Page 105 of Thick

Crip pushed his chair away from the table. “Let’s all go.”

Pee Bee pushed himself away from the table. “Let’s do it.”

Smokey stood. “Too sweet for me. I could use a walk, too.”

Cholo, now dressed in his tuxedo and a ball cap, stood without speaking.

P-Nut reached for Joey’s hand and nodded toward the beach.

Together, the twelve of us walked toward to the beach.

“Where are you headed?” my father asked as we walked through the crowd.

“Down to the beach,” Tate said. “We overate.”

“Hell, if it’s alright, I’ll join you.”

“C’mon,” Crip said with a wave of his arm and a laugh. “This ain’t a club function.”

My father hurried to my side. We stepped over the wooden barrier that separated the lawn from the sand, and everyone paused, taking time to remove their heels and shoes. Then, barefoot, we walked toward the ocean, which was a hundred feet away.

The warm sand between my toes reminded me of my childhood. The beach was Tate’s place to unwind, his place to think, and his place of serenity. He said he did all his best thinking at the beach, because he was closer to God when he was there.

I, on the other hand, didn’t spend as much time there as most Southern Californian’s.

When we reached the water, the group paused. Standing side by side, the thirteen of us faced the ocean. Tate released my hand and continued walking until he was ankle deep in the water. As the tide washed in, covering him to his knees, he turned to face me and smiled.

“Feel better?” I asked.

“Much better,” he said.

I gazed beyond him, and toward the sea. The early evening sun was several hours from setting, but had already came to rest behind a patch of clouds, leaving the sky plastered with rays of sun that peeked out from behind the obstruction.

The display was magnificent.

Upon seeing it, I realized why Tate spent so much time staring at the ocean.

With my eyes still fixed on the horizon, he walked toward me. As he reached me, he glanced at each of the couples and grinned. “This is what it’s all about,” he said. “Family.”

“Amen, Brother,” Crip said.

Standing a few feet in front of me, he lowered himself to his knees and smiled a cheesy smile.

“I thought you felt better?” I asked.

“I do.”

I shook my head. “Then what are you doing?”

He cleared his throat. “Until I met you, there’s been only one place where I could find peace. Right here, on the beach. It was my proof of God’s existence. When I met you, everything changed. Now, all I’ve got to do is see you to know he exists. Your beauty stands as proof.”

It was an eloquent little speech, but it wasn’t surprising. Tate was good with words when he took time to think about it. In his presence, I wasn’t anything but beautiful, and he made sure I knew it.

I bit against my quivering lip and smiled. “Thank you.”

Still on his knees in the sand, he shoved his hands into his pockets. After scanning the group, he met my wondrous gaze.

“Are you going to get up?” I asked. “You look silly down there.”