“Every day is a new day. It is better to be lucky. But I would rather be exact. Then when luck comes you are ready.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea
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That's it! The reason for this cabin. Somehow he knew, just knew about what would happen. It kind of makes sense, ever since he would claim that I was just like him while I was growing up. I'm not quite sure what the future has in store for me, but I'm quite curious.
In the morning, I had never felt more refreshed in my life. The nice salty fresh smell of the ocean is something that just seemed to stir my soul. Deciding on some fruits, eggs, and bacon for breakfast, I began cooking. A little bit of salt, a little bit of pepper, a little bit of self loathing, and boom, the perfect breakfast. Right as I was sitting down to eat, my phone rang.
*Brrt brrt*
“Ah fuck, who the hell could this be?” I mutter to myself while picking up the phone. Seeing my boss’s number a cold shockwave of realization hits me. I had work today. Damn. I let it ring for a few seconds while thinking up a string of excuses. I settle on one.
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“Hey Boss. Yeah, I understand why you're calling. Look man, I think I came down with the flu. Yeah. Cough cough. Yeah I know I need to give a 24 hour notice but I overslept, I thought I would make it in today. Wait a second? You’re really going to fire me? This is the only time I've ever called in sick! Alright, you know what. Fine. I quit. No! If I quit you can't fire me!”
Having to play along to make it seem like I actually wanted to keep that dreadful job made me more tired than the thought of actually going to work. But hey. Now that I have no more outstanding responsibilities, I can really enjoy my life. I've got a good amount of food here, no need to worry. A fishing pole, my grandfather's kayak, and enough water to wash away the house and it's foundation.
After that whole stressful deal, I figured what better way to destress than to go kayaking. The water isn't too rough today, the sun is shining, and it overall seems like a good day. I see some clouds on the horizon but I'm not too worried. I won't be going too far out.
Packing my gear together, I move it all to the kayak. Emergency supply box. Check. Basic change of clothes in my waterproof bag. Check. Water and food for the short trip. Check. Alright, I'm good to go.
Huffing and puffing, I managed to get the kayak into the water. It seems like I’ve gotten weaker since I last took a trip out. It's alright I console myself, I still remember the basics. One foot in, other foot out, kick off, jump in, nice and easy, nice and smooth, and here we are. Out in the water. Breaking past the surf was always my greatest challenge. A worthy foe the waves are. A power strong enough to topple towers, yet smooth enough to create sand. Relentless. Never stopping. A form of energy and power so beautiful.
I managed to get about 2 miles away from shore when things started going wrong.