Cold air flows across my face. If I stand still, I don’t notice how sharp it is. If I stand still, I don’t respond to anything around me. If I stand still, she is the only thing there—the crest of waves on the water sparkle pearl white in the sea of blue. The water is a cerulean hue backlit by the setting sun. Below me, she stands there; dancing on the sand. The chill of the late winter breeze doesn’t phase her. The glimmer of her blond hair is blinding. On the sand, she keeps dancing trying to stay warm in the green blouse and ripped jeans she chose to wear on this gelid March day. Her clothes are never fit for the weather. In the summer, she wears thick sweaters and then complains about how hot she is. On the most horrendous days of winter, she will wear the lightest cardigan she owns and then proceeds to run into the house from the car. That doesn’t matter. 

Every time I look at her, I remember how happy I am. Her presence brings joy into the life of everybody she meets. I turn my head toward the setting sun; the sky is a mesmerizing shade of red. The sun is just below the horizon, sending beams of light shooting across the sky. Even with the marvel of the sun to my left, I can’t keep my eyes off her. She turns in my direction. She calls me to join her on the beach, but I don’t move; I just stand there smiling.