The Deepest Waters, A Novel by Dan Walsh Page B

carriage and walked to her side, helping her step down. “I love it out here,” he said.
    They started walking toward the edge, still holding hands. Laura instantly became aware of how high they were. “Oh John, let’s not get too close.” She squeezed his hand tight.
    “We won’t. But we’ve got to get close enough to see them. I’ve been out here dozens of times. I know a perfect place where we can sit and take it all in. You won’t be afraid once you see. It’s over here.” He led her to his favorite spot.
    “My, they are the noisiest things.”
    “They’re even more humorous to look at. Especially the males. Big fat blubbery things.”
    Laura laughed.
    They sat on a small section of flat rocks, with an almost unhindered view of the sea. Just beyond the beach a number of small boulders poked out from the water. Most of the noise came from there, between the waves crashing and the seals shouting out to each other. It was a bright sunny day, but near the edge the wind whipped about, instantly creating a chill.
    Laura was starting to shiver. “Here,” he said. He put his arm around her and pulled her close.
    “Look at them all,” she said. “There must be hundreds of them. And look at that big arch there. There’s a hole right through the cliff.” She let go of his hand to point these things out. Laura always pointed.
    “I knew you’d like that.”
    “John, it’s a lovely place. I can see why you come here.”
    “And why I wanted to share it with you,” he said. He was staring at her. She kept looking at the water and the seals, but John could see her noticing him out of the corner of her eye.
    Slowly, she turned and matched his gaze. He leaned forward and kissed her gently.
    It was their first kiss.
    He hadn’t planned to kiss her today. He couldn’t help himself. It was just . . . the perfect time.
    Thankfully, she kissed him back.
    They kissed once more then each pulled away, just a few inches, and looked in each other’s eyes. “I love you, Laura.”
    Another first.
    A tear formed in one eye. “I love you too, John.”
    He kissed her once more, then pulled out a handkerchief to catch the tear now sliding down her cheek.
    Just then both of their heads snapped back in surprise, startled by the most grotesque sound. Then more sounds, even louder than the first. They turned to see two enormous males on the nearest rock island, banging their chests together and slapping their fins against the rocks.
    They laughed hard at the sight.
    “I think they’re both in love,” John said, “with that pretty one right there.” He pointed to a smaller female fleeing the scene. She dove into the water. One of the males backed off and flopped into the water after her.
    John and Laura sat together, taking it in for fifteen more minutes or so. John looked up at the sun, then down at the beach, trying to gauge the tide. “There’s another place I’d like to show you on the way back to town.”
    “Where is it?”
    He stood up and helped her to her feet. As they walked back to the carriage, he said, “It’s down on the north side, a ways past the Golden Gate. If we leave now, we should get there close to low tide. The sand by the beach there is hard and smooth, easy to walk on. Sometimes there’s hundreds of starfish lying all around.” He helped her into her seat.
    “I’d love to see that.”
    “After we walk along the beach a ways, we’ll see an old shipwreck stuck in the sand, some old schooner. Don’t know how long it’s been there. But if the tide is low enough, we can walk right through the middle of it.” He snapped the reins. “Let’s go, boy.”
    John had felt the wind full in his face as Shasta circled back, heading east. In the next moment, his daydream clashed with reality, as a sudden wind whipped the raincoat right off his head.
    Robert caught it just before it fell in the water. Both he and Ramón were sitting up, taking what comfort they could in the wealth of the breeze.