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Turning the Tide: A Short Story

By Darrelyn Saloom 44 Comments

Nell unpacked her suitcase on the king-sized bed in the beach condo she’d rented to remind her husband of their honeymoon three years ago. Then he could not keep his hands off his bride. Now he only had eyes for Susie Q—his miniature white poodle. Even after she gave birth to a son, John Junior, it did nothing to reel in her husband from the land of scooping poop and walking the dog.  

As she laid out her family’s swimwear, bright blue to match the property’s umbrellas lined on the shore, she marveled her good fortune at finding a sunhat for Junior the same shade of blue as her gauzy sundress and John Senior’s T-shirt and flip-flops. Her compulsion to match her family’s clothes had spawned with the birth of her son. She knew it was odd but could not seem to stop herself from uniting her family in color.    

Susie Q distracted Nell from her deep hue of thoughts when she hopped in a circle and tucked in her paws. The poodle whined her I-need-to-pee song just as John Junior toppled backwards and bonked his head on a crescent-shaped knob protruding from a nightstand. Nell flew to the wailing baby as John lunged for the leash.  

The doting mother stared at her husband in disbelief as the baby’s cheeks brightened from shrimp pink to lobster red. John shrugged his shoulders and clicked his tongue in dog speak as he slid out the door. “Poor little penguin, ” Nell cooed to her son. He’d taken his first steps two weeks before they backed out the driveway for their trip to the beach. Mostly he flapped his arms, wobbled, and fell to the ground.  

“Poor little penguin, ” she said again and again, until Junior’s screams faded and he hiccupped to sleep. Nell opened the sliding glass door to the balcony and let in the ocean’s roar with its salty seaweed breath. She spotted John but had to squint to see Susie Q who blended into the white sands of Santa Rosa Beach at dusk. 

The next morning Nell packed an ice chest and three canvas sacks with tuna sandwiches, sliced melons, crackers, apple juice, and Abita Strawberry Harvest beer. A fourth sack overflowed with a camera, a plastic bucket, diapers, sunscreen, and Milk-Bone dog treats. 

Susie Q yipped in excitement as Nell loaded her husband with half the bags. She beamed at her matching family, her son’s floppy blue hat. He was adorable, really. How could John not stare at him the way she did, at his navy eyes, his chubby pink cheeks, his wisps of blond hair? He had a perennial smile and only cried when hurt, hungry, or tired. 

On their long hike down a pier to the shore, John Junior stopped on a rubber mat under a showerhead and plopped down to inspect the new surface under his toes. He giggled and looked up at his mother who dug in her bag for the camera, snapped a picture, and turned laughing to John. But her husband had clipped down the steps with his pet to rent one of the cobalt umbrellas, the exact shade of his T-shirt and flip-flops. 

It took Nell a long time to reach John because the baby did not want to be held, even though he toppled in the sand. When she tried to pick him up, which was difficult with a loaded ice chest and beach bag, he’d kick his legs to be put down. As she neared the set-up umbrella, she spied her little penguin a long way behind her, flapping his arms, under his floppy blue hat. 

Nell dropped the ice chest and beach bag at her husband’s feet. She huffed and thanked him for helping with the baby. 

“I can’t take my eye’s off Susie, ” he said. “I could lose her in this white sand. For god sakes, look at her, Nellie!” 

So Nell looked at Susie Q who darted about with abandon as John Junior reached the shore. 

His arms flapped when his toes touched the foamy outflow of water. In a rush he headed straight into the ocean basin under his bright blue sunhat. He wobbled and fell once, then pushed back up and waddled toward an incoming wave that kissed his pink cheeks. Nell turned and glimpsed her son’s hat in the water. Unable to move, she opened her mouth but her scream had drowned in her throat. 

Susie Q rushed to the boy and barked to alert the father. After six long strides, John plucked his son from the Gulf of Mexico. The baby coughed and gasped for breath, frightened but unharmed as his hat roiled in the churning surf and was sucked off shore. He tried to squirm out of his father’s arms and reached for his mother. But Nell plopped down next to the poodle. 

And the tide rolled out as John tried to soothe his son.

Photograph by Kelly Sauer. Sourced via Flickr. Short story by Darrelyn Saloom, co-author of the upcoming memoir My Call to the Ring.

