courtesy of:https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5417319de4b0e28fa49bec6c/1492399930097-VA9HYA6HEQPHCEDTXLUV/The+White+Goddess.jpg?format=750w

The White Goddess

by: Desiree Holman

Warm weather has approached. It’s roughly 75 degrees of sunshine beaming the brightness of orange red rays of light. The palm trees are swishing around as the wind blows lightly. It’s a springtime of day for Ashley, who lives in the popular area of Miami, Florida. She wakes up every morning in her 2-bedroom condo apartment, looks over her square 3-foot balcony and watches the ocean. The ocean is a fresh baby blue and she watches people surfing and swimming. Her roommate Samantha gets up to prepare breakfast for the both of them, 2 boiled eggs, turkey bacon and whole grain toast. Samantha tells Ashley they should go to the beach for a spring break festivity. Although the festivity sounds exciting, it still defies the circumstances of the state’s curfew including Ashley’s past.

Samantha, “It’s spring break. We should have some fun. There will be music playing, drinking, and boysss.”

Ashley says, “I don’t know. It seems a bit risky. I just want to see the ocean and go into the water and feel the waves.”

Samantha says, “That’s all you wanted to do ever since we moved here for college. You need to learn how to have some fun. C’mon don’t be boring, pleaseee.”

Ashley says, “Well alright, if you insist. But only for a couple hours.”

It’s now 2 p.m. Ashley and Samantha put on their matching purple two-piece bathing suits, light blue shorts, and pack their two beach bags. Ashley is feeling nervousness of butterflies fluttering in her stomach. She is anxious if everyone will be following protocols of COVID-19 wearing masks and socially distancing. Both girls have moved into a new state from Cincinnati, Ohio. Ashley reminisces how she used to eat her homemade Cincinnati chili, simmering smell of fresh ground beef, sautéed onions with yellow cheese and pasta noodles very al dente. She also reminisces going to the beaches, which is her favorite comfort spot to relax and feel free. Her inspiration came from the old HBO tv series ‘John from Cincinnati.’ Being able to feel the ocean sand in between her feet and the water washing it away. She says in her mind she feels like a White Goddess in the sea.

Ashley and Samantha have reached the boardwalk where the spring break festival is happening. Walking around there’s the smell of alcohol in the air, like a strong Vodka, presumably Grey Goose or Smirnoff. Loud Techno music is playing and could almost make your ears bleed. The smell of food surrounds the air, hot dogs, hamburgers, cheese fries, and corn dogs. There aren’t much soda drinks or even water on the tables, just alcohol everywhere. They walk away from the boardwalk onto the beach where they put their belongings and set a cozy spot to relax. Ashley looks beyond the ocean, watching the waves. She smells fresh seaweed while clutching her feet onto the sand. She tells Samantha she liked to go into the water. Samantha says she wants to go back to the boardwalk for the party. Ashley doesn’t.

Samantha says, “You know its spring break, we deserve to have fun. Don’t be such a brat!’

Ashley responds back, ‘I am not, I just don’t want to be around anyone. I miss the water back home. Now that were here, I can feel the water. You just don’t understand.’

Samantha says, ‘I perfectly understand, you feel like Amphitrite, the goddess of the sea. Your mother used to call you a goddess because you love the ocean so much.’

Tears start rolling down Ashley’s face. She is sad because ever since the pandemic started her mother was suffering terminal cancer and because COVID was spready rapidly her mother couldn’t fight it off to survive. Ashley moved out of Cincinnati to start a new life after her father became an alcoholic and couldn’t maintain the mortgage for their house. Her brother, Eric, had moved out to start Medical School at Johns Hopkins in Maryland. Her life changed once her family started drifting apart. Her father begged Ashley and Eric to stay home, to help with the bills and keep the family together. Ashley had a great opportunity to become an Oceanographer earning a full scholarship from the University of Miami.

Before her mother died, she told Ashley to follow her dreams. Just a 2-year-old little girl who walked on the beach with her family on summer days. Taking those other first steps on the sand and feel the water. A mother who wraps her arms around her little girl telling her she is a goddess of the sea. Collecting seashells to create a crown to claim her throne as she walks into the water and stands like she is invincible.

Her mother drifts into heaven and Ashley remains powerless for she is devastated because the god of COVID-19 virus took her away. She feels alone because all she has is herself.

‘Hey, are you okay?’ says Samantha.

‘I think I’ll go to this party. It should seem fun right. It’s what my mother would want, for me to enjoy myself,’ says Ashley.

‘Well then alrighty you bitch,’ says Samantha as she gets up off the ground, ‘Let’s go PARTY.’

It’s now 5 p.m. Ashley and Samantha head towards the boardwalk to a gathering of hundreds of people, no social distancing or mask wearing. Ashley and Samantha are the old ones wearing masks. They start heading to the food table to grab some food but are conflicted of drinking alcohol. Samantha suggests they should at least have one drink to help wash the food down. Ashley grabs a red foam cup and pours Kettle One Vodka in her cup. She stares at the Vodka very hard, thinking of her alcoholic father back home. She starts seeing a blur image in the cup of him binging bottles of beer. Then she sees her mother dying in the hospital. Samantha shakes Ashley out of her dazed state.

‘Start drinking girl,’ says Samantha.

Ashley starts to drink the Vodka and squints her face because of the robust taste. She starts to like it and decides to pour some more. As she keeps drinking her face mask falls on the floor and swifts away onto the sandy beach. She puts down her drink and runs after her mask. It keeps going and going and then into the water. Ashley collapses and falls onto the sand.

‘Little girl, little girl get up,’ says a strange voice.

Ashley starts to feel tipsy and sees a blurry image of her mother. Her mother is telling her to get up. Ashley gets up and starts making her way to the ocean. She likes how the water is still crystal blue and the waves are enormous now. She walks closely towards the water feeling the smaller waves hit her feet and looks beyond. She imagines herself sailing on a big white boat called ‘The Amphitrite’ as an Oceanographer. She watches the waves of the water go from small to big. The sea is where she feels at home.

Tears start rolling down her eyes and Ashley decides to walk back home. She walks back to her apartment, walks inside and sit on her black couch. Her phone starts to ring, Samantha is calling. Samantha tells Ashley she is coming back home to be with her. Moments later Samantha walks in the door, with an astonished look. Both girls did not like the idea of being outside with all the mask less people partying. Samantha regrets going outside, risking her health, especially since she works at a nursing home and attends to the elderly. Not thinking that if she were to get COVID she could infect all her patients and the reason behind the spread.

It’s now 8 p.m. It’s now approximately 58 degrees and the sky is grey. To think that a party that would seem so much fun could be a risk to their life. The god of COVID has taken over the Miami Beach area, people start to run home as the curfew has begun. The loud music overheard from the apartment is cut off and the boardwalk looks empty. Samantha starts making dinner for the both, 2 plates of homemade Cincinnati chili, just as how Ashley remembers. Ashley starts to walk over to the balcony. She bends over to watch the ocean again. She imagines herself dressed in a white maxi dress, a fit for a goddess, with gold chains around her waist and on her ankles. Her hair is silky gold with a gold crown made of thorns. The White Goddess arises to help cure the land of COVID clearing the beaches from the filth of disarray.