The boardwalk seems endless and obscure with its one little light on top of a door by the end of it, along the sides the benches that sit there are empty and only a few lanterns shine there light in between. 

You take moment to gather your thoughts and to go over your lines one last time before continuing your path. The stomping sound of your shoes hitting against the old wooden floor one step after the other, joined with the squeak left by your foot print create a pattern, almost like a melody. Once you get to hear the repetition and notice the tune, you ask yourself how many people have walked down this same boardwalk for the same reason and how they would have felt. Your vision that was blurry at first and most things appeared as smudges, now gets a little more into focus and on the very last bench a figure sits all alone.

You stop for a second to make sure it isn’t just some sort of shadow, after confirming with your surrounding that it is in fact a person sitting on the bench and resume your walk. As you make your first step forward you say to yourself; “Wow she actually showed up.” Then a smile appears in your face for the first time. Following that realization, it felt as if the time slowed a little, the floor ceased to squeal and the wind softly brushed by your neck giving you the chills, making you take in a deep breath. The same way you had to catch your breath when you first saw her walk into that cold and dark classroom on that early spring morning.

It was after that same morning that she had locked herself in the attic of your mind and it would hunt you because you would think of her even outside of class while you wouldn’t do anything about it. Until about two weeks later, after rehearsing your lines repeatedly on how you would ask her out, the opportunity came knocking at your window, literally. She knocked on your car window after school asking if you knew when was the next time the 107 bus would come around. Since your friend was taking an eternity to finish his biology project and she lived nearby you offered to drive her home. Parked in her driveway as she grabbed your door handle, your heart skipped a beat and you went for it. “Hey would like to maybe grab a bite this weekend?” she gently smiled and with the shine in her eyes she agreed, kissed you on your cheek thanking you for the ride and stepped out of the vehicle.

Walking down that boardwalk on this chill summer evening, the memories of those first dates come rushing through your mind. You can feel her hands around your neck from when you had your first kiss at her door step. The smell of her soft hair brushes underneath your nose from when she fell asleep on your chest watching her favorite movie in your basement. Her heartbeat drums through your hears from the night you laid on her chest watching the stars from your rooftop. Suddenly all those memories stop, as if someone paused the movie and the sensations get blown away as a warm gust of wind hits your body. You open your eyes and there she sits, on the very last bench of the boardwalk by herself. You take a seat by her side, bring forward the roses you were holing behind your back the entire time. You look deep into her eyes and say; “I love you.” As soon as she smiles, all those sensations from before come back to life with their respective memories.

Trust me life is great, boardwalks often long and narrow you can tell the wood that has been used has seen its rain and sun, violent gust and soft breeze. The people who have walked along them, have moved on after a breakup or walk up to propose. Some of them have cried their tears of joy into the ocean, while others dropped tears of sorrow. Not to mention the view from a boardwalk onto a never ending and stream of water overlooked by a glorious sunset or a curious moon. Whatever reason you walk across a boardwalk, just know that someone has been in that same location, in the same position and probably with the same intention. If you take a quick moment to feel the breeze, listen to the water and feel the hard-wooden floor, it might just answer some questions you may have.