By Scott Ragland
For forty dollars a young man sticks an umbrella into the sand and sets up two folding chairs in the shade. He asks where you’re from and how long you’ll be here and recommends restaurants for broiled scallops. You suspect he’s angling for a big tip but hand him a twenty anyway, because fifty summers ago this was your job and tips meant you could take a girl you met waiting in line for the Ferris wheel on a boardwalk dinner date to a nice place with beach-picked firewheels on the tables and now that girl sits next to you, smiling.
A very satisfying story in three sentences. The last word is key. Well done.
beautiful!
Endearing, and I too, now, am smiling. Well done!
Nice!
Scott, you remind us, simply and elegantly and without a single wasted word, that we should never forget our humble beginnings.
Lovely story
I enjoyed this story. It is good-hearted.
I loved your smoothly written story of lasting love and shared memories of youth.
That’s heartwarming and takes you back to where you want go be.
A relief to see a story here that is not dystopian or depressing, but rather has a moving happy ending.
Absolutely wonderful. Thanks
Thanks, all, for your kind comments. I’m glad you enjoyed the story.