Another Pleasant Wasted Holiday
"I went back to the beach the other day."
"Oh?"
"Yeah. It was nice to get away."
"Was it the same as it used to be?"
"Exactly the same." Rose sat back down. It was a quiet evening and the bar staff were watching the pair in the far corner as they polished clean glasses.
She put the photo she had pulled from her back pocket onto the table.
"Tell me."
"Why? Don't you remember?"
"I remember just fine." Alissia leaned back against her seat.
"Then why ask?"
"I just want to know." They sat silently, both staring at the photo, the bar staff staring at them.
"What do you want to know?"
"Just tell me what it was like." Rose put her hand out to touch the photo. The two men behind the bar whispered something to the bar woman who had been
clearing tables.
"It was windy. It was blowing my hair right across my face. I could see the sea. For miles, it just stretched right out."
"And?"
"And I could see the sun set, right over the sea, making it glisten like… Like…" Alissia leant forward again.
"Like what?"
"Like forever." There was a pause where the pair could hear a slight clink of glass on glass from the bar.
"What do you mean, forever?"
"You know, like…it was amazing, just like last time."
"But what do you mean, forever?"
"Don't you know? Didn't you see it last time?"
"I saw a sunset, but I didn’t see any forever."
"Never mind then." Rose let out a small sigh and put the photo into her lap, staring at it.
"No, what do you mean?"
"It doesn't matter."
"No, I want to know."
"If you don't know what I mean, I can't explain it to you."
"Why?"
"Because." There was only one of the barmen left and he had moved to the end of the bar closest to the corner the two women were in.
"Because what?"
"Because if you don't know, you simply don't know."
"Why?" Rose looked over at the bar and the barmen instantly busied himself with another clean glass. She turned back.
"Look, I can't explain it better than that."
"Fine." Alissia leant back, then quickly leaned forward again. "Can I see the photo?"
"Yes." Rose passed the picture across the table and then took a long sip from her drink. Alissia leant back and looked at the photo.
"It's darker than it was before."
"That's just the camera."
"Really?"
"Yes." Alissia took another long look at the photo. "I guess it looks the same."
"Of course it looks the same." Rose finished off her drink.
"Okay, there's no need to get like that."
"Yes there is. I told you what I saw and you didn't understand what I meant so you kept going on. It's not my fault you don't understand."
"Okay." Alissia passed the photo back. The barmen was still listening. Alissia also finished her drink. "Shall we go? I think we should be getting back."
"Yeah, I think so too." The two women stood up. The barmen turned and put the clean glass above the bar and put his towel over his shoulder. The women put on their coats and left the bar. The barmen walked over to their corner to clear the glasses and found their photo on the floor. He looked at it and smiled.
"Oh?"
"Yeah. It was nice to get away."
"Was it the same as it used to be?"
"Exactly the same." Rose sat back down. It was a quiet evening and the bar staff were watching the pair in the far corner as they polished clean glasses.
She put the photo she had pulled from her back pocket onto the table.
"Tell me."
"Why? Don't you remember?"
"I remember just fine." Alissia leaned back against her seat.
"Then why ask?"
"I just want to know." They sat silently, both staring at the photo, the bar staff staring at them.
"What do you want to know?"
"Just tell me what it was like." Rose put her hand out to touch the photo. The two men behind the bar whispered something to the bar woman who had been
clearing tables.
"It was windy. It was blowing my hair right across my face. I could see the sea. For miles, it just stretched right out."
"And?"
"And I could see the sun set, right over the sea, making it glisten like… Like…" Alissia leant forward again.
"Like what?"
"Like forever." There was a pause where the pair could hear a slight clink of glass on glass from the bar.
"What do you mean, forever?"
"You know, like…it was amazing, just like last time."
"But what do you mean, forever?"
"Don't you know? Didn't you see it last time?"
"I saw a sunset, but I didn’t see any forever."
"Never mind then." Rose let out a small sigh and put the photo into her lap, staring at it.
"No, what do you mean?"
"It doesn't matter."
"No, I want to know."
"If you don't know what I mean, I can't explain it to you."
"Why?"
"Because." There was only one of the barmen left and he had moved to the end of the bar closest to the corner the two women were in.
"Because what?"
"Because if you don't know, you simply don't know."
"Why?" Rose looked over at the bar and the barmen instantly busied himself with another clean glass. She turned back.
"Look, I can't explain it better than that."
"Fine." Alissia leant back, then quickly leaned forward again. "Can I see the photo?"
"Yes." Rose passed the picture across the table and then took a long sip from her drink. Alissia leant back and looked at the photo.
"It's darker than it was before."
"That's just the camera."
"Really?"
"Yes." Alissia took another long look at the photo. "I guess it looks the same."
"Of course it looks the same." Rose finished off her drink.
"Okay, there's no need to get like that."
"Yes there is. I told you what I saw and you didn't understand what I meant so you kept going on. It's not my fault you don't understand."
"Okay." Alissia passed the photo back. The barmen was still listening. Alissia also finished her drink. "Shall we go? I think we should be getting back."
"Yeah, I think so too." The two women stood up. The barmen turned and put the clean glass above the bar and put his towel over his shoulder. The women put on their coats and left the bar. The barmen walked over to their corner to clear the glasses and found their photo on the floor. He looked at it and smiled.