We had finally arrived at Rehoboth beach with the sun shining and the waves rising high. I could smell the salt water that permeates throughout the area and I became so ecstatic to swim in it. I jumped out of the silver Toyota we had rented for this trip and bolted for the trunk to get our stuff so we could get to the beach faster. “Slow down Gaby the beach isn’t goin no where”, said my Dad. But I couldn’t because I knew that the beach would start to get more crowded really soon and I wanted to get a good spot.


I replied by saying, “I know that but the beach isn’t always going to be partially empty either”. We took our stuff and walked towards the beach to find a great spot that is close to the water but not too close. I did not want to have you move later when the water would start to rise in a little while.


“Come on Dad hurry up I want to get to the beach”, I said with a whiny voice.


“I’m comin but I’m holding all my stuff and most of your so I cant walk as fast”, said my Dad with a tired sound in his voice. Walking onto the boardwalk we head straight to the beach and found the perfect spot. We laid down our towels, sandcastle kit, chairs, and bag with my sunscreen, goggles, and a change of clothes. My towel was white with a whole bunch of different colored polka dots on it while my dad’s was striped with different shades of blue.


When we were all set up I said to my Dad, “I’m hungry Dad can we go get those really good fries they have here”


“Ok Gaby sure I’m hungry too and they are good,” said my Dad. We started walking towards the little place that sold he best fries on the boardwalk. The place was called “Thrasher’s French Fries”, it was not that big, and there was nowhere to sit but outside on the boardwalk benches. Thrasher’s was painted all blue with a little white here and there, was tiny, and a bit beat up but no one cared because they gave you a big bucket of fries for only about ten dollars. The fries were always crunchy on the outside but warm and fluffy on the inside and had a little bit of salt on them. You could never get ketchup and they even had a sign in big red letters that said “NO KETCHUP”, which was funny because people would still ask for it and the people who worked there would regularly point to a sandwich shop down the boardwalk. But the fries were so good you wouldn’t even need ketchup. Though they didn’t have ketchup they did have vinegar that you could spray on your fries, which sounds weird but tasted so good. You could always tell that the fries were fresh because they were always hot and looked like they came from real potatoes


When we got out our bucket of fries and sat down on a bench my dad said to me, “I’ve missed these fries so much I wish I could just buy the place and bring it to New York”. My Dad was sitting next to me wearing tan sandals, black swim trunks with yellow and red stripes on the side, an old T-shirt with a big green fish on it that said “Fish bait and tackle”, and his favorite green Ray Ban Aviator sunglasses that he loved so much. My Dad at the time still looked young and did not have any gray hairs in his hair or on his mustache. He was still kind of recovering from the hip surgery he had a while ago and was moving more swiftly then he had before. I was just glad that he made it out of surgery alive and didn’t have any damage done to him.


I replied by telling him “You said it Dad. Buy it, pick it up, and bring it to New York. Then let it grow and spread around the world. That would be so cool”. I was really enjoying the fries we brought at Thrasher’s because I had not had them since last summer and it was a real treat since we don’t go to Rehoboth that much. If I could get my Dad to drive down to Thrasher’s every month I would love that. As long as my Dad was with me I could do anything and conquer anything I set my mind to.


When we could eat no more we threw out our big French frie bucket and kind of waddled back our spot with full bellies. I immediately sat on my towel and put on some more sunscreen so I wouldn’t burn if I fell asleep. I then laid down on my towel that matched the one-piece bathing suit I was wearing that day.


“Hey Dad can we stay another week?”, I said

“I wish we could honey but I have to get back to work,” my Dad said.

“Maybe next time we cans top here for a week or so and then head down to Hershey Park” I said.

My Dad responded by saying, “Yeah… maybe. I’ll think about it and look at my work schedule. See if I can switch it around or get another week off.”. I eventually started to doze off but then my Dad’s phone rang. He began to talk to someone on the other end about a job they wanted him to do. I overheard that the person wanted a fence put in and painted. This made me begin to wonder if I could ever go anywhere with my Dad without his phone going off and him having to take it. I know that its just part of his job but for once I want him to just ignore the call.

Once my Dad was off the phone I asked him “Why do you answer the phone when were on vacation and trying to relax? I thought the point of vacation was to get away from work”.

My Dad responded by telling me that “The point of vacations is to get away from work but I have to answer the calls because its part of my job and I know that it gets annoying but please just bare with me”.
I didn’t respond to that statement because I didn’t know how but I wish I could have. I waited a little while before uttering a meek answer “Ok Dad”. I eventually fell asleep and woke up when the sun was starting to go down. I asked my Dad “What time is it”.
My Dad said “Six thirty”. He was already starting to pack up our stuff so I decided to get my clothes back on and help him this time. Five minutes later we were ready to go and we started walking towards the car. Before I stepped off the beach I took one last look at the beach knowing I would not see it for a while but also that we’d meet again. The water looked light blue and shiny with the sun setting on it and I knew I picked the right place to spend my last day in Delaware with my Dad. When we packed everything in the car and got in it my Dad drove back to the place we rented, though I fell asleep on the way there. Before I fell asleep I thought will my Dad ever have a day where he won’t have to answer the phone and talk business with someone.

It was a great day only because I got to spend time with my Dad, even though we didn’t do much. The fact that it was just my Dad and I together all day just made it special and memorable. When we went to the beach he looked so young and upbeat but now he’s starting to look old and tired from days of work. Next time we go I’ll make sure he leaves his phones in the car and forgets the chargers. I was young at the time, only nine, and I have not seen Rehoboth beach since but I know soon my Dad and I will go down there again, together.