Espresso & Fossils
My last day in Wrightsville Beach is reminiscent of my first: scorching hot and unbearably humid, but with a bright sunshine that compensates for the July heat. In an effort to create something tangible to summarize the last four years, I decide to spend my final afternoon wandering the island with a disposable camera.
I walk along North Lumina Avenue and Waynick Boulevard, photographing the houses, bars, and lifeguard stands that have become the setting for hundreds of stories. Although I am walking alone with a disposable camera, I actually do not feel out of place. It’s July, tourist season. Today, I am no more than another anonymous person passing through trying to document the simple perfection of Wrightsville Beach.
Halfway through my expedition, the heat gets to me. I duck into a new coffee shop — The Workshop. This is not your typical trendy coffee shop where bearded hipsters shell out $6 for a cup of coffee. The Workshop is the embodiment of the passionate and adventurous spirit of Wrightsville Beach. The space itself is small, calming, and welcoming. The signage outside reads “The Workshop: Espresso. Fossils.” The shop is adorned with shark teeth, ranging from small to mighty — some even from the elusive Megalodon shark.
The shop owner is a jovial woman with a slight accent — maybe French. Earlier this year, she opened the shop to bring her two passions, coffee and scuba diving, together. All of the fossils in the store were recovered during her dives. She makes some of them into unique pieces of jewelry. Others are magnificent enough to display in their natural state.
I order a smoothie called “The Tower”, and it is one of the most delicious drinks I’ve ever had. Bananas, peanut butter, and chocolate milk blend together for the perfect cure to a hot Wrightsville day.
I sit down at the small bar and begin reading a local magazine. About two feet from me sits a woman, probably in her mid thirties, working on a laptop.
After about ten minutes, she turns to me with a grin and says “So I’m guessing you live here?”
Confused, I just kind of smile back. She continues “I can tell by your tan. It’s easy to tell the locals from the tourists, because all of you have beautiful, tan skin.”
Talk about an ego boost.
Not wanting to admit to her, or myself, that I am moving away in the morning, I thank her and tell her that, yes, I do live here. She tells me that she has just moved to Chapel Hill from Minneapolis and that she is trying to enjoy some beach days before it gets too cold. I tell her that she can easily enjoy Wrightsville Beach through September, and her face lights up.
She goes on to say how surprised she is that Wrightsville flies so under the radar. We continue talking, and I tell her that is the thing I like about it the most. I love how it is an island solely for those who seek it out. There are no high rise resort hotels, no Señor Frogs, and no tacky tourist shops (except, maybe, for Wings). Instead, we have coffee shops that also sell shark teeth, bars that admit dogs, and a tex mex restaurant where shoes are absolutely optional. Wrightsville Beach is magic. The people, the ocean, the culture. Magic.
I finish my smoothie and continue on my journey, snapping photos and coming to peace with my move. As I wrap up my afternoon, I realize that I truly do belong in Wrightsville Beach, and the sting of goodbye dulls. I know that this will always be home. My chosen hometown. It will always be a part of me.
Yesterday, while sitting in my suburban Boston kitchen, I receive an automated phone call telling me my photos are ready for pickup. I drive to CVS and open them in the parking lot. I am instantly taken back to this day. I am reminded of the bright sun, my conversation in the coffee shop, the taco I ate that night for dinner, and the friends I will never forget.
That island beach town prepared me for the next chapter of my life. I had the rare experience of “growing up” on an island alongside my best friends. I am forever thankful for those years at the beach, beacause now, as I enter the “real world”, I get to bring the magic of Wrightsville Beach with me.
