Scene from te Beach

They were five- three boys and two girls standing among the rising and falling waves, shouting with thrill in their voices as a tall wave approached them to drench them. And they still stood waiting to be drenched by another. Waves after waves formed in ripples at a distance and rose to their peaks as they reached the banks where the five adolescents stood. They played with the waves as the waves pranced around them.



It was evident that one boy was just a fifth wheel, for the other two boys stood behind the two girls holding them at their waists and resting their chins on the girls' shoulder in an intimate embrace. The girls no more than sixteen seemingly had given up their unsure teenage awkwardness on wearing two piece bathing suits and wore skimpy bikinis. One girl's bikini bra was tied with two pairs of strings one around the neck and the other on the back. The other girl wore a blue

bikini, which had dainty white flowers imprinted on them. The color complimented her grayish blue eyes, her pale complexion and red mouth. Her mouse blond hair was tied high on her neck such that her smooth neck and back seemed bare, more so because her bra was fastened at the back with the help of two white strings in seemingly loose fashion. The lightly tied bra was fitting for the petite and fragile figure of the girl. The loops of the strings were so loose that another wave could have easily untied them. But she stood confident in the embrace of her boyfriend. The impassioned love was more apparent when she lifted her right arm backward to clutch her boyfriend's head as if she wanted him closer than he already was. She closed her eyes as his lips touched her bare skin.



The third boy played alone standing five feet away from the love-birds. He surrendered to the waves with open arms, taking their wrath on his open chest.



The girl in the blue bikini opened her eyes to the squeal of the other girl, who was excited at the anticipation of a large wave approaching the shores. All four of them judged the strength of the approaching wave. And so did the fifth wheel. They knew that that wave was going to be higher and stronger than the others before. Their thrill reached its height perhaps at the thought of being blanketed together in a moment of stolen privacy, even if only for a few seconds, under the

cloud of the wave. The boy's arms clenched the girl tighter so much that she could feel that he was aroused. A slight cry escaped her throat as she realized the power of her femininity. And her heart sang a song when she heard him whisper intimately in her ear- "I'll hold you tight. We will overcome this one too." She felt empowered and ready to face the world. The wave approached them with wrathful swiftness. And she surrendered to it against the confidence of her young love.



The wave rose high and receded with the same swiftness that it had heaved for attack just moments ago. The spot where the couples stood was wiped out. The boy had been thrown a little more than two yards but the girl was laying face down in the sand. Her boyfriend, worried about her well-being ran toward her. She was on her stomach exploring her surrounding with her hand. "What happened? asked the boy. "I've lost my top, " she replied in panting voice. "What?" the boy said  laughingly. The damage didn't seem serious to the boy.



"I've lost my bra. Can you not see?" she screamed.



But that didn't seem to prompt the boy in searching for the missing piece of clothing. He fell on the sand next to the prostrate girl and started laughing. She looked up and glared at him. But he was having a fit of laughter. Her grayish blue eyes darkened with tears and she sunk her head in the sand to let out a whimper the sound of which drowned in the roaring waves. She wept as he laughed. She was mortified and felt disgraced. Her newfound confidence in her young love wiped away in a moment with the high wave. She knew then that her dignity is something that will matter to her alone. And she cried more at that realization.



The third boy who had just recovered from the onslaught of the wave looked around and saw what was happening. His quick eyes saw the bare back of the girl. He walked toward the couple and observed that the girl's body was shaking and he knew that she was crying. On that he turned around and ran toward the dry shores where their belongings were dry and safe from the wetness all around. He grabbed a towel and ran toward the girl. The girl's boyfriend was still sitting next to the girl. His fit of laughter had ebbed. He was talking to the girl perhaps consoling her on the loss but a smirk on his lip betrayed his sincerity. The boy with the towel ran past the boyfriend and almost toppled him off balance. Gently he covered the girl's back with the large beach towel. He helped her get up. She started to get up little by little covering her bare bosoms little by little as she sat up. Her horror on what just happened was still visible through her eyes.



Covering her body with the towel as if it were a shawl she walked toward the beach- slowly without uttering a word. As the other couple oblivious to what had happened still played with the waves the ex-boyfriend, watched from afar, as she reached the beach, slowly realizing of his own loss. He marveled at how one's loss could be another's gain. He wondered about the thoughtless promises that he had given to the girl just moments ago. In a matter of minutes unimaginable had happened. The fifth wheel was the crucial front wheel and the former front wheel was thrown out of alignment.