Set Pieces

This blog is called A Set Piece a Day for a good reason. I love the idea of set pieces. Little snippets of writing that tell simple stories without having to be too straight forward, or overly explained. Like little gems, set pieces glitter, and they enthralled me when I first heard about them in Language Arts. We got to try our hand at them, and I fell in love with the first one that I wrote:

It was cold. Strange for such a sunny city, but it was. I swam out far into the bay, the waves urging me on like playful nymphs, tugging me further out. I looked over, to assure myself that I was not alone. She was there, swimming by my side. We cut through the small swells, as smooth as the breeze. We began laughing with the joy of it all, effortlessly paddling out, further and further. We mused about going clear to the other side. Laughing some more, we began to swim back, as to not frighten our parents. The water was cold, but we didn't care. We were happy.

Now for the explanation. I spent the last week of summer in San Diego with my Dad's girlfriend and her daughter Kim (She is now my stepmother, and Kim is my stepsister). We were swimming in the bay by our hotel, and it was the first time that I truly connected with her. I had so much fun in San Diego. I decided to write about the one moment where we truly connected, and this was it.