Growing up in Miami, Lila Richards had never come over to Miami Beach. So why did she feel drawn to this area? This entire trip home was beginning to feel like the twilight zone. In the midst of opening her gallery, there was this call to come home. Actually, it was more like a wake-up call.
Now this walk along the beach felt like she had been here before. She felt a presence before she saw the man. On the patio, a pair of eyes seem to follow her every step. The closer she got to the beach house, she faltered. Why does he look familiar? She had never been on this beach before, and she hadn’t lived in Miami in over 40 years.
She looked up and smiled as she continued to walk past the patio. She didn’t bother to look again, so she didn’t know if the man smiled or just continued to stare. Did he not see black people on this stretch of the beach? She looked down at her clothing. There was nothing out of the ordinary. Her t-shirt and her shorts were not too tight. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and her sandals were new. She had had a pedicure the day before, so she knew her toes looked great.
The further she walked down the beach, the less the intense feeling she had encountered earlier. Still deep was the feeling of being watched. Tired of walking, she sat in the sand and took out her tablet. She had come prepared to spend some time close to the water. Even though she had never learned to swim, there was always a draw to be near the water.
She read until she felt her eyes closing. Maybe it was time to head back to the hotel. She didn’t understand why she had been drawn back to her hometown after these years and to this beach today. She had been in the sun too long, and even though her medium brown skin glistened, she could feel the burn. She always forgot to put sunscreen on, since she never stayed out in the sun long.
She packed the towel she had sitting on, along with her tablet back into the small backpack. One more swig of the water from her water bottle, then time to start the walk past that patio.
The closer she got to the beach house, the more intense the feeling of being watched as well as a buzz in her body. She didn’t believe in the old superstitions her family had talked about years ago. But there was definitely something strange happening. Half the distance to the beach house, she saw him come out on the patio. He was now alone. The other man was nowhere in sight.
Lila couldn’t make out what was in his hands until she got close. He stood with a sandwich and a bottle of beer. The least she could do was smile and wave as she passed.
Once again she didn’t think he had smiled back. With his hands full, he didn’t wave back. He just stared. She could tell he was still watching as she continued back to the hotel.
The hotel was a welcome sight. Lila felt the uneasy feeling leave her body the closer she got to the hotel. In the elevator, she shook her body as if shaking the uneasiness away. In her room, she dropped the backpack and headed to the shower. Hoping the water would not only wash the sand away but also the weird feelings that wouldn’t go away. Why was she here?
© 2019 Ivy Jade