Page 32 of Social Sinners

I sat there with my mouth hanging open, staring blankly back at him.

He laughed, “Here, watch me.” I watched as he paddled further out as a wave built up stamina a couple hundred feet away from him. Dan turned his board and began paddling ahead of it. It basically scooped him up at the same time he perfectly popped up on his board, steadied himself and rode it ashore.Fucking awesome.

A few minutes later, he rejoined me. “See, nothing to it,” he said, smiling from ear to ear.

“Nothing to it for someone who’s not top heavy,” my upper body was going to be the biggest challenge when it came to balancing myself once I was vertical.

“Nah man, if you pick easy waves the first few times, you’ll be able to ride them all the way in. That’ll give you the ability to build up stamina and work your way up to the larger waves. Then it won’t be as overwhelming. You’re gonna wipe out, it’s inevitable. If you lose your balance, or the wave dies down, jump away from the board over the wave out into the open ocean area. The best way to fall is to the side of the board or to the back if you can. Cover your head with your arms as you go. Don’t fight the water, let the wave carry you and slowly swim up toward the surface. When you climb back up, pull your leash up with you, so it doesn’t whip around and hit you or anyone else near you. Use your hands to feel around so you don’t get hit by the board because it’ll be coming back up with you and will knock your ass out.”

“Yeah, I’d like to keep my face intact and my body full of life.” Fuck man, he made it sound so easy but sitting out here in the wide open was starting to feel a bit…overwhelming.

“You’ve got this, I saw you practicing this morning, and your form is tight. Come on, let’s paddle out. There’s a small one heading our way that’s perfect for your first.”

We paddled out, but my nerves got the best of me, and as soon as the wave came, I tried to stand up too fast and beefed it. The board stayed up, and I didn’t fall far beneath the surface, so it wasn’t too bad but still humiliating, nonetheless.

“Next time lean your body into the turn and keep yourself centered on the boardeven weight distribution is the key. Try turning when you can, let your body be the guide and tilt one rail of the board into the face of the wave but maintain your balance.”

The mechanics to this were far more intense than I anticipated. I probably should’ve done more research first.

“Don’t give up, it’s just like drumming,” he smiled at me.

“Ahh, someone knows their way around Google,” I laughed.

“You looked familiar, so I had to find out who you were. Okay, get back on the horse and let’s go again. No one and I do mean no one, gets it the first time around,” Dan informed me. I wasn’t sure if I found this bit of information comforting or not.

I lost count of how many times he had me get back up on the proverbial horse. By the time we came ashore, my ass was wiped out. I dropped down on the sand, and Easton said the magic words that brought me back to life.

“Lunch is ready, and you’re too big for me to carry, so get your ass up.” Dan cracked up, I shot Easton the international symbol for love in the form of a single middle finger salute as I picked myself up, swatted his ass, and sprinted inside.

“Is he always like this?” I heard Dan ask him as they neared the house.

“Always, and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” Easton replied.

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