Chapter One
BANDON BEACH
Sun. June 19th
Bonjour Meme,
I love the smell of sea-salt in the air, and sitting high on a sea rock, looking out over the ocean! I'm listening to Me' Loss bark at seagulls, and imagining life in the 1700s, before the world changed, before I was born. Miles and papa fought the entire morning. Miles screamed at papa, "You're not Elaine and my papa," but ma mere didn't care; she lets papa boss us as he wants, and we shouldn't care no how.
I don't mean to complain to you, but I don't know what to do. Life's lousy. I miss you more than I ever miss the ocean, and I can smell the ocean, I can touch and feel the ocean, I can get lost in the ocean. But you, I can't have. My sling bag protects my words, my thoughts, our conversations, and even my assortment of fluorescent pens, but my heart and soul aren't protected.
Meme, I was supposed to watch the tide, now the water is out past my head. I'll end our talk for now, tuck my words in my sling bag and swim back to shore with Me' Loss.
If we don't talk until then, sleep well, meme.