Boardwalk Break

I hauled a bright striped cotton napkin out past the screen door and shook it flat across the sun-warmed flagstones. No timers, no sprint drills this afternoon. I rolled a smooth, round river pebble into the top crease to serve as an angled headrest, then kicked back against the woven fabric. The cotton soaked up the midday heat like a private stretch of boardwalk. I nudged my sunglasses down just enough to shield my eyes, clasped both hands behind my head, and let my ankles cross loosely over the fringe. For twenty uninterrupted minutes, my only assignment was watching fluffy white clouds drift over the roofline.