The drive back to the apartment was a silent one. Cleo was asleep in the back seat, while Sophia stared out the window unaware of the passing landscape. Her thoughts had turned inward, her mind was back in time. She remembered the first time she had seen Robert. It had been a high school beach party. She was fifteen. While all the other girls displayed their fine young bodies in skimpy bikini’s, Sophia had worn a cover up with Woodstok on it. The boys were all shirtless and wearing surfer suits except for Robert. He was wearing cargo pants and a crisp ironed Hawaiian shirt. There had been dolphins on it. From the moment she saw his halo of curly blonde hair, Sophia was drawn to him. There was something mysterious and familiar about him. Even now she felt that way about him. He was a quiet man who didn’t talk much and only asked questions when he was in the mood, which was seldom now. She glanced over at him. Where had that beautiful boy gone? Why did time and responsibility steal so much?

To shield his eyes from the late afternoon sun Robert was wearing sunglasses. When he drove his eyes never left the road in front of him. His hands held the steering wheel loosely. Without turning to her, he asked, “Why did you go out into the water without telling me? You frightened Cleo.”

“I’m sorry,” which she was. “It was just an impulse, it won’t happen again.” This was a promise she may not be able to keep. It hadn’t been an impulse, it had been the water. For the first time in five years it had taken possession of her. It was a secret she kept. No on would believe her if she told them, especially not her scientific minded husband.

Robert didn’t say anymore.

Once they reached the apartment. Robert lifted their sandy daughter out of her car seat. Cleo made a soft moan, but did not fully waken. Sophia prayed Cleo would stay asleep. . She really needed some time alone to pull herself together. Inside the apartment was chaos. She nor Robert were neat people, which was fortunate. They not only accepted one another’s fault, they barely even noticed it. A messy house keeper bound to a neat one was a divorce in the making.

Sophia followed Robert into Cleo’s alcove room of sorts. Really it was just an odd space they had strung a shower curtain across. Cleo like the little space. She had decorated it’s three walls with whale drawings. For a five year old, they were quite good.

Gently, Robert placed her on the bed. For a moment he studied his child. Such tenderness came into his eyes. He loved Cleo so much, they both did.

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After Robert went to log in his findings on his computer, Sophia went to take a shower. As much as she loved the beach, she hated the grit. In the shower she raised her face to the shower head. Tap water had no effect on her. Only salt water, upon occasion transformed her. It had happened only four times in her life. The first time had been when she was five.

Her parents had recently divorced and her father was dating Kate, whom he would later marry. It was Sophia’s weekend with her dad. During that time, she never went anywhere with out Rusty, her Chihuahua. He was her constant in the aftermath of her world being blown apart. Her father had driven them to Galveston. Sophia had never been to the beach before. Kate had squealed when she saw the water. As soon as they were parked, Kate leapt out of the car and headed straight for the water. She stripped off her cover up and dove in. From the shore, Sophia’s dad watched. Kate was much younger than her dad and she wearing the smallest red bikini Sophia had ever seen. Her father couldn’t take his eyes off of her. Thus, Sophia and Rusty had wandered off without being noticed.

The sky had been bright on the waters, so bright she couldn’t see very well. As she and Rusty wandered along the shore line a wave wrapped around her foot. It jerked her hard and pulled her down. Being so small at the time, it had not taken much for the wave to cover her. She couldn’t breathe, she couldn’t see. It hurt and then she had felt the warmth. Though water was in her nostrils and pouring into her mouth, she could breathe. The water gently pulled her away from the shore. She was drifting.Beneath the motion of the waves she had felt a kind of peace she had never known. The water felt safe. She felt held. The water was taking her somewhere, she was too young to question it. She felt like she had just met a new friend. Far away she heard Rusty barking his head off. He should have come with her. It was a good thing he hadn’t. If not for Rusty, her father would not have realized she was missing. The next thing she heard was her father shouting her name. He sounded frightened. Why was he so scared? The next thing she knew father’s arms reached around her an pulled her up. The rush of air into her lungs made her cough so hard tears ran down her cheeks. She remembered how tight his arms were wrapped around her. She could feel his heart pounding. How terrified he must have been. If Cleo ever wandered off like that. This thought brought Sophia fully back to the present.

To this day, she could still hear her father first tenderly saying, “Oh my sweet, sweet girl. Thank God you are all right. I would never forgive my self.” On the shore his mood had changed. With the beach towel he roughly dried her off and he scolded her like she had never been scolded before. His voice broke when he said, “You could have died. Do you know that?”

At only five, death was some unfamiliar concept that had not yet touched her. Besides, the water had been friendly. She tried to tell him what had happened, but he wouldn’t listen. He was too angry and too frightened. It was a fear she hadn’t understood then, but she understood now.

Kate had told him, “Stop.” It was then, that Kate became Sophia’s ally and not that bitch her daddy had lost his mind over. Kate had taken her into her arms. It was she who had murmured, “Its okay Sweetie. You will be careful around the water from now on, won’t you?”

Sophia had nodded. Beyond Kate the waves rolled onto the shore. They called to Sophia, she wanted to play in them. Silently, Kate took Sophia’s hand and lead her into the water. It was cold and bright and beautiful.