The Roar 2024 Winter Writing Contest – High School Winner
Harvey stared at the water. The waves sounded harsher than usual, although that was to be expected. With every graying hair on his head and every new December, the waves seem to become more hostile, slamming forcefully against the rocks. He sat there in silence when a high pitched voice broke through his thoughts.
“Well, hello there! How do you do?” asked an elderly woman. She had a welcoming smile on her face and a warm scarf around her neck.
Harvey turned, and managed a small smile. “I’m doing fine. And you?”
With a bright expression, she answered, “A little chilly here and there, but nothing I can’t handle. What brings you to this beach?”
He glanced back at the ocean. “Well, you see, this is where I told my wife I loved her for the first time. I come here every now and then to remind myself of her.”
The woman’s eyes softened and her smile deepened. “She sounds like a lovely woman. How long were you married?”
“Once January rolls around, it’ll be 50 years.” 50 years. Feels like just yesterday I met her, Harvey thought to himself.
“My, my. Fifty years. Time flies, doesn’t it?” She drew in a cold breath. “What happened to her? You seem… heavy-hearted.”
Harvey hesitated, staring at his shoes. The sand shifted under them and the bench creaked whenever someone moved. “She’s…gone. It’s been a couple of years, but it never stops hurting.”
The old woman, saddened, reached out and patted his hand. “As they say, all good things must come to an end.” Her lips turned into a faint smile. “Oh! I never caught your name.”
“It’s Harvey,” he said, chuckling softly. “And yours?”
“Evelyn,” she replied.
“Evelyn,” Harvey echoed. “What a beautiful name. Do you have someone special who calls you that?”
“I did once. An old sweetheart of mine.”
“What happened to him?”
Evelyn stared for a moment, looking puzzled. “I’m not quite sure, now that you mention it. It must have been a long time since I’ve seen him.”
Harvey studied her. It seemed as though she was trying to grasp something, a memory, but it just kept slipping away. The sight troubled him.
“Age does that to us, doesn’t it?” he said quietly.
“I suppose it does.” She replied, looking a little lost. “Well, nothing we can do about that, now can we? Tell me more! Tell me about your wife.”
“Well, she was the love of my life and my best friend.” Harvey’s face softened as he spoke, “We met when we were children. Our parents were friends and we lived on the same street. I never really spoke to her until we got older though. I was always of the timid sort while she was always bright and energetic. To be frank, I was a little scared of her. But I still remember, every time I saw her, the day seemed to brighten.
Years went by and we grew closer. We went from acquaintances, to eventually friends. My wife always had a strong personality. She was never scared to speak her mind. People would often get the wrong impression of her because of that, so she did her best to be kind about everything. Whenever something was wrong, she was always the first to notice and first to do something about it. As time went on, I began to realize that my fondness for her went past mere friendliness.
After we finished school, Evie, my wife, wanted to head off to college. I was worried if I kept waiting, I would lose my chance to tell her how I feel about her. So I told myself that the next chance I got I would tell her I loved her.
He kept watching the waves. “I told her I loved her right here on this beach. It was nighttime then, but in my memory, everything felt so bright. That’s how she made me feel, like the world itself was a little warmer.”
“And the rest is history. We got married, had some kids, and made a loving home for each other. Of course, there were some ups and downs but life would be boring if there weren’t any.
I just wish I could speak to her one more time. Tell her how much I love, and miss her.”
He felt his throat closing up and stopped speaking. The air seemed to be getting colder, but Harvey couldn’t tell if that was just his imagination or not.
The next few moments were silent. When Harvey finally looked up, he noticed tears forming in Evelyn’s eyes.
“She sounds like a wonderful woman,” Evelyn said, her voice soft and kind. “I’m sure she loved you as much as you love her.”
Harvey nodded. For a moment, they sat in silence, the waves filling the void with their rough crashes.
“Well, enough about me,” Harvey said, clearing his throat. “What’s your story?”
Evelyn brightened. “Well, let’s see. I consider myself an adventurous sort of gal. I’ve always loved traveling, especially if I goet to see snow. Back where I’m from, it doesn’t really snow much. White Christmases are rare so whenever I see one, I get excited.”
“I know.” Harvey said quietly.
“What was that?” Evelyn looked confused.
“Oh it’s nothing. Carry on.”
Evelyn frowned, and then continued. “Oh how I love Christmas. Back where I’m from, it doesn’t really snow much. White Christmases are rare so whenever I see one, I get excited.”
“You’ve said that already Evelyn.”
“I have?”
Harvey watched the water. Nothing had changed. It still seemed harsh and cold.
He sighed and stood up, brushing sand from his hands.
He turned to Evelyn, “It’s getting cold. Come on now, Evie. Let’s go home.”
Evelyn blinked, looking confused.
He offered her his hand, just as he’d done hundreds of times before. “Let’s go dear. I’ll make you something warm once we get home. The children are waiting for us. Remember the children?”
She hesitated but then quietly nodded, still looking senile, and shivered, “Oh my. Was it always this cold?”
Harvey glanced at the water one last time and stayed silent. Days of bringing their children to this very beach and nights of romantic walks by the shore lingered in his head. As years of laughter, smiles and corny jokes flashed through his mind, he felt a flicker of warmth in the cold night.
Harvey smiled sadly. No, Evie. No it wasn’t.
The Roar 