Page 99 of Everything That Kills Me
“It’s like Force Ten!”
Jack laughed. “It’s a gentle offshore breeze. Perfect for surfing, not so good for kite surfing. We don’t have to do everything in one day.”
They left their things on the Adirondack chairs and walked down to the water with the surfboards. Jack ran through the basics as they went.
“All you’re going to do is get the hang of catching the wave at the right time and riding in on your stomach. Don’t worry about trying to stand up yet.”
“I’m not going to be able to do that today. Am I?”
“Yes.”
Zeph gulped. “Really?”
They walked into the sea.
“You learnt to ride a bike, you can stand up on a surfboard. You’ve got a great sense of balance. We’ll stay in shallow water. Once you’ve figured out the way the waves break, and when to catch them, you’ll be fine. Okay. This is deep enough.”
Jack sat on his board and watched as Zeph lay on his.
“I’ll tell you when to start paddling this first time. Watch the waves with me.”
Zeph turned and looked back.
“Now! Paddle! Faster! Let the wave carry you in.”
Zeph caught the breaking edge perfectly and Jack watched as he bodysurfed all the way to the shore. Zeph was beaming as he came splashing back.
“Well done. Keep doing that for a while, then I’ll show you how to pop up.”
They rode the next wave in together, Jack lying on his stomach too and Zeph fell off laughing in the shallows. “This is fun.”
Jack realised he’d stopped thinking about the rules and was just enjoying himself.
As they headed back into the sea, Zeph said, “Show me how it’s done then.”
“You have to be quick when you get on the board. Learning how to do in shallow water makes it look easier than it is. It’s harder when it’s deeper, but the ride is longer. Watch what I do, how I position my feet.”
Jack caught the wave, jumped up and rode it in. There was something magical about riding the sea like this. He didn’t really need the rash guard but he wanted Zeph to wear one. Zeph was wearing his, Jack wore Thomas’s. When the wave died to soft bubbles, he rolled off. He grabbed the board and turned to watch Zeph.
He wiped out three times, but on the fourth, he got it. He was on his feet, his stance shaky but he rode in. Jack waded through the surf to his side.
“Oh my God.” Zeph’s face was shining. “Did you see that?”
“I saw.”
“I was brilliant. Was I brilliant? I’m addicted. Come on, I want to do it again.”
There were a couple more failures before it became more unusual for himnotto catch the wave. It was the perfect afternoon.
As they sat on their boards, Zeph leaned over to kiss him and almost fell off. “Last run for me. I’m tired.”
“I’m going to go a little further out. Another couple of runs.”
“Okay.” Zeph made it to his feet again on the board, looking as if he’d been doing this all this life.
When Jack saw he was safely on the beach, he paddled out. The waves were bigger now and he was relieved Zeph had called it a day. Jack turned, sat on the board and waited. He had a great run in, looping his board up and down on the breaking wave until it lost its swell and the power faded.One more go.
Then one more.
