Page 3 of Waves

“Thom messaged me,” I said while fiddling with the paper placemat printed with Chinese zodiac fortunes. I kept my eyes down and tried to see if I was more compatible with a snake or a cock.

“How long are you going to put up with this? Message him back and tell him to fuck off, then block him.”

“Why? Why should I have to do that again? I already blocked his number, scrubbed every trace of him from social media, and even went so far as removing all of our mutual friends. What do I need to do next? If I block this number, he’ll get another. Then what? Throw my phone in the ocean? No. Fuck no. And fuck him. Let him know I’m doing perfectly fine and choosing not to give him the time of day.”

“Oh, Ezra.” Mary groaned.

“What?” I hissed back. Talking about Thom always put me in the foulest of moods. Today was no exception.

“This is what I mean. You’re saying you want your ex to know you’re ignoring him. You can’t move on if you still care.”

“I don’t care!”

“Then why haven’t you blocked his new number? You aren’t as petty as him.”

“Maybe I am,” I said before I crossed my arms.

The sushi chef handed my plate over the glass to me and, after quietly thanking her, I set my order on the cold counter in front of me. Then I snapped my chopsticks open, forgoing any further discussion of Thom. Mary took the hint.

After lunch, I allowed the scenic view of the ocean to distract me again while biking home. I actually liked this time of year, when the snow had finally melted, but the town was still quiet. In a few more weeks, tourism would pick up for the season.

Even though I should focus on the road, I stopped at the top of the hill to take a breath and inhale the cold and salty air. My eyes drifted from the horizon and onto the beach while recalling the guy with the sweetest smile who I met earlier today. As if my thoughts summoned him, there he was.

* * *

PHOCA VITULINA, ADULT MALE

I breathed warm air into my palms while I walked along the wet sand of the shore. Since midday, I combed the beach dozens of times, but my coat remained nowhere to be found. I was cold, and I was hungry, and I wanted to go home. If I had my coat, I could solve each of these issues, but until I did, I would remain trapped in my fleshy human form.

“That’s a private beach, you know.”

He called to me from the top of the hill again, coming from the opposite direction this time, but paused by the side of the road while he held the handlebars of his bicycle. I couldn’t help but snort at his choice of concern. Leave it to the humans to think they could own a beach. Everything must be owned by someone, and until money changed hands, you had no right to it—typical human logic.

“You mean this isn’t a public nude beach?” I said with a smile.

He humored my terrible attempt at a joke with a laugh. “I’m not trying to be an asshole. I’m just saying, in case you didn’t know. You’re new in town. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“Right, well, thank you.” I stuffed my hands in the pockets of the pants he lent me earlier and stared back at him.

“Aren’t... aren’t you cold?”

“Freezing.” With a small shrug, I laughed at my predicament.

“I’m surprised to see you still here, actually.”

“Well, I can’t go home currently. I’m stranded until I find my coat.”

“Did someone steal it?”

“I hope not,” I mumbled. Louder, I said, “I think it just got washed away. Should turn up soon… I hope.”

“So, your keys are in your jacket?”

“Sure.” I smiled at his attempt to make sense of what I said.

He chewed his lower lip and looked left then right, as if debating something with himself. “Look, I don’t live far from here. I’m just right down the road. Do you want to warm up at my place and maybe use my phone?”

Well, while I appreciated his offer, a telephone would be about as useful as a brick in my hands. Less than, actually. Still, I couldn’t turn down the chance to get out of the cold, even if for only a few minutes. Stupid human body and its lack of fat.

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