It was another calm summer night in the city of Beaufort, North Carolina. The waves from the ocean gently crashed against the soft sands of the beach. The lighthouse hummed as its light shone out to nearby ships, safely guiding sailors home. The soft breeze blew lightly through the wind chimes that hung from the porches. It was a perfect night for sailing.

     Rebecca Berdeaux lay awake in her room. Restlessness was a normal feeling for her on peaceful nights like this. She could never sleep well when her husband, Philip, was away for months like this. After lying in bed awake for several hours of she decided to go to the widow’s walk to watch the sea, something she did often. Being close to the ocean always made her feel close to Philip.

     Rebecca got out of bed and pulled on her white silk nightgown which gently flowed down her body and into place against her lightly tanned skin. As she headed out of the bedroom door she took a quick glance back at her nightstand at a picture of her husband in his captain’s uniform. She smiled as she continued to make her way up towards the widow’s walk feeling closer to him already.  When she got up on the widow’s walk the wind blew through her brunette hair and made her nightgown dance around her legs. She was already starting to feel calmer. She closed her hazel eyes and stood there enjoying the beautiful summer night.

     She walked closer to the railing and looked out toward the horizon. Then she saw something white in the distance.  Her heart started beating faster as the object became clearer to see. It was her husband’s ship; he was almost home. Rebecca did the only thing she could do: run. She ran as fast as she could out of the house, and started running toward the docks.

     There he was, standing next to the main mast looking at the blurry outline of buildings that appeared in the horizon. He sighed with relief, as the wind blew through his black hair. He grabbed his golden pocket watch studying it in his tan, calloused hands. This was the pocket watch Rebecca had given him. He always took it with him on his voyages out to sea. It made him feel closer to Rebecca. He put the pocket watch away and began to help his crew get ready to dock.

     After getting everything ready to dock, Philip looked back toward the horizon surprised to see how close he was to the city. He could see the docks, and all the houses perched along the beach. Then he saw something on the beach, something white, it appeared to be a person. He grabbed the closest telescope he could find, and looked back at the beach. It was Rebecca. Philip’s heart leaped with joy at the sight of his beloved wife. He ran to his cabin and put his pocket watch somewhere safe. Then he ran back on deck to find his first mate. He walked up to a blonde, blue eyed young man.

     “Anthony, I’m leaving the ship a bit early. You’re in charged until the boat is docked. I’ll be at the docks to help unload when the boat arrives.” Anthony just nodded his head.

     Then Philip grabbed a rope and jumped out into the sea. He started swimming as fast as he could. It didn’t seem long before his feet were able to reach the sand that connected the beach to the ocean. He could see Rebecca running toward him, and he started to run toward her. She leapt into his arms, and he spun her around holding her tightly. He gently put her down on the beach. The waves washed up around their feet. He held her head in his hands, and caressed her cheeks. Tears stared to run down her face. “I missed you so much” Rebecca chocked out, as Philip whipped her tears away. “I missed you too.” He replied.  Then he kissed her.  The kiss seemed to last an eternity that they both wished had never ended. “I love you,” Rebecca whispered.  “I love you too,” Philip said grabbing her hand. Then they both started walking toward the docks.