Eventually

        Two friends sat on a paddle board, the waves of the lagoon lapping gently along the sides. It was 8:30 pm and the sun was only beginning to set, and the water was warm and eerily inviting. One friend looked at the other and asked,

        “What word scares you the most?”

        “What word?” replied the other friend, confused by the question.

        “I don’t know, like, what word gives you chills? Or makes you cringe?”

        The second friend thought about it for a second. The waves continued to lap against the paddle board, and the sun continued to set.

        “Eventually,” she said, looking out towards the neck of the lagoon. Towards the ocean.

        “Eventually?”

        “Yeah, eventually.” Why eventually? It seemed like a false promise. It seemed open ended. Like something that would never be real but always had the potential. The paddle board floated out slowly towards the ocean, and the friend stretched their arms out as far as possible. “Eventually, I’ll get better.”