Page 20 of Walk on the Wilder Side

Holy shit. I’m going to drown.

As that realization settled in, flashes of Roxie’s face appeared in my mind. I’d just found her. I wasn’t ready to part with my love already, even though I knew my Percy would be waiting for me if I didn’t make it out of this and crossed over to the other side. But as the wave continued assaulting me and dragging me under, I realized how much I loved my Roxie and needed to be with her—to stay here with her. Even though every muscle in my body wanted to give up the fight and accept I was going to see Percy again today, I had to fight with everything I had to stay.

Roxie was here.

My Widows were here.

My life had just started again, and I wasn’t ready to give up on it.

Not yet. Not today. No. Today was not the day I was going to be reunited with Percy. Today was the day I was going to tell death to suck it.

You’re not getting the best of me, you old bitch,I thought as I regained my strength and restarted my battle with the wave that was winning. I fought and pushed, my body aching as I took it to the limits to break free from the unyielding hold the ocean had on me. Finally, when I couldn’t hold my breath any longer and I started choking on water, the end feeling only moments away, I clawed my way to the surface.

Spitting out a mouthful of water with a giant gasp, I popped out of the ocean. The sunshine radiated on my face like a beacon of light, and not the bad kind I’d almost swam into. While I coughed out water and inhaled the incredible air, I heard my name being screamed over and over, the panic in the Widow’s voices palpable.

“Marge! Marge! Where is she?” Sylvie screamed. “Oh, my God! Marge!”

“Marge! Marge!” Doris’s voice cracked as she called me. “I don’t see her! Someone find her!”

“I forbid you to drown! Get your ass up herenow!”Alice shouted, her voice filled with terror.

I opened my mouth to call back as the wave pushed me onto the shore, but more water poured out of my mouth. Choking and gagging, I dug my fingers into the sand and pulled myself toward dry land.

“It’s Marge! Over there! She’s alive!” Sylvie called.

Doris’s sobs grew louder as the ladies raced toward me. Flopping onto my back, I lay with my feet in the surf, staring at the sun wondering how in the hell I’d managed to get out of there.

“You’re alive!” Sylvie breathed as she slid to a stop beside me, landing on her knees.

Doris kneeled beside me and took my hand. “Praise the Lord! You’re okay! I was so scared!”

“You son of a bitch!” Alice barked, dropping to her knees on my other side. “Don’t youeverscare me like that again!I’msupposed to die first and hauntyou. Don’t youeverforget that! I die first. I do the haunting! Not you! I forbid you from dying!”

“Crikey! That was close!” Bryce’s face appeared in the circle of heads blocking out the sun above me. “Are you alright? Are you injured?”

All I could do was lay there and thank God I’d survived. I’d stayed here. I’d fought to stay for Roxie. I looked at the faces of the Widows above me. I’d fought to stay for them. And in that moment, as I lay there truly appreciating how close I’d been to death, I vowed never to waste a single moment of this time I’d been given.

“Are you hurt? Can you speak?” Sylvie gripped my hand tighter.

“Ouch,” I finally mustered out, more water coming out of my mouth as the simple word caused me to start coughing.

Four relieved sighs echoed around me.

“She’s okay. She’s okay,” Sylvie said.

I looked up at their concerned faces. “I did it. I surfed.”

“Right you did!” Bryce blew out a big breath. “And you nailed it! Well, until you crashed and almost drowned.”

“But I did it. I was surfing. Then I fought the ocean ... and won.” I tried to grin but realized my mouth hurt, so I frowned instead. “Ouch. My face hurts.”

“You hit the other surfer’s board with your face, Marge. I bet it’s gonna sting,” Bryce said. “Do you feel dizzy or queasy?”

“Is anything broken?” Doris asked.

I checked in with parts of my body, wiggling them as I went limb to limb, the nurse in me taking over and assessing any damage. When I got to my head, I noticed the pain around my mouth, and more of that coppery taste of blood tickled my tastebuds. “I think I’m okay. I think I got whacked in the mouth, though. Do I have a fat lip?”

“Oh, yeah,” Sylvie said. “It’s swelling up. You hit that board hard.”

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