{"id":4490,"date":"2016-02-19T05:24:13","date_gmt":"2016-02-19T12:24:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/?p=4490"},"modified":"2016-02-16T20:56:31","modified_gmt":"2016-02-17T03:56:31","slug":"4490","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/","title":{"rendered":"Sun, Sandcastles, and Sin"},"content":{"rendered":"

I tip-toed across the deck, debating the chances I could disappear before Dad saddled me with some miserable boat chore he thought up while I was sitting in Sister Sheila\u2019s sixth grade English class.<\/p>\n

I skirted the cockpit and ducked behind the aft cabin, not daring to shoot a glance through the fore cabin hatch. I didn\u2019t want to clunk eyes with Dad. I surreptitiously slid open the aft hatch and vaulted onto my bunk. Sweat ran down my backbone under my uniform as I listened for movement or voices on the Annie Lee<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Photo by KristianneKoch.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Water lapped the hull.<\/p>\n

Rigging drummed against the aluminum mast in time to the thump of my heart against my ribs.<\/p>\n

I let out a breath, and my fingers flew down the buttons of my dress. I stepped out of the stiff, pale green fabric and laid it carefully across my unmade bed. As I shimmied into my bathing suit, I pictured Kate doing the same on her boat.<\/p>\n

Not only did Kate get home from Coconut Grove Elementary earlier than I did, she didn\u2019t get snagged for chores. The Canfields did theirs on Saturday mornings. Not for the first time, I wished I lived on Kate\u2019s boat.<\/p>\n

My stomach growled, but I wasn\u2019t even tempted to excavate the one hundred percent whole wheat peanut butter and jelly crusts from the waxed paper in my lunch bag. Every second drew me nearer to Dad\u2019s appearance.<\/p>\n

I crept onto the aft deck and slid over the transom, my fingers clinging to the gunwale until the last instant, and I slipped into sun-shot green wetness. I swam beneath the surface as long as I could hold my breath, coming up almost at the Canfield\u2019s boat. Another breath and I surfaced at the tee. I clung to the pier ladder, bracing myself for Dad\u2019s voice yelling my name, but it didn\u2019t come.<\/p>\n

Across the channel, Kate, Matt, and Scott dug in the sand in front of the beginnings of a castle.<\/p>\n

Something happy zipped around my body, blocking out the picture in my head of Dad\u2019s scowl.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

Photo by KristianneKoch.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Just like I used to look both ways before crossing Twenty-Seventh Avenue\u2019s four lanes of traffic, I looked both ways and darted into the channel.<\/p>\n

I walked out of the water and plopped down beside Kate where she sat on smooth sand where the tide had gone out.<\/p>\n

Kate looked up from the moat she was digging and arched thick brown brows.<\/p>\n

I shrugged. \u201cYou guys seen my Dad or R.J.?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNope. Huh uh,\u201d the boys said.<\/p>\n

Kate shook her head.<\/p>\n

Matt folded a beer can back and forth until he broke it in half. He straightened it out and started digging the moat on the other side of the castle.<\/p>\n

I pressed shells into the smooth wall of the castle for windows.<\/p>\n

Scottie flung himself into the water, then onto the beach. He closed his eyes and rolled his entire body and face in the sand until he was coated like a powdered sugar donut.<\/p>\n

We laughed even though he\u2019d done the trick a dozen times before.<\/p>\n

\"Photo<\/a>

Photo by KristianneKoch.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Matt got busy terrorizing hermit crabs by stealing their shells.<\/p>\n

I swatted a sand flea and helped Kate with the draw bridge.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnnie!\u201d Dad bellowed from Pier 1.<\/p>\n

My head jerked up.<\/p>\n

Dad motioned for me to return to the dock.<\/p>\n

Kate shot me sad eyes.<\/p>\n

I dove into the water and blew all the air out of my lungs. I sank till my elbows dug into the grainy sand. I lay motionless on the sloped bottom in the cool, quiet sanctuary\u2014anger, self-pity, and guilt churning in the cavern of my stomach\u2014until I had to shoot to the surface for oxygen.<\/p>\n

Dad still stood on the end of the pier, glowering, arms folded across his chest.<\/p>\n

I looked both ways and plodded into the channel at half speed, planning my explanation.<\/p>\n

When I went to confession, I sat in the dark booth inventing sins. Who could remember two weeks\u2019 worth of sins? Now I had plenty of sins and invented justifications.<\/p>\n

I hadn\u2019t been spanked since we moved onto the boat. I glanced up at Dad, trying to gauge how mad he was. I hoped I\u2019d finally gotten too old to spank or that Dad\u2019s paranoia\u2014usually confined to \u201cBig Brother\u201d\u2014would have him envisioning the neighbors calling CPS.<\/p>\n

R.J. cannon-balled off the end of the dock. I didn\u2019t begrudge him his freedom. He was stuck with Dad all day. Even under the shadow of my impending doom, I was a little bit proud of R.J. swimming the channel. He\u2019d worn a Styrofoam football belted around his waist for what seemed like forever. Every month, Dad hacked off a slice of the football, until R.J. garnered mad doggy-paddling skills.<\/p>\n

