'The Other'
The Other.
Sam was sitting at the end of the old pier dangling his feet above the water. In a few hours when the tide came in, his toes would touch the water but nothing more.
The night had just settled across the area and the stars were making their appearances slowly on the rapidly darkening velvet sky.
It had been a good summer but hotter than usual and a lot of the heat was lingering now in early Autumn. Even after the sun had already sunk below the horizon, he was sitting there in his cut-off jeans and t-shirt. The night will doubtlessly be a cold one.
Lazy waves lapped at the old timber of the pier giving off the soft tones that water against wood makes. The last of the birds were gliding over head, heading for their nests and to their inevitable slumber. One of the seagulls had nested on the roof of the little cabin, the only building on the small island a brief swim away. A nest was built of stiff straw, seaweed, and long pieces of the flaking, pale green, paint that had chipped and cracked from the intolerable heat.
The images were plain in his head -- the strange event that had happened, the reason he was here tonight.
*
They had met on the internet, he and someone who only referred to themselves by the nickname 'The Other'. They had chanced across one another on some e-dating chat-page and struck a conversation, talking as if they had known each other since childhood. Sam was a bit surprised at himself and at his own unconditional surrender of secrets to someone he'd never met. 'The Other' was talking about anything and everything and Sam admired the openness. When he voiced these feeling to 'The Other', he received a surprising answer. 'The Other' didn't usually give away personal information over the Internet. It was just that Sam had made 'The Other' feel so safe. There was a certain openness to their conversation that was unusual for both of them.
After having talked for several hours, Sam had to log off and go to bed.
"School, you know?" he explained.
"I got ya. Got to get up and head for school myself in three hours," was the response that he received.
They talked a lot on the Internet. On several occasions he overslept because he had been talking to 'The Other' until the wee hours of the morning. The topic was always random stuff. Things that had happened that day, what had transpired in school, how they had fooled their parents to think they were asleep so they could go on talking.
For weeks they talked. He never got bored of 'The Other' either. He could hardly wait for the slow days of school to pass so he could get home and talk to 'The Other' again.
'The Other' told him that the parents wanted to restrict the time spent chatting on the Internet. Sam did not care though because as long as he could go on talking to 'The Other', he was pleased.
After some time had passed, Sam started to realize something.
He was feeling more than a friendship for The Other. He'd always been so shallow, only ever dating the prettiest girls and now he was falling for someone he'd never even seen before.
Confused about all this, he told 'The Other' about his feelings because they didn't keep secrets from each other. 'The Other' became silent, not responding. He was sure that 'The Other' wouldn't answer. He was positive that he'd lost something that made his life worth living.
Then the answer came. The feeling was mutual.
He felt like he was going to explode. 'The Other' was in love with him!
For a week he was so happy that his parents made him go see the doctor. They were certain he was on some form of drug because he usually did not smile a lot.
One day 'The Other' had suggested that they meet up sometime. In the beginning Sam was afraid that he would not like 'The Other' when they met, but then he realized that it was the personality he was in love with, not the looks. How could it be the looks? Sam had not even seen a picture of 'The Other'. In hindsight, Sam didn't even know the name of 'The Other'. Somehow Sam had gotten into the habit of calling 'The Other' "Otter", not even knowing if that was true.
They agreed to see each other during the summer holidays.
The summer had finally come but his parents insisted that he had to take a trip with them to see his aunt. Two agonizing weeks in a car, only broken by the unstoppable chatter of his aunt for two days.
He told 'The Other' that they had to wait, and 'The Other' understood.
Time seemed to stop at his aunt's. When he got home he was sure that 'The Other' had aged and died during the two weeks.
Sam almost ran to the computer and went online. 'The Other' was there waiting for him. They talked all night and in the end they made arrangements to meet in a town that was between him and where 'The Other' lived. Three days until he would get to meet 'The Other' for the first time.
Sam argued with his parents and told them that he was going to visit a friend that had moved that Spring. They had agreed to let him go for a week after talking to his friend. Sam had paid this friend to lie about having moved.
Oh, how nervous he'd been on the train. Fidgeting with the straw hat that they had agreed would be the thing to recognize each other by. He tried to picture what 'The Other' looked like, but all he could imagine was a hat of straw.
The train had ground to a halt and the doors opened. Shaking with nervousness, he stepped down to the platform and looked around. People were milling about, but there in the midst of the throng of people he spotted a straw hat. The brim of the hat had hidden the face and then the figure had turned and disappeared.
Sam looked everywhere but in the end he decided to wait until the train left. Then there would be no other people here and then he could spot 'The Other'.
Everyone finally left and the station was empty.
No straw hat.
Just as he was about to leave he heard a soft sob coming from someone sitting on a bench somewhat hidden from view.
This person had their straw hat clutched in their balled fists, tears dripping from behind the hood that was hiding 'The Other's face.
He went over and sat down next to 'The Other'.
"What's the matter? Don't you like me anymore?" Sam asked with a shaking voice.
"It's not that..." came the reply.
'The Other' raised his head and removed the hood.
A male met Sam's eyes.
*
The wind gently wisped in Sam's hair leaving a few strands to be caught in the wet tear lines left on his cheek from his sobbing.
The moon made a path of silver from his feet to the horizon, waves gently splashing his toes.
Soft steps behind him made Sam aware that someone was approaching but he already knew who it was. The only other person on the island with him was 'The Other'.
He'd not heard the door of the cabin but 'The Other' was always that silent.
Like a ghost.
The footsteps stopped next to him and a blanket was wrapped around his shoulders before 'The Other' sat down and rested his head on Sam's shoulder.
They looked out to the sea.
For hours.