The late afternoon sun beat mercilessly on her shoulders, putting to the test the sunscreen she’d lathered on only a couple of hours ago. But with her fair skin, she knew it’d be almost impossible to not get burnt from the sun or at least to get red.
Opening her eyes from behind her designer sunglasses, she looked out over the beautiful, crystalline waters of the Sea of Cortez. Not too many people were at the resort despite the near-end of summer; there should’ve been an endless flock of sun-hungry people lining any available spot of sand. Instead, as she looked to either side of her, her nearest beachy neighbor lay maybe 20 feet from her.
Deciding to walk back to the resort and lay out by the pool for another little while before finding her way around town in search of dinner, she stands. Gathering her beach blanket, sunscreen, shoes, and other things into her bag, she adjusts her swimsuit before turning to leave. Taking her time trudging through the packed sand, she lets her thoughts wonder. Today was Friday, the 13th. The 13th day of August. This past week had been hell; everything that could possibly go wrong had gone wrong. All week she’d wish to simply leave work and disappear for a couple of days – just to unwind and recharge.
Her breaking point finally came on Thursday during her lunch hour. She’d been hungry and in desperate need for her hour-long break from work, but her client would simply not shut up. He’d just kept on babbling on and on about one thing or another over the phone, and she’d long been ignoring him. When she failed to reply to his question, he’d been all too quick to tell her what she was worth. That’s it, she’d yelled. I quit!
And so, she’d quit. She gathered her few belongings from her desk, grabbed her purse, gotten into her car, and driven off. And she drove without a destination in mind. Being on I-10 westbound, she’d seen the signs for Los Angeles. But really, did she want to go to Silicone Valley? Not at all.
Turning off the interstate, she merged onto State Highway 85 and just drove. Drove until she arrived at the American/Mexican border at Lukeville, Arizona. She’d seen a bus terminal in the small bordertown, stepped inside, asked for the nearest vacation spot, and she was pointed towards her current location – Puerto Peñasco in the beautiful state of Sonora, Mexico.
An hour from the border, she was surprised to be surrounded by beautiful waters, clean beaches, and beautiful people. Now, at the Las Palomas Seaside Resort, she was relaxing until she was ready to head back to her life in Phoenix. She had no job awaiting her, no husband keeping her bed warm, and no dog guarding her front door. Time was on her watch now.
Taking one last glance towards the ocean, she smiled softly and climbed the few steps leading to resort’s tropical gardens. The steamy atmosphere combined with the sounds of the gentle lapping of the nearby pool’s water became soporific. She followed the sounds through the cobblestone path finally reaching the infinity pool.
Yes, all to myself, she internally rejoiced. Or not.