I hauled myself up the ladder and faced Dad. Well, I looked at his zori-clad feet.<\/p>\n

Dad sighed his I\u2019m-so-disappointed-in-you sigh I\u2019d heard a million times. Today he was disappointed because I made him worry. Because I knew I wasn\u2019t to go anywhere after school until I checked with him.<\/p>\n

I gave my speech.<\/p>\n

Lucky for me, Dad and R.J. had been waylaid in their fruit pillaging by a cache of sapodillas in somebody\u2019s yard\u2014and not holed up in the fore cabin.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Photo by KristianneKoch.com<\/p><\/div>\n

I stood in the porthole-less cabin under a bare bulb and eyed my penance\u2014clearing off the spare bunk, our family\u2019s ginormous junk drawer. It would probably take the rest of my free time during the school week to sort the laundry, tools, paint paraphernalia, newspapers into piles.<\/p>\n

If only Dad were Catholic, I could say ten Hail Mary\u2019s and be done with it.<\/p>\n

I thought about Kate\u2019s sad eyes\u2014and how they blew away a little of the injustice that intermingled with the smell of Mom\u2019s fish curry. It didn\u2019t matter that Kate was three and a half years younger. Kate cared.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s why, after thirty years out-of-touch, I\u2019m not afraid to dish Kate intimate details of my life. I know her heart.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I tip-toed across the deck, debating the chances I could disappear before Dad saddled me with some miserable boat chore he thought up while I was sitting in Sister Sheila\u2019s sixth grade English class. I skirted the cockpit and ducked behind the aft cabin, not daring to shoot a glance through the fore cabin hatch. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2013,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[2,337,66,326],"tags":[152,515,132,296],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"yoast_head":"\nSun, Sandcastles, and Sin - Ann Lee Miller<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sun, Sandcastles, and Sin - Ann Lee Miller\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I tip-toed across the deck, debating the chances I could disappear before Dad saddled me with some miserable boat chore he thought up while I was sitting in Sister Sheila\u2019s sixth grade English class. I skirted the cockpit and ducked behind the aft cabin, not daring to shoot a glance through the fore cabin hatch. […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Ann Lee Miller\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2016-02-19T12:24:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2016-02-17T03:56:31+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/20110305kkpclient_hohenester0646.jpg?fit=664%2C1000&ssl=1\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"664\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Ann Lee Miller\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ann Lee Miller\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/\",\"name\":\"Sun, Sandcastles, and Sin - Ann Lee Miller\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/20110305kkpclient_hohenester0646.jpg?fit=664%2C1000&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2016-02-19T12:24:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2016-02-17T03:56:31+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0c6315623cc1435f5aee5a884e61776e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/20110305kkpclient_hohenester0646.jpg?fit=664%2C1000&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/20110305kkpclient_hohenester0646.jpg?fit=664%2C1000&ssl=1\",\"width\":664,\"height\":1000,\"caption\":\"Photo by KristianneKoch.com\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Sun, Sandcastles, and Sin\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/\",\"name\":\"Ann Lee Miller\",\"description\":\"Author, Speaker, & Blogger Extraordinaire\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0c6315623cc1435f5aee5a884e61776e\",\"name\":\"Ann Lee Miller\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/author\/peabody11\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Sun, Sandcastles, and Sin - Ann Lee Miller","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Sun, Sandcastles, and Sin - Ann Lee Miller","og_description":"I tip-toed across the deck, debating the chances I could disappear before Dad saddled me with some miserable boat chore he thought up while I was sitting in Sister Sheila\u2019s sixth grade English class. I skirted the cockpit and ducked behind the aft cabin, not daring to shoot a glance through the fore cabin hatch. […]","og_url":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/","og_site_name":"Ann Lee Miller","article_published_time":"2016-02-19T12:24:13+00:00","article_modified_time":"2016-02-17T03:56:31+00:00","og_image":[{"width":664,"height":1000,"url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/20110305kkpclient_hohenester0646.jpg?fit=664%2C1000&ssl=1","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Ann Lee Miller","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ann Lee Miller","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/","url":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/","name":"Sun, Sandcastles, and Sin - Ann Lee Miller","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/20110305kkpclient_hohenester0646.jpg?fit=664%2C1000&ssl=1","datePublished":"2016-02-19T12:24:13+00:00","dateModified":"2016-02-17T03:56:31+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0c6315623cc1435f5aee5a884e61776e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/20110305kkpclient_hohenester0646.jpg?fit=664%2C1000&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/20110305kkpclient_hohenester0646.jpg?fit=664%2C1000&ssl=1","width":664,"height":1000,"caption":"Photo by KristianneKoch.com"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/2016\/02\/4490\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Sun, Sandcastles, and Sin"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/","name":"Ann Lee Miller","description":"Author, Speaker, & Blogger Extraordinaire","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/#\/schema\/person\/0c6315623cc1435f5aee5a884e61776e","name":"Ann Lee Miller","sameAs":["https:\/\/annleemiller.com"],"url":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/author\/peabody11\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/annleemiller.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/04\/20110305kkpclient_hohenester0646.jpg?fit=664%2C1000&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/s4Hftl-4490","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4490"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4490"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4490\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2013"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4490"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4490"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/annleemiller.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4490"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}