A Real Friend - Chapter 3

A Day at the Beach

The sun was falling low in the sky and just beginning to reflect shades of yellow, orange, red and purple on the horizon over the bay. 4 year old Nicole was playing in the piles of sand that seemed to encompass her. Her 8 year old brother Michael was splashing along the water’s edge in the calm surf. She didn’t seem to mind that he was totally ignoring her, for now she was totally engrossed in the building of what she imagined was a magnificent castle.

“Red or yellow?” she chirped in Thomas’ direction. She was referring to the buckets that she held in her out stretched hands.

Thomas was taken aback for a second. He had just appeared by her side not more than a few minutes before and already she was interacting with him like they had been friends forever. It was almost as if she had been expecting him. He shouldn’t have been surprised. Her open friendliness was one of the reasons he had chosen her. The fact that she was immediately comfortable with his presence reinforced Thomas’ decision. He rarely made a mistake in choosing his charges, but it was always nice to have his choice so readily confirmed.

She wasn’t in pre-school and even though her parents were loving and attentive, her brother was a handful and required a fair amount of their undivided attention. She needed someone to communicate and interact with, in fact, she almost demanded it. She was the type of child who would strike up a conversation with a complete stranger no matter what their age or appearance.

It also didn’t surprise him when he realized that in her mind’s eye he was a 10 year old boy. It still amazed him at how much he could learn during his initial searches. In the short amount of time he had spent delving into her tiny, but active mind, he had discovered that she longed to have a big brother that she could actually relate to. Thomas would evidently be fulfilling that purpose, at least for now.

The length of Thomas’ friendship with Nicole was totally dependent on her. Sometimes the children he chose only needed him around for months, others he spent years with. He would be her friend and confidant as long as she wanted him around.

Thomas brought his attention back to Nicole and her castle construction. Evidently he had taken too long in deciding on his favorite color. He smiled as he noticed the red bucket sitting upside down in the sand in front of him. She was concentrating on each shovel full of sand as she piled the yellow bucket full. She patted the sand down as firmly as she could before dumping it over. She continued the process over and over, one bucket full after another. He laughed to himself as he noticed the tip of her tongue poking out from the corner of her tightly pierced lips.

“Let’s start packing up guys,” her mother called from her beach chair just a few yards away.

Nicole was getting ready to complain about how close she was to being finished just as Michael ran past her. With one swift kick, he collapsed the wall of his sister’s almost complete masterpiece. Thomas could sense the anger building in her small frame. The smile that had produced the cavernous dimples in her cheeks a moment earlier was replaced by a scowl aimed directly at her brother. Her tiny hands were trembling in their now tightly clenched fists.

Thomas was beginning to brace himself as he expected to witness his first glimpse of a full blown Nicole temper tantrum. He was simply amazed when she started to stomp off in Michael’s direction, but then just stopped in her tracks. She pounded her foot into the sand with her next step and turned on her heel all in the same motion. It took a moment for Thomas to realize that she had gone back after her buckets and shovels. As she reached down to pick them up Thomas heard her squeal with delight. It was in such contrast to the anger he had just witnessed that he rushed to her side to see what had caused the sudden and drastic change in her mood.

Beside one of Michael’s destructive footprints there was a hint of a reflective sparkle poking out of the sand. It was catching the last of the setting sun’s reflection and seemed to be sparkling just for Nicole.

Thomas pointed to one of the shovels that Nicole had just dropped. “Why don’t you dig it up and see what it is?” he encouraged her.

Nicole eagerly took his cue and began feverishly digging. Beneath the sand she uncovered two clear stones. They were smooth on the faces with pointed edges, but they were not sharp. Thomas watched her as she gingerly picked them up, one in each hand. She rolled them around her fingers as she inspected them more closely. They were crystal clear pieces of sand glass that had probably been buried there for years. Nicole had found her very first treasure.

“Aren’t they beautiful?” she cooed to Thomas. “One for you and one for me!”

“Why thank you Nicole. Why don’t you put them in the buckets so we can take them home,” Thomas replied to her generosity.

Thomas walked by her side as she trudged through the sand after her mother and brother. He knew that when Nicole was older she would never remember all of the details of this day. They would fade with age and be replaced by more important memories. He also knew that one day she would out grow him and no longer need his companionship. That was all part of his existence. He knew that none of his friendships were meant for a life time. For however long their friendship did last, Nicole would be the center of Thomas’ universe. He would be there whenever she felt alone, frightened or just wanted someone to talk to. Today was the first day of that special friendship, one that would seem to exist only in Nicole’s imagination, but one more real than anyone would ever realize. Even Nicole and Thomas.