Page 103 of Beyond The Break

“If I fuck you right now, we’ll miss visiting hours.”

That sobers me up quickly as I release my lip and stand up, dusting off the sand from my green sun dress. “You’re right,” I say as I begin collecting my belongings and stuffing them into my beach tote, “let’s go. I don’t want to miss meeting your parents.”

He chuckles as he stands up, dragging my towel up with him. “Let’s go.”

Today I’m meeting Griffin’s parents. He’s told me not to get my hopes up about the visit since they don’t remember him anymore, but I think it’s important for us to do this, even if it’s just this one time. He stopped visiting them after they forgot who he was, the pain too much for him to handle, but he’s willing to go through that pain for me.

The drive to the care home that they’re in takes us justunder an hour. The building is large, flowers peppered around the property grounds with a large water fountain shooting up into the air. I jump out of the passenger’s side as Griffin rounds the corner, taking hold of my hand.

I feel his hand tremor in mine as we walk towards the entrance, so I give his hand a comforting squeeze and snuggle into his side as we enter. Nurses walk around with their patients, having polite conversations. I look around until I find the receptionist at her desk, her strawberry blonde hair tied back in a ponytail, and pull Griffin as I walk up to her.

“Mr. Jones, it’s nice seeing you here again,” she says when she spots Griffin, “we’ve missed your weekly visits,” she says when she spots Griffin.

He tenses beside me, his expression a reflection of guilt. He’s told me he’s felt guilty for not visiting them anymore, which was another reason I wanted to do this. I’m hopeful that today will go well and he’ll want to come more often. There’s not a day that goes by where I don’t wish I had spent more time with my parents before they died. I don’t want Griffin to live with that same guilt when their day comes.

“Hi, I’m Griffin’s girlfriend, Eliana.” I hold my hand out to her with a smile and she returns it, shaking my hand.

“Mr. and Mrs. Jones are going to be so happy to meet you, please sign in and follow me.” She points to a clipboard lying on the desk.

I fill it out, signing us both in, before following her down a hall and up a flight of stairs. She brings us to a door at the end of the hall and knocks before opening it.

“Lilian? David? Your son, Griffin, is here to visit and he’s brought a special guest,” she says excitedly as she ushers us inside.

An elderly man with white hair sits in a wheelchair staring at a surfing competition that plays on the small screen TV in front of him. Behind him, an elderly woman sits on a bed goingthrough a box of trinkets. She looks up at us with unfocused eyes but when her eyes land on Griffin a look of recognition passes over her face.

“Is that my baby boy?” she asks quietly, her voice hoarse.

“Mom?”

I glance up and my heart shatters at the sight of Griffin crying. He lets go of my hand and rushes over to her, wrapping her in his arms as they hug. My throat grows tight as I watch them, knowing that this moment means everything to him.

“Why are you crying?” Lilian asks, patting Griffin’s back.

He pulls away, wiping his tears and smiling at her. “I’ve just missed you, that’s all.”

She scoffs and looks around the room confused. “Well, I haven’t gone anywhere,” she says, bringing her eyes back to his, “I’ve been here the whole time.”

His bottom lip and chin quiver as he forces a smile and nods. She slides her wrinkled hand to his cheek and gently pats him as she stares at him affectionately. I slide my camera from my bag and quickly snap a picture of this moment, knowing he’ll want to remember it. The flash from my camera catches her attention as she looks over at me.

“Who’s this pretty lady?” she asks, lowering her hands to her lap.

Griffin stands up and walks toward me, smiling appreciatively as he takes my hand in his and walks me to his mom. She pats an empty spot beside her, and I take a seat, smiling at her with blurry eyes.

“Are you crying too, sweet girl?”

I laugh as a tear slips down my cheek. “I’m sorry, I’m just really happy right now.”

She pulls me in for a hug, surprisingly stronger than I expected her to be, and rubs my hair down my back. I relax into her hug, and we embrace for a few moments as Griffin walks over to his father.

“Hey dad,” he says, kneeling next to his wheelchair, but when David doesn’t reply I see Griffin visibly deflate.

“Oh, you’ll have to wait for that damn competition to finish. Every time he watches it, he insists that no one speaks to him,” Lillian says as she releases me.

“Which competition is that?” I ask curiously as I stare at the screen, noticing the Saltwater Shredders logo on the shirts of some of the surfers.

“It’s my son’s first ever competition,” David says, turning to look at me with a proud smile, “he’s going to be a surf champ when he grows up.”

I stand up and walk over to his side, squinting at the TV until I find a young Griffin. His hair is long, reaching his shoulders as he cuts through waves.

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