Scott Baker stared into surging waves crashing
mercilessly into the
rock - the spray splashing over his head, dousing
him with cold,
salty
water. He barely noticed. The cold rain had
thoroughly drenched him
long before he'd sat down.
"Two years." he whispered softly to himself.
Two years of trying to figure out how to be a
non-twin. Everyone had
told it would get easier, but it was only getting
harder. Two years
since he'd brought Carl's body home from Khe San.
Another wave crashed into the rock, nearly
washing him into the storm
tossed water.
He'd hated him. No, that wasn't right! He'd
loved him. It was hard
to remember.
Back in Nam, it wasn't so bad. Grief and loss
were the norm, there.
He was supposed to feel this way, there. But
here, life was supposed
to go on.
How could it go on. Two years he'd been trying
to figure out how to
live as only half a person.
Jumping down just as the next wave hit, Baker
grabbed his surf board.
Paddling into the swelled surf, he could feel
Carl next to him. Man,
that he could remember. Surfing the waves,
together. Out here was
the only peace he could get anymore. Surfing
with his brother, the
other half of his soul.
Waiting for the wave, Baker closed his eyes and
smiled. The waved
struck him with crushing force. As he felt
himself dragged deeper
and
deeper under, he felt two years of tension
finally release from his
body. Peace.