Resolutions – Short Story by Tolulope Popoola

This adventure had started on New Year’s Eve.

It was almost 10.00pm, meaning just a couple of hours until the New Year. All around me, there was a merry buzz, people drinking, dressed in party outfits, sparkly tops, oversized coloured glasses, party hats and headbands. Ladies were all glammed up, I could see everyone had put on their best glitter eye shadows and popping lipstick.

Another year has come and gone, I thought. But why am I still in the same place?

I turned my attention to my phone, as I waited for Sarah and her boyfriend Matthew to arrive. I didn’t want to get up so that I wouldn’t lose the table I had reserved for us. The bar was very busy, and people were hovering around, ready to claim any vacant spot.

I hadn’t planned to be here initially, but Sarah, my best friend who also happened to be my cousin, had insisted that I couldn’t be on my own on New Year’s Eve, simply because Stan, my ex-fiancé had decided he wasn’t ready to get married to me. She swore she didn’t mind me being a third wheel on their #CountdownNYE date.

“Nonsense,” she said when I protested weakly. “New Year’s Eve is a time to celebrate making it through another year!”

“But I barely made it through,” I said, thinking about all the nights that my pillow absorbed my tears, all the mornings I struggled to get up and go to work, feeling sick to my stomach. I still had the dark circles around my eyes, my hollow cheeks and pale skin to show how much I had lost myself.

“Then you also get a fresh start, so that you can step out of your rut and do something different.” Sarah continued. “Come on, please let’s go!”

So, I had agreed, and here I was.

“Excuse me Miss? Is this table taken?”

Two guys and a lady interrupted my thoughts. I looked up and blinked.

“Er, yes,” I said, collecting myself quickly. “I’m waiting for my friends.”

“Do you mind if we sit down for a bit?” One of the guys asked. “We are waiting for some people too; we will be happy to get up once your friends arrive.”

I nodded.

“It’s okay.”

They sat down, one of the guys next to me, and the other two opposite.

“I have to say, I love your top.” The girl said.

“Thank you.” I replied. “I like your dress.”

“My name is Annie, by the way. This is my boyfriend Josh, and my brother Cameron.”

I smiled at them. Cameron, who was seated next to me, offered me his hand.

“Nice to meet you. And you are…?”

“Danielle,” I said, shaking his hand. He smiled.

Over the next hour, we got chatting. They were surprisingly warm and interesting, and soon we were all getting along like we had known each other for a long time.

I checked my phone again to text Sarah and find out where she was. Then Cameron asked me, “Are you making any new year resolutions?”

“No, I haven’t thought about any.”

“We are all going to do this plunge in the sea to raise money for charity at the end of January. You should come.”

“What? That is so not what I would do.” I laughed.

“Yeah, it’s not something we all thought we were going to either,” Annie chipped in. “It is one of those bucket list items, doing something just once for the thrill of it.”

“And the best part, it’s also for a good cause!” Josh said.

I thought about it and decided, why not?

“Okay,” I said. “Tell me more about it.”

And that was how I found myself on the beach this freezing morning in swimwear, about to run into the ocean, with my new friends, plus Sarah and Matt. There was also a crowd of over two hundred people there, mostly spectators, but there were at least sixty of us going into the water.

I hadn’t expected this to be such a big deal, but apparently it was. News of #TheIcyPlunge had gone viral, and there were reporters covering the event, radio and even a film crew from the local TV station.

“Good morning, people!” a cheerful voice called. “Are you ready to take the plunge?”

We all shouted and pumped our fists in the air, the spectators cheered, and then the whistle blew!

The crowd around me surged. Cameron, Josh, and Annie linked arms with me and Sarah and Matt. We all giggled as we raced together into the water. The shock of the icy water hit me at first, and I almost panicked and turned back to the shore.  But then Cameron reached out to me, and I didn’t feel like running away. The shock gave away to excitement and exhilaration as the waves around us lifted me off my feet. Time seemed to slow down. I thought, this is the best experience of my life!

The whistle blew again, and it was time to come out of the water and head back to the shore. Shivering, freezing and tired, but feeling more alive than I had in a long time, I hugged Cameron and then the rest of the crew handed us towels and parkas and said we needed to hurry back into the warm coaches.

Later that evening, we were all in the same bar we had met on New Year’s Eve, celebrating, and planning our next adventure. A text message appeared on my phone.

It was from Stan.

“I just saw you on TV. Can we talk?”

Thank you for reading! Please comment and share! Happy New Year!