______

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Darrelyn Saloom
Darrelyn Saloom
Darrelyn Saloom is co-author of My Call to the Ring: A Memoir of a Girl Who Yearns to Box, with Deirdre Gogarty, Ireland’s first female world boxing champion— and Ottawa University: 150 years of Significance with Dave Malone. Her work has appeared at JaneFriedman.com, Writer’s Digest, Boxing.com, Suzanne Kingsbury, Catching Days, Hippocampus Magazine, and the Virginia Quarterly Review.
Darrelyn Saloom
Latest posts by Darrelyn Saloom (see all)
  • Memoir Notebook: Sweet Talk - July 24, 2015
  • Memoir Notebook: Too Close for Comfort - July 17, 2015
  • Memoir Notebook: The Worst Kind of Luck - October 31, 2014

Filed Under: Fiction, Short Story

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About Darrelyn Saloom

Darrelyn Saloom is co-author of My Call to the Ring: A Memoir of a Girl Who Yearns to Box, with Deirdre Gogarty, Ireland’s first female world boxing champion— and Ottawa University: 150 years of Significance with Dave Malone. Her work has appeared at JaneFriedman.com, Writer’s Digest, Boxing.com, Suzanne Kingsbury, Catching Days, Hippocampus Magazine, and the Virginia Quarterly Review.

Comments

  1. Dave Malone says

    August 7, 2012 at 9:56 am

    Wowee! Part Salinger, part Chopin, but all Saloom. Such a solid piece of fiction. Tight, haunting, beautiful. I just love this story. Most excellent work, Darrelyn.

    Reply
  2. Darrelyn Saloom says

    August 7, 2012 at 10:14 am

    Thanks, Dave. I didn’t know it was coming out today. Glad you tweeted it. 🙂

    Reply
  3. Dave Malone says

    August 7, 2012 at 10:33 am

    My pleasure!

    Reply
  4. Barbara Weibel says

    August 7, 2012 at 11:17 am

    Did you really witness this, then write a fiction story about it. Shocker!

    Reply
    • Darrelyn Saloom says

      August 7, 2012 at 11:23 am

      It haunted me for weeks, Barbara.

      Reply
  5. Ro Rainwater says

    August 7, 2012 at 11:38 am

    Enjoyed this a lot, and it gives me courage to blog my own very, very short pieces of fiction. Really love the plot twist at the end, D. Rawk on!

    Reply
    • Darrelyn Saloom says

      August 7, 2012 at 5:27 pm

      Thank you, Ro. Can’t wait to read one of your stories.

      Reply
  6. Sally G. says

    August 7, 2012 at 3:43 pm

    So the tide turned both literally and figuratively. Loved the story and hope it will be the beginning of many more. Still leaving me thirsty…

    Reply
  7. Darrelyn Saloom says

    August 7, 2012 at 4:10 pm

    Thanks, Sally. I’ll keep trying to quench your insatiable thirst.

    Reply
  8. Destin Briant says

    August 7, 2012 at 5:24 pm

    Very nice!

    Reply
  9. Darrelyn Saloom says

    August 7, 2012 at 5:26 pm

    Thank you, Destin. Tell your mom hello. And not to worry too much when you go off to Loyola.

    Reply
  10. Deborah cutler says

    August 7, 2012 at 5:55 pm

    Wow Darrelynn

    The tide churned up much more than the
    water. I loved the end. I wanted more but I got
    just enough.
    Love you and your writing

    Reply
  11. Darrelyn Saloom says

    August 7, 2012 at 6:19 pm

    Appreciate the love. Thank you, Deborah.

    Reply
  12. Sandra Ellender says

    August 7, 2012 at 7:03 pm

    I loved the story!

    Reply
    • Darrelyn Saloom says

      August 7, 2012 at 7:24 pm

      So glad you enjoyed. Thank you, Sandra.

      Reply
  13. Ayse Su says

    August 7, 2012 at 7:15 pm

    I’ve been dying to go to the beach, and since I won’t be able to, this is just the cure I needed!

    Reply
    • Darrelyn Saloom says

      August 7, 2012 at 7:24 pm

      I’m happy to take you there, Ayse Su.

      Reply
  14. Carrie Hebert says

    August 7, 2012 at 7:56 pm

    Great story Darrelyn. I would have freaked if that was my son. Good job Susie Q!!

    Reply
    • Darrelyn Saloom says

      August 7, 2012 at 8:18 pm

      Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment, Carrie. So glad you enjoyed.

      Reply
  15. Jack C. says

    August 7, 2012 at 8:26 pm

    Nice segue into fiction. Enjoyed!

    Reply
    • Darrelyn Saloom says

      August 7, 2012 at 8:31 pm

      Nice of you to take the time to leave a comment. Thank you, Jack.

