We were rare relaxed riders on the frantic freeway, stopping on a whim for brunch and a cupcake, poking through produce stands for handfuls of fare to share later. Bright and crisp the world, while others blurred with work, running dizzy past our long gazes.
Lover’s Point was a trap for tourists and school children, visitors peeking in and out of our romantic pictures. Lunch too, a frivolous view from our glass vantage, left us distinct from the framed surrounding scenes. We were adolescent, unrecognized royalty, and our kingdom unfurled before us.
I felt us nestling in tentative newness, dipping toes to test the water, then easing with all the release and relief of couple comforts. We unpacked, undressed, got ready together. We wine tasted and toasted over tapas and pasta our mini holiday. We strolled hand-holding over scraggly sidewalks, ducking with deference under low-hanging oak branches.
We wore admiration for each other like gold medallions. Even strangers as they wound past our Big Sur dirt-path picnic (salami, cheese, avocado, and chocolate) proclaimed we really know how to live. We see between the cracks these hidden secrets, our selves exposed warm and pure to the universe; and at the same time, it to us.
I’m toppled by your gifts of insight and excitement, how you grabbed through glass at the cliff houses, curled perfectly at peace in my lap on the beach, and snapped memories where we’re the stars of blissful dreams. There will be more and always more, as I yearn through your eyes for light and beauty; wherever they await, I hope to join you.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Christopher McClean grew up in the Bay Area and currently live in Oakland. He has a professional background in marketing and currently makes his living as a tech market analyst and research director. When he is not writing for work or pleasure, you’ll likely find him with his fiancee working on bonsai, running through the Berkeley hills, cooking for friends, or checking out the local art scene. He is always working his way through a stack of books, usually a combination of philosophy, local history, and an introduction to yet another new hobby.