Tides

“Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon and the Sun and the rotation of the Earth.”

            “Nana, are you ready?” I say this quietly so I wont startle her and bend down so she knows I am talking to her.

            “I guess so,” she mumbles in a defeated unenthused voice, I know exactly how she feels. I bend down farther and gently place my hands on each side of her tiny waist. She doesn’t look up at me; she just hangs her head and waits.

            “One, two, three,” I say loudly this time and hoist her out of the wooden rocking chair, it takes a few lonely swings back and forth as though trying to convince her to sit back down. I hold on to her arm, a support for both of us. My mom hurries out onto the porch, my grandpa in tow.

            “Stay close to Poppy,” I feel my mom’s breath warm and frenzied on my ear as she whispers his to me. I walk slowly over to stand next to my grandpa picking up a glass of water to make my change in position look casual.

              “While tides are usually the largest source of short-term sea-level fluctuations, sea-levels are also subject to forces such as wind and barometric pressure changes resulting in storm surges, especially in shallow sea and near coasts.”

            My mom takes my grandma’s arm and begins leading he down the steep narrow stairs. Next goes my grandpa, and I follow behind him, never touching. He hobbles down each step slowly and when he reaches the bottom, he bends down to rest his withered hands on his knees and catch his breath. His breathing comes in long gasps and he waits a while before straightening up again. He turns to my grandma and says lightly “You ready?”

            She replies with a nod, and we all start to walk again in the same order, my mom and her mothering front followed by my grandpa and finally, me.

            “The sun exerts a less powerful gravitational attraction on the Earth, which results in a secondary tidal effect. When the Earth, Moon and Sun are approximately   aligned these two tidal effects reinforce one another (resulting in higher highs and lower lows).

            Were sitting on the wooden boardwalk now, waiting for my grandparents to catch their breath and rest. They sit side by side in big wooden chairs that have been there forever. My mom pulls out a bottle of sunscreen and begins to apply it liberally to her mother’s face.

            “You missed some spots,” I say, trying not to laugh because I’m not sure if it’s funny. She looks around and sees that I’m right; there are globs un-rubbed-in sunscreen all over her thin wrinkled skin.

“You look like a ghost, mom,” she laughs and in a moment of complete realness and presence, my grandma turns to her husband of 54 years and says “Boo!”

            He looks at her for a moment, and then begins to laugh heartily. We all laugh for what seems like forever, and then it’s over.

            “On the opposite side of the Earth, the water is at it’s farthest from the moon, so it is pulled less; at this point, the Earth moves more toward the Moon than the water does, causing that water to rise as well.

            “Did we already go for a walk?”

            “No dad, we were just about to,” my mom answers him with tired enthusiasm. We all start to get up and move in the same procession towards the steps down to the beach.

            My mom walks my grandma down to the sand first, and for a moment she stumbles and I feel helpless. She manages to get her balance back and stands to the side so my grandpa can make his way down. I hold my breath as I walk behind him, flinching every time he looks unstable. He makes it down and my mom and I both let our breath out simultaneously.

            They walk along the beach at a slow pace, my mom and her parents. I walk behind them, just in case.