two piece bathing suits and wore skimpy
bikinis. One girl's bikini bra was tied with two pairs of strings one
around the neck and the other on the back. The other girl wore a blue
bikini, which had dainty white flowers imprinted on them. The color
complimented her grayish blue eyes, her pale complexion and red mouth.
Her mouse blond hair was tied high on her neck such that her smooth
neck and back seemed bare, more so because her bra was fastened at the
back with the help of two white strings in seemingly loose fashion.
The lightly tied bra was fitting for the petite and fragile figure of
the girl. The loops of the strings were so loose that another wave
could have easily untied them. But she stood confident in the embrace
of her boyfriend. The impassioned love was more apparent when she
lifted her right arm backward to clutch her boyfriend's head as if she
wanted him closer than he already was. She closed her eyes as his lips
touched her bare skin.

The third boy played alone standing five feet away from the
love-birds. He surrendered to the waves with open arms, taking their
wrath on his open chest.

The girl in the blue bikini opened her eyes to the squeal of the other
girl, who was excited at the anticipation of a large wave approaching
the shores. All four of them judged the strength of the approaching
wave. And so did the fifth wheel. They knew that that wave was going
to be higher and stronger than the others before. Their thrill reached
its height perhaps at the thought of being blanketed together in a
moment of stolen privacy, even if only for a few seconds, under the
cloud of the wave. The boy's arms clenched the girl tighter so much
that she could feel that he was aroused. A slight cry escaped her
throat as she realized the power of her femininity. And her heart sang
a song when she heard him whisper intimately in her ear- "I'll hold
you tight. We will overcome this one too." She felt empowered and
ready to face the world. The wave approached them with wrathful
swiftness. And she surrendered to it against the confidence of her
young love.

The wave rose high and receded with the same swiftness that it had
heaved for attack just moments ago. The spot where the couples stood
was wiped out. The boy had been thrown a little more than two yards
but the girl was laying face down in the sand. Her boyfriend, worried
about her well-being ran toward her. She was on her stomach exploring
her surrounding with her hand. "What happened? asked the boy. "I've
lost my top, " she replied in panting voice.
"What?" the boy said laughingly. The damage didn't seem serious to the
boy.
"I've lost my bra. Can you not see?" she screamed.

But that didn't seem to prompt the boy in searching for the missing
piece of clothing. He fell on the sand next to the prostrate girl and
started laughing. She looked up and glared at him. But he was having a
fit of laughter. Her grayish blue eyes darkened with tears and she
sunk her head in the sand to let out a whimper the sound of which
drowned in the roaring waves. She wept as he laughed. She was
mortified and felt disgraced. Her newfound confidence in her young
love wiped away in a moment with the high wave. She knew then that her
dignity is something that will matter to her alone. And she cried more
at that realization.

The third boy who had just recovered from the onslaught of the wave
looked around and saw what was happening. His quick eyes saw the bare
back of the girl. He walked toward the couple and observed that the
girl's body was shaking and he knew that she was crying. On that he
turned around and ran toward the dry shores where their belongings
were dry and safe from the wetness all around. He grabbed a towel and
ran toward the girl. The girl's boyfriend was still sitting next to
the girl. His fit of laughter had ebbed. He was talking to the girl
perhaps consoling her on the loss but a smirk on his lip betrayed his
sincerity. The boy with the towel ran past the boyfriend and almost
toppled him off balance. Gently he covered the girl's back with the
large beach towel. He helped her get up. She started to get up little
by little covering her bare bosoms little by little as she sat up. Her
horror on what just happened was still visible through her eyes.
Covering her body with the towel as if it were a shawl she walked
toward the beach- slowly without uttering a word.

As the other couple oblivious to what had happened still played with
the waves the ex-boyfriend, watched from afar, as she reached the
beach, slowly realizing of his own loss. He marveled at how one's loss
could be another's gain. He wondered about the thoughtless promises
that he had given to the girl just moments ago. In a matter of minutes
unimaginable had happened. The fifth wheel was the crucial front wheel
and the former front wheel was thrown out of alignment.