The summer of Gord

By William Brooks

The man she buried is back and knocking. Kat looked up and smiled. Her younger brother towered over her, blocking the sun, as she lay on the beach, looking up. Not quite a man in age but definitely the full-size version, as he stood 6 ft. tall and skinny at about 160 lbs. Adam knocked again at the imaginary door while making a clunking noise with his mouth to make the sound. Knock knock.

“Who’s there,” asked Kat?

“Barry” came the response from Adam.

“Barry who,” asked Kat?

“Bury me …in the sand … again.” Said Adam, as he knelt down to look closely at his sister. He tilted his head and smiled. Kat laughed at the dad joke, as she rolled up to her knees and then stood. Kat grabbed Adam’s arm and lifted, helping him to stand too. Not ready for a wheelchair yet, but she feared it might not be too long now, before he was. Adam had Cerebral palsy, and at level 2, he had trouble standing and walking. He had some trouble speaking too, sometimes, but he was as sharp as any 15-year-old, and a lot sharper than most adults, by his own estimation. Kat had him standing now, so she led him back to his hole in the sand. It wasn’t much of a hole that they dug for him anymore. When Adam was young, he loved being buried in the sand, unable to twitch, he said. As he got older, it became harder and harder to get himself out. These days Kat just dug a long trench for Adam to lie in, and then threw a little sand on top, to make him laugh. A beach towel served as his camouflage, while a large Mexican hat covered his head. Adam didn’t talk to the kids his own age much, but the toddlers and 5-year-olds loved him. There was a whole gang of them living on our street and they were all at the beach that day. They scurried along the waters edge, splashing anyone nearby as they went. As they neared the towel and hat, they would slow down and start to giggle. Adam wasn’t always under there, so they would creep cautiously forward, anticipating the fright. Adam sprang from his cover with as much gusto as he could muster in that particular moment. It wasn’t nearly as much as he had hoped for. Adam managed to remove the towel and sit up, but the hat remained on his head, so he couldn’t see. The kids were already laughing as they scattered down the beach, splashing all the way.