Silvia and Cosmo visit one of Silvia’s friends in the lovely coastal town of Santa Cruz. Situated about 90 miles south of San Francisco, Santa Cruz is home to both a major university and a boardwalk filled with restaurants, shops and an amusement park. For Cosmo, his visit to this town marks the first time in his life that he sees the Pacific Ocean.
“He had never seen the Pacific Ocean before this day. It looked much different that the Atlantic Ocean, just as Santa Cruz looked much different from any town on the Jersey Shore. There were mountains that framed the ocean; the occasional rock protruding out of the sea, some covered with seals, others with pelicans; trees with branches of deep green that swept dramatically toward the ocean, as if being pulled by the endless body of water. But despite the vast differences between the Pacific Coast and the Jersey Shore, he couldn’t help but compare the two places, and being here reminded Cosmo of his childhood beach days. He’d sit there all day under the yellow and green striped umbrella, while little Vince built sand castles beside him. As a child, he couldn’t remember feeling asleep inside. He only remembered being alive and awake. But there had to have been a part of him that was numb, as he was so easily able to close out Frank when he was on a rampage. The others seemed to let him penetrate their skin. Maybe he really was sleeping through a lot of his childhood. Maybe that’s when he learned to go numb, to sleep, to be dull.”
This post is from my blog series on the places visited in the road trip story, “Discovery of an Eagle.”
Grace Mattioli is the author of the Greco Family Trilogy books, including Olive Branches Don’t Grow on Trees, Discovery of an Eagle, and The Bird that Sang in Color. These books are available from all major online book sellers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple Books.
