Somethings Need Water To Work

I liked the sensation of being a delicate flower.

There is something about water. It carries you. Physically allowing you to move through. Either as you swim or as you cruise on a boat.

Water transports you. It has a trance-like quality that sends your mind spinning. Calming. Reminding you of worlds you have never known but feel familiar. Water. I have had a mystic relationship with water. It holds a treasure trove of precious memories. Some sweet and others are frozen in time. Like my own personal time capsule.

I was waiting for him. The stranger from the library. Kim. My teenage heart was anxious and the butterflies in my stomach started to dance. In anticipation. In fear. In joy, maybe? He was the brave one that chose to speak to the guarded girl. The girl who went to the library to read and only to read. And when the time was up, she would bolt out and walk home.

I was the girl. I didn’t consider myself guarded. Just focused. Nobody told me I was required to wave to complete strangers unprovoked. It seemed perfectly reasonable to mind my business and go home afterward. If I would happen to bump into somebody, I would of course be civil and we would be on our merry way.

But not Kim. He said hi and lingered. With a cheeky smile and curious eyes. I wanted to bolt but my awkwardness amused him. He persisted. He invited himself to walk me home so that we could talk. I wanted to protest but the one hour walk back did seem lonely sometimes. He was animated. Playful. I played along. Best I could.

I was waiting for Kim. He managed to corner me into committing to a meetup. I need no convincing, to be honest. Something about him piqued my curiosity. I wanted to know why I needed to see him. Or be around him. I had not known that sensation before. So I chose my favorite spot in the world. My place of peace and relaxation. This was where I would test Kim to see if he would keep the peace or unsettle my rhythm.

As we descended the staircase to the falls, he held my hand. Led me. It felt good to rely on someone. It was unnecessary for sure, but it did feel good. To feel like precious cargo too delicate to let go. I liked the sensation of being a delicate flower.

We didn’t talk much, the view was all the words that needed to be said. At the bottom of the falls, everything was spectacular. I wonder why I had never been down there by myself. Probably afraid of the rocks that would crush my head if I slipped. But this was a perfect first time.

He was my perfect first time. My perfect first kiss. He looked at me and I would have gone anywhere he wanted me to. In that moment, I was fully present, fully curious, and fully his. He knew and leaned in for the kiss. I swear I felt birds chirping and bugs dancing.

The falls hold that memory for me. When people ask me about my first kiss, I smile. Because I got to have a picture-perfect moment. Complete with a scenic backdrop.

For years I was bitter about my parents moving house immediately after that perfect school holiday. But now, I am grateful. It gave Kim one purpose that he fulfilled perfectly. He cemented my love for the magic abilities of water.

I met Kim years later in Uni for a few minutes. Everything was off. We wanted to start off where we left but we both knew that we couldn’t. I guess somethings just need water to work.

Thank you for reading this far! This is part of a write daily challenge I am doing. I follow prompts that spark ideas for stories.

Ann Patchett in the Getaway Car urges writes to purge the mini-stories out of you until you get rid of the need for autobiographical stories and fall into the stories you really need to write.

This is my purge process. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Let’s fall into the stories that need telling, together.