filled
him up. Made him feel lucky. He was lucky to have found this gentle, loving girl.
“Come,” she said, taking a blanket out of the trunk and hanging it over her arm. “We’ll find a spot near the water. That way
if Bobby wants to go in I can watch him.”
Jackie was fine. Fine. Fine. Happy. Joyous even. Walking along the beach with a vital, spirited, fun-loving woman who danced
a little dance step as part of her walk to show him how happy she was that they were all at the beach together.
“This good?” she asked, as she stopped walking.
He shrugged. “Sure.” They were a few yards from the shoreline. The shoreline. Imagine. He hadn’t seen the ocean, except on
television, in more years than he could remember.
Molly handed him one end of the blanket and held on to the other end. They moved apart and spread it out on the sand, put
the picnic basket on top, and sat.
“It’s hot,” Molly said. “You were smart to wear a hat.”
Bobby ran up and down the beach, his head thrown back so he could watch the splendid kites in motion. Here and there on the
beach the kite flyers sat or stood or ran, playing their bolts of string like puppeteers, as the kites rose and dipped and
soared in response.
The beach. Jackie was at the beach. Molly pulled off the sweatshirt dress she was wearing and she had a red-and-white one-piece
bathing suit on underneath. A bathing suit. He didn’t even own one.
“Think I’ll go into the water,” she said, and gave him a little wave. She was beautiful and he loved her, not just for being
beautiful but for picking him up in a convertible and bringing him to the kite festival. He watched her as she stood. When
Bobby saw that his mother was in her suit, he ran up to the blanket, stripped off his own shoes and socks and shirt, and grabbed
her hand, and the two of them ran playfully into the surf.
I am fine. I am fine. I’m at the beach and I’m fine,
Jackie thought.
Molly splashed Bobby with a big two-handed splash and he shrieked and spun and leaped on her and they both fell, laughing,
into an oncoming wave.
Jackie took a deep breath, leaned back on his elbows, and rested the back of his head against the side of the picnic basket.
Molly and Bobby were moving deep into the water now, hand in hand, and suddenly Bobby looked up at the sky. Something he saw,
one of the kites, must have excited him, because he pointed and made an excited sound that Jackie could hear from the sand.
Then Molly looked up in the direction where Bobby was pointing and made the same excited sound.
Jackie checked his own breathing. Looking up was not the easiest thing for him to do. Other swimmers had stopped in the water
and were staring at the same spot in the sky as Molly and Bobby. It must be something special.
I am fine.
He could handle it. After all, he had braved a convertible, and now this wide-open expanse of beach.
His eyes still on the people in the water, Jackie took off the blue Dodgers hat. That was a good start. The sun was hot on
his scalp but he liked the feeling. He leaned his head back again on the basket, and he knew, now that all he had to do was
tilt his head upward and to the right and he would be able to see what it was the others were watching. He took another long
look out into the ocean. Bobby was clingingto his mother’s arm. The place where the two of them stood must have been a sand bar, because even though they were far out,
the water was only up to Molly’s thighs. Molly’s thighs. They were reason enough for Jackie to brave anything.
Slowly he moved his head back. Some of his bushy hair got caught in the fibers of the basket but he didn’t notice, because
he, Jackie Schwartz, was looking at the sky for the first time in years. And not an ordinary sky. A sky that was dotted with…
my God. No wonder the others were agog.
Filling the sky was a kite the size of twenty of the others combined. It was gleaming. Shining so
him up. Made him feel lucky. He was lucky to have found this gentle, loving girl.
“Come,” she said, taking a blanket out of the trunk and hanging it over her arm. “We’ll find a spot near the water. That way
if Bobby wants to go in I can watch him.”
Jackie was fine. Fine. Fine. Happy. Joyous even. Walking along the beach with a vital, spirited, fun-loving woman who danced
a little dance step as part of her walk to show him how happy she was that they were all at the beach together.
“This good?” she asked, as she stopped walking.
He shrugged. “Sure.” They were a few yards from the shoreline. The shoreline. Imagine. He hadn’t seen the ocean, except on
television, in more years than he could remember.
Molly handed him one end of the blanket and held on to the other end. They moved apart and spread it out on the sand, put
the picnic basket on top, and sat.
“It’s hot,” Molly said. “You were smart to wear a hat.”
Bobby ran up and down the beach, his head thrown back so he could watch the splendid kites in motion. Here and there on the
beach the kite flyers sat or stood or ran, playing their bolts of string like puppeteers, as the kites rose and dipped and
soared in response.
The beach. Jackie was at the beach. Molly pulled off the sweatshirt dress she was wearing and she had a red-and-white one-piece
bathing suit on underneath. A bathing suit. He didn’t even own one.
“Think I’ll go into the water,” she said, and gave him a little wave. She was beautiful and he loved her, not just for being
beautiful but for picking him up in a convertible and bringing him to the kite festival. He watched her as she stood. When
Bobby saw that his mother was in her suit, he ran up to the blanket, stripped off his own shoes and socks and shirt, and grabbed
her hand, and the two of them ran playfully into the surf.
I am fine. I am fine. I’m at the beach and I’m fine,
Jackie thought.
Molly splashed Bobby with a big two-handed splash and he shrieked and spun and leaped on her and they both fell, laughing,
into an oncoming wave.
Jackie took a deep breath, leaned back on his elbows, and rested the back of his head against the side of the picnic basket.
Molly and Bobby were moving deep into the water now, hand in hand, and suddenly Bobby looked up at the sky. Something he saw,
one of the kites, must have excited him, because he pointed and made an excited sound that Jackie could hear from the sand.
Then Molly looked up in the direction where Bobby was pointing and made the same excited sound.
Jackie checked his own breathing. Looking up was not the easiest thing for him to do. Other swimmers had stopped in the water
and were staring at the same spot in the sky as Molly and Bobby. It must be something special.
I am fine.
He could handle it. After all, he had braved a convertible, and now this wide-open expanse of beach.
His eyes still on the people in the water, Jackie took off the blue Dodgers hat. That was a good start. The sun was hot on
his scalp but he liked the feeling. He leaned his head back again on the basket, and he knew, now that all he had to do was
tilt his head upward and to the right and he would be able to see what it was the others were watching. He took another long
look out into the ocean. Bobby was clingingto his mother’s arm. The place where the two of them stood must have been a sand bar, because even though they were far out,
the water was only up to Molly’s thighs. Molly’s thighs. They were reason enough for Jackie to brave anything.
Slowly he moved his head back. Some of his bushy hair got caught in the fibers of the basket but he didn’t notice, because
he, Jackie Schwartz, was looking at the sky for the first time in years. And not an ordinary sky. A sky that was dotted with…
my God. No wonder the others were agog.
Filling the sky was a kite the size of twenty of the others combined. It was gleaming. Shining so
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