      Reply
  16. Carolyn says

    August 7, 2012 at 9:16 pm

    Enjoyed it!

    I hope this is the first of many more stories to be posted and shared with your readers.

    Reply
    • Darrelyn Saloom says

      August 7, 2012 at 9:45 pm

      Thank you, Carolyn. I’m thrilled you stopped by. Hope to post more stories for you, too.

      Reply
  17. Jamie Begnaud says

    August 7, 2012 at 9:38 pm

    Love the story, I did not anticipate an ending like that!

    Reply
    • Darrelyn Saloom says

      August 7, 2012 at 9:48 pm

      Yep, the tide turns. Could be a new soap opera: As the Tide Turns. Thanks, Jamie. 🙂

      Reply
  18. Deirdre Gogarty says

    August 7, 2012 at 11:18 pm

    Another wonderful story. Held my breath at the end.

    Reply
  19. Darrelyn Saloom says

    August 7, 2012 at 11:22 pm

    Thanks, Dee. I’m surprised you’re still up. Take a deep breath. I’ll see you in the morning.

    Reply
    • Darrelyn Saloom says

      August 7, 2012 at 11:25 pm

      Meant to say, I’ll call you in the morning. After the Katie Taylor fight. #London2012 #womenboxing 🙂

      Reply
  20. Marsha Flo McInturff says

    August 8, 2012 at 5:06 pm

    Thank God for Susie Q. She is the heroine of the story! You should consider submitting this to a Pet magazine.

    Reply
  21. Darrelyn Saloom says

    August 8, 2012 at 5:39 pm

    Ha! Thanks, Martha. I don’t know if pet magazines accept fiction, but it is based on a true story. 🙂

    Reply
  22. cynthia newberry martin says

    August 8, 2012 at 5:53 pm

    Love it! Especially the matching part : )

    Reply
    • Darrelyn Saloom says

      August 8, 2012 at 6:22 pm

      Thanks, C.

      Reply
  23. Jenny F says

    August 9, 2012 at 12:35 pm

    I loved it! I stopped breathing when his toes touched the water. I’m going to need a few minutes to recover.

    I’m thrilled to read one of your short stories. Your words always captivate me. I’m already looking forward to the next one. (No pressure). 🙂

    Reply
    • Darrelyn Saloom says

      August 9, 2012 at 3:47 pm

      Love that you enjoyed it and want more. Thanks, Jenny.

      Reply
  24. Mary says

    August 17, 2012 at 9:23 pm

    When the toddler “wobbled and fell once, then pushed back up and waddled toward an incoming wave that kissed his pink cheeks” I could not breathe. Really enjoyed your fiction as much as the nonfiction piece about longing for rain.

    Reply
    • Darrelyn Saloom says

      August 18, 2012 at 1:20 am

      If this is the same Mary, thank you again. So glad you enjoyed. 🙂

      Reply
  25. Debra Marrs says

    August 20, 2012 at 3:38 pm

    Lovely! Excellent surprise ending, Darrelyn. Your fiction is as sublime as your nonfiction. Keep writing!

    Reply
  26. Darrelyn Saloom says

    August 20, 2012 at 4:32 pm

    Thanks, Debra. I’ll try not to jump off any balconies while I’m at it. 🙂

    Reply
  27. Jillian says

    August 21, 2012 at 8:57 pm

    Beautifully described Darrelyn, and haunting. You had me gripped from the beginning!

    Reply
    • Darrelyn Saloom says

      August 21, 2012 at 9:12 pm

      Thank, Jillian. So glad you enjoyed. 🙂

      Reply
  28. Keeley M. Landry says

    August 23, 2012 at 12:04 am

    Loved It! Now I am ready to go back to the beach!

    Reply
  29. Darrelyn Saloom says

    August 23, 2012 at 12:16 am

    Thanks, Keeley. Don’t go to the beach. Come to my launch party instead. 🙂

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Turning the Tide | Darrelyn Saloom says:
    August 7, 2012 at 10:41 am

    […] story played out before my eyes. I nearly leaped from the eighth floor when . . . (head on over to TweetSpeak Poetry to find […]

    Reply
  2. For the Thirsty Writer in You | TweetSpeak Poetry says:
    August 7, 2012 at 6:31 pm

    […] is Rain month here at Tweetspeak Poetry. So you’ll be treated to posts featuring Rain or Water, from some wonderful fiction and non-fiction writers, as well as poetry writing projects, like our […]

    Reply

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