Page 10 of Diving In

Me:

Landed… finally.

Needing to stretch my legs, I stood, patiently waiting for the long line of people to start deboarding.

“Thank you,” I offered to my seatmate as people began to shuffle out.

“My pleasure.” He gave me a genuine smile and then said, “I didn’t even ask… Is this your final destination?”

“No. I’m actually headed to Sullivan’s Island, but thankfully I’m done with planes for the day,” I told him as I reached for my suitcase overhead.

A big weakness of mine was being unable to pack only what I needed versus packing as though I planned on changing every hour of every day I would be gone. This trip was different though, and since I had every intention of being in and out, I didn’t even have to check a bag. I knew I was only here for three days, and with no one to impress, I certainly wasn’t worried about my outfits.

“Let me help you with that,” he said, raising his hands to guide the suitcase down.

“Thanks,” I said with a smile.

“Of course.”

Finally, we both shifted into the aisle and made our way to the front of the plane. As we neared the front, I turned toward him and said, “It was nice meeting you.”

“You too. Enjoy your trip and try not to fret too much about your flight home,” he joked.

There wasn’t an airport on Sullivan’s Island. Well, there wasn’t apublicairport, I should say. Sullivan’s Island did have one, but it was private, and it was mostly only used by the vacationers. Us normal people used the Charleston airport, which was only a twenty-minute Uber ride to Sullivan’s Island and never cost more than thirty dollars.

Making my way through the airport, I ordered an Uber so that it was already waiting for me when I reached the front of the airport. As I stepped outside, the humidity hit me like a brick wall, my hatred coming back with a vengeance.

I walked up to a black Ford Escape and asked, “Are you here for Georgia?”

“You got it!”

I threw my carry-on in the trunk and then briskly hopped in the car.

“Headed to Sullivan’s Island?” my driver asked.

“Yep. I haven’t been back in years.”

“What brings you back to this beautiful place?” he wondered, glancing at me in the rearview mirror.

Unsure how to answer, panic shot through my chest like a dagger. I quietly gasped for air as a single tear fell down my cheek.

Before I knew what I was saying, I blurted out, “My dad died.”

“Oh God! I’m so sorry.” He froze, clearly not knowing how to continue. “Well, at least you’ll have the beauty of Sullivan’s Island to comfort you. There are worse places to visit.”

If only he knew that the beauty of this place still haunted my nightmares. It was the reason I could never sleep through the night, the reason I was having such deafening anxiety in this precise moment.

“I guess there’s always a positive if you know where to look,” I pretended.

The drive was faster than I remembered, and before I knew it, there were buildings and shops whooshing past my window. The familiarity was real, and very much a burden that I would be carrying around with me for the next three days.

As we turned onto Blue Fin Boulevard, a wave of insecurity coursed through my body. Worn-out signs hung above local shops that had closed down and new shops bustled with excitement.

My phone lit up, showing Ivy was calling me.

“Hey, Ives,” I answered hesitantly.

“Hey, G,” she started, knowing me well enough to know she needed to tread carefully. “I saw your text and wanted to call really quick before you get too in the weeds. How are you?”

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