By DINA ARÉVALO
Port Isabel-South Padre Press
editor@portisabelsouthpadre.com
Spring Break is an American rite of passage for many. It’s a carefree time that represents some of the uninhibited last hurrahs before a young adult has to take on the mantle of responsibility that comes with growing up. On the beaches of South Padre Island, however, partying during Spring Break isn’t the only coming-of-age story being written.
Within a section of sandy beach smaller than a football field exist two realities. In one, affluent coeds with money to burn enjoy the bone-thumping beats of music blaring from a sound stage while the sweet and pungent smells of sunscreen, beer and marijuana float through the air. Bedecked in bikinis and swimming trunks, the revelers play drinking games, dance, laugh and take numerous selfies. They are oblivious to everything except the immediate.
Weaving among the crowd, however, are those who exist in the second reality. They are armed with black plastic trash bags and clothed in fluorescent colors as bright as those of the partiers around them. But rather than swimsuits, they wear t-shirts and shorts.
A glint of metal half buried in the packed sand catches the eye of one young girl. She rushes over to pick it up, bobbing between people who don’t see her. It’s a partially crushed beer can, which she plucks deftly from the ground before dropping it into a trash bag being held by a woman nearby.
Want the whole story? Pick up a copy of the Port Isabel-South Padre Press, or subscribe to our E-Edition by clicking here.