[ A V A ]

Day 5,927, 15:00 • Published in Ireland Ireland • by MeDs.

Entry for Competition
https://www.erepublik.com/en/article/st-valentine-s-the-love-story-telling-prize-over-1m-cc-in-rewards--2776461/1/20

Even for the local people, this was a warm and unusual calm for a typical July day. The tide was low, and no wave was hitting the bay's shore. The sun was up high and shining so strong that you could feel your skin burning even through the clothes. Far in the distance, heavy clouds lurked behind the mountains and slowly moved to the coast. You could feel the heaviness in the air, making breathing hard. No breeze, no fresh air gives the feeling of drowning. It was a warm and unusual day at Clyde's Bay.

Their bungalow was well hidden behind the dunes; the only thing you could see from the beach was the grey tiled roof. Once you start walking up the path from the beach to the house, you can see the wooden bungalow with a big porch overlooking the bay and the Sailing club. They bought the bungalow because it was close to the marina and the picturesque views of the local villages between them and the sea. Their boat was resting in the marina with a big for sale sign on it. That boat was one of the many ankers that connected Cillian to her. When they bought the boat, it was just an old barge that Ava loved. She saw something in it that the previous owners did not. Rich people offered unrealistic money to buy it from him, but he never accepted any of it. For him, it was more than just a boat. Somehow, a part of her was still in that boat. She designed and decorated the interior on her own. Whatever she wanted, Cillian was there to make it come true. Even though she was a house interior designer, she enjoyed designing interiors for boats more. For her, it was the challenge of making something beautiful with fewer options. She used to say,

"Cillian, everyone can open a magazine and design a house or an apartment. If you have a big space, you have options to play with. With a boat is different! There are a few options, and you have only one chance. Either it works, and you have done your job right, or it does not work, and you have to spend the rest of your time looking at your failure."

She was always thinking out of the box. Whenever she saw an empty apartment, project house or even a room she liked, her eyes lit up excitedly. He adored her in that state. When they bought the bungalow, and she explained the plans and how things would be done, he did not pay attention. And how could he! It was their first time in the bungalow as official owners. Even though they were not allowed to be in the bungalow while the sale was in process, Cillian's friend from the agency gave them a key to look into it and take measurements of the rooms. She had everything planned before the sale was completed. She was convinced they would get the house even though they were not the only bidders for it.

They just walked into the bungalow and opened all windows to get fresh air and light into the rooms. She was standing in the living room and explaining all the walls that needed knocking down, the colour patterns, and the half-tile stairs. But he did not hear a single thing. He was looking at her glowing ocean-blue eyes and smirky smile while her curly hair was waving from the wind draft. When she was done, she asked him for his opinion. He slowly went to her, his gaze still locked on her face, placed his arm on her belly, kissed her on the forehead and whispered into her ear, "You are amazing". She was four months pregnant when they bought the beach bungalow!

It took them two years to finish the bungalow. They wanted to fix it on their own. They did not have the money or trust to give someone else her vision. And it was doable. Cillian could work from the bungalow in the morning and on it in the afternoon. For her, it was all the same. She was not a typical office person. She needed her creative space, and the empty bungalow was the perfect place for her to be. Even before they bought the bungalow, she never worked from her office. She redesigned the attack of their house in the city as her work studio. The only natural light coming into the studio was from a small window that overlooked the roofs of the tiny houses in their estate. Even to this day, Cillian did not know how she was able to find the perfect location for that window. But that was Ava; she could see the things that no one could see, and she was good at it. Her design agency was awarded two years in a row with prestige achievement for contemporary vision in interior design for two of her best projects.

In the beginning, they had a spare mat from one of their guest rooms placed on the wooden floor in front of the fireplace. She adored that fireplace. She fell in love with it when she saw the pictures of the bungalow in the newspaper ad one night while they were having drinks at their friend's house. She was so excited that she threw up the newspaper ad, pretending it was from the food she had eaten the night before. But both of them knew that was not the reason.

The fireplace had two openings, which were unusual for a beach bungalow. One was exposed to the living room and the other to the dining room. They spent their evenings in front of the fireplace, lying on the mattress, burning the wood logs Cillian would bring from the beach. There were days that they would not even do any work. After the workday, Cillian would cook dinner, and they would sit in front of the fireplace and try to identify as many objects as they could in the flames from the burning logs. The heat from the fire and the red wine would make them drowsy, and they would fall asleep in each other arms.
....................
His bedroom was dark and full of smoke. The blinding curtains were pulled all the way down, and the only light came from the cigar sitting on top of the full ashtray. He was sitting on the floor with the back of his head loosely resting on their bed mattress. The smooth Jazz that played in the background was rudely interrupted by the awful sounds of the seagulls circulating over the bungalow like a bird of prey. He shook his head and opened his eyes widely as he didn't know if he was still in the beach bungalow or their favourite bar. His mind brought memories from their first date and the bar they went. He fell in love with her and her imperfections since the day he met her. Every time he had a bad cough, he would clear his throat with a sip from the red-dotted whiskey bottle. It was their favourite. 15-year-old single malt. He was less than a social drinker before he met her. And he never smoked, but he never understood why these habits were a big part of her life... They had countless discussions about her lifestyle, but she always had the perfect explanation. Whenever they had this conversation, she would give him the look of fear as she was corned, and he was there to hurt her, yet he was trying to help her as he loved her so much. He presses hard on the platinum wedding ring, thinking he can bring her back just for a moment.

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his mobile phone ringing in the distance. While he was trying to hold her in his memories, the phone ringing was coming closer and closer to his room. Ailish, now 7, entered his room with his phone in one hand and her stuffed horse toy in the other. Ray of light hit his face, causing his pupils to shrink to the size of a grain of sand. As she opened the door, the wind draft waved her curly blond hair. The sigh of hers brought tears to his eyes, but he was able to hold his emotions. She looked exactly like Ava. She even gave him the same disappointment look for which he felt so embarrassed.

Daddy, it is Mammy, she said as she passed the phone to Cillian.

As he answered the phone, his first attempt to say hello failed because his throat was so dry that no sound came out. For his second hello, he cleared his throat, releasing a heavy smell of tobacco and whiskey in the air.

- Cillian, how are you? - Asked Ava on the phone
- I am good! - said Cillian,
- Can you please get Ailish early for me this weekend? Carlos and I bought her a horse, and we want her to see it before we move it to the stable. But tell her nothing as this is a surprise for her birthday.

He could feel the excitement in Ava's voice and how happy she was.
A teardrop came rolling down from Killian's eye.

- Yeah, sure I will, said Cillian as he was wiping the tear from his cheek. He was not able to hold it this time.

He dropped his phone on the wooden floor as he rose to take a shower.
He kissed Ailish on her forehead and asked her to prepare her things because mummy was coming!

As he walked to the bathroom, he saw the cake and food leftovers with the Happy Birthday Balloons in the living room through the opened door.
The piano he bought for her birthday was in the corner of the room.

He took a deep breath and entered the shower.

Jun 30, 2019