Trust Me

Trust Me

His callused palm lingered beyond my reach, beckoning me to take hold. Raf was far away and I was not close enough to him to grab it. He was a few feet above me and the brown slab of rock that I jumped off of was slick from the splashes of salt water that sprayed us both. Raf warned me of the danger that the high tide brought around these rocks, but my adrenaline and stubbornness overpowered his concern.

Raf’s drifting eyes looked past me and I blinked away the stinging in my own

to notice the approaching wave that had caught his attention. His furrowed brow deepened as he thrust out his arm compulsively.

“Come on, now!” he urged. But along with the rocks, his hand was getting smaller as the forceful tide carried me helplessly backwards to be pushed along with the impending swell.

My breaths became short and quick, intensifying the constricted feeling in my chest. I did not want to be engulfed by the ocean’s vast waters. Out there was gloomy and unfamiliar. Ten feet below yielded the unknown and I wasn’t keen on discovering it.

The concrete wall of water slammed against my back, disrupting my state of mind. I was enveloped by the wash of blue that shut my eyes closed. The ocean’s heavy gravitational pull dragged me down, into its abyss. Raf exclaimed something encouraging that was muted by the flood of water in my ears. I relaxed my body against the tumbling current and it drifted me towards him. My arms and legs worked past exhaustion to orient myself to the surface, which now displayed no sign of the furious swell that had just passed. Coughing out the salty ocean water in my throat, I located Raf, whose hand was now almost close enough to grab.

“I can pull you up!” he shouted at me. I wasn’t doubting his ability. Along with my other cousins, he was a passionate hiker and always outdoors. Weekends of sweat and adventure were evident in his arms and legs. I was jealous of his independence as an adult but admired his teenage-like spirit. “Please let me help you,” he pleaded. But it wasn’t that I wanted to get out of the water by myself; the thought of getting slammed against the piercing cliff edge was more than enough to make me hesitate. Its danger was displayed by the red streak of blood from Raf’s knees that painted its dark brown canvas.

As I swam closer to the cluster of rocks, strands of hair clung to my face, but I could not afford to pick up my treading arms to pull them away. High tide was unpredictable around this area and small waves on their way back from hitting the rocks could turn into huge ones at any moment. Raf inched forward on his knees and stretched his arm out to its full length. One wrong move and he would be in the water as well. I pulled my right arm out of the water and we were two feet away. The backsplash of the current was stronger now as I neared the knife-like edge of the cliff. We were one foot away. I kicked one last time and our fingers touched.

“Trust me,” Raf persisted. I looked up into demanding brown eyes that bore the image of my apprehensive self. My reflection mirrored my feelings - shaky, powerless, and weary. It was interesting how unalike we were in this moment. I was cautious and he was bold. But it was no time to be hesitant. It would not be long until another wave crashed against the rocks, this time, pulling me with it. Every second was critically important, and if I waited too long, time would be the deciding factor between my life or death. I grimaced at the idea. The only way to escape the dangerous waters was to take a risk and put my trust in Raf. Despite my worry, I grasped his firm hand. And just like that, I was hauled forward onto solid ground. I ignored the scrapes on my exposed body, whose little streaks of red were being washed away into the earth. The salty air blew discomfort into them, but the irritation was nothing compared to the panic I felt in the ocean. My anxiety was slowly dissipating as I reminded myself of the safe position I was in. I shivered and wrapped my arms around my body. Raf helped me up and we shifted our position farther from the cliff’s edge. His company was relieving and soothing.

“You’re fine now,” he assured me. My sigh gave way to a smile. I was lucky to have such a heroic cousin who protected me like a sister. I turned to him.

“Thank you,” I replied. I looked out at the horizon. The sky was painted pink, orange, and yellow, turning the water into a safer shade of blue. My heartbeats still echoed the wave’s crests. They seemed calm now.