To Good Times: Myrtle Beach on July 4th

After spending the day at the beach, Chaits and I have lodged ourselves in our balcony overlooking the ocean as it approached sunset.

Godzilla is looking down at the beach, observing humans of all shapes, sizes and colors. Young men and women, who were showing off their beach bodies and tattoos during the day, are back – much more modestly dressed this time. Two kids, who were trampling each other’s sand castles are now fighting with light sabers. A young couple, which was making out in the wavy ocean, is now back on the sand – still making out. The live band, which was playing its original songs, is finally playing Pink Floyd hits.

After acquiring increasingly darker shades of red, the sky has finally deepened into grayish black and is almost indistinguishable from the ocean, but for the waves shimmering in moonlight. Across the entire length of the beach, people are lighting fireworks. Unlike the synchronized fireworks display I am used to seeing in DC on July 4ths, this is random and uncoordinated - rendering these fireworks a real soul. Still nothing like fireworks in India on Diwali nights. Even the chaos in US is so spaced out, so organized, so safe. Hey wait! A rocket seems to have misfired and is heading straight to the swimming pool down below. It burst right in the center of the pool! People are screaming and running around (no, no one got hurt)! Now this is REAL fireworks!

R2 is immersed in a book, “Unaccustomed Earth”, a collection of short stories. He is currently reading story of a man who is reflecting about his unexpressed unfulfilled love for his headmaster’s daughter way back in his boarding school days.

“He and all the other boys were in love with Pam, who was the only girl in her family, the only girl on campus, the only girl, it had felt back then, in the world… She seemed fully aware of their admiration, flattered but off-limits”.

R2, having lived in a boarding school as a kid, can so relate to it. He thinks about his science teacher’s daughter, who the entire class had a crush on and wonders what became of her.

The rhythm is broken by a big round of applause. The band has just finished its last song of the night. Chaits and I look at each other. "Cheers!", She raises her drink, “To good times”. “To good times”, I say, raising my glass.