Look forward…part one

                                                                        Look forward 

The day had started early for Beth; birds do not respect the fact that humans need their sleep! The incessant cry of the gulls prompted her to get up and get on. It was Saturday and generally that meant a lazy day…or rather it had done when Jim was here. But Jim had gone, taking with him all that he owned. There had been no big row, no fuss, no tears, just a simple note left on the worn, pine, kitchen table. Jim was never one for many words at the best of times. Beth gazed out of the window and across the sand that glistened in the early morning sun, just as the tears glistened in her sapphire blue eyes. Large drops fell and plopped on to the note that she had read again and again; she was still numb from reading it.

Nevertheless, the day beckoned. Throwing on her faded jeans and cropped T shirt, Beth made her way to the beach, alone…alone for the first time in eight years. Not only had she followed Jim to this remote and peaceful Scottish island but she had given up her well paid job to boot. Yet, she hadn’t regretted it one little bit! This new way of life had suited her very well. She loved living by the sea. It freshened her soul and it gladdened her heart; she never tired of it. Jim earned good money meaning that she could hone her skills as a housewife and, hopefully, as a new mum… they had plans to start a family fairly soon. Ah plans! Plans that now lay in tatters. Beth now found herself with some big decisions to make, especially as Jim had make it clear that he would not be returning to her. Thankfully, the house on the beach was rented so at least there would be no argument with Jim re ownership. Not that they ever argued.

Walking bare footed across the rich, golden sand, that was still damp from the tide’s earlier visit, Beth pondered. A strong smell of seaweed wafted across her path and Beth stooped to put on her sandals as she approached a large patch of shingle. The beach was deserted and as her sandals made a crunching noise on the shingle, she observed a pair of Oystercatchers, further ahead, poking about amongst the pebbles, their distinctive red beaks, the giveaway. There was always something interesting to watch along the seashore. She breathed in the fresh sea air and turned to walk back to the beach house. Yet, in spite of the magnetic beauty of the island, there was nothing for her here. Her parents had already suggested that she return to Devon and stay with them whilst she decided what to do, so why cling on?

 ‘Look forward’, she said to herself. ‘I’ve had eight good years here; it’s time to move on and embrace the future.’