Mom wasn’t moving as fast as she should’ve on the Friday morning of Family Weekend. The asphalt before us now seemed an insurmountable journey and her speed the only barrier between us and the water. For how many times I had to wait for her on the pavement, it didn’t seem she was that excited.
It was the last night of my O-trip where I found myself on Merritt Island’s shore, gazing at the sky and absentmindedly tracing jewels of land and pine out of the horizon. The ocean in front of me certainly felt my presence; the galloping horse within my chest and the breath of ice at the small of my back.
A month ago, I got an Instagram DM from an old friend. I admit, I was nervous seeing that iconic red notification pop up in the corner of my homepage. After all, the last time I had spoken to them was in 2019, when both of us were still unaware of the school year ahead.