It was early morning when I started off, surfboard in hand, from Auntie's house. I had been missing the water ever since I got to Sunset beach the day before. Unfortunately, I had wasted all the prime surf time recuperating from both a long flight, and a change in time zones. This morning, I was headed to Surfers Paradise Hotel. Not only were there supposed to be better waves over there, but also my cousin was working there as a bellhop. I hadn't seen him in years. When Auntie said that he was a live-in worker down there, I almost gagged on my dinner. I just couldn't imagine Broseph like that. Although, I could see how 24-hour beach access could be a great motivator. Unfortunately, in order to get to Surfers Paradise I had to take a Whale bus that ironically made me feel just like one of the tourists I had made fun of in Waikiki. At least the driver seemed chill, he was a laid back guy named Kahuna. I smiled and introduced myself calmly before taking my seat on the bus.
As I road the short distance from the pier to the resort I couldn't help but note how funny it was going from one Sunset beach to another. The Sunset beach I knew and loved was in North Shore, Oahu. And to tell the truth I felt a little out of place among the pine forests of Sunset Beach, Canada. Even so, it was still breathtaking in its own way. It was my first time in a long time seeing a real evergreen forest, and I quickly got lost in thought while staring out into the fir trees that lined the road. I was a little unsure about leaving Oahu for the summer, although, maybe it would be good to experience something new.
By the time I arrived at the beach it was already 6:45 am. I walked around the hotel and along the beach until I was a little distance away. Dumping my tie-string bag onto the sand, I took off my white spaghetti string tank top to reveal my light blue bikini. My friends back home always said that it complemented my dark skin perfectly, but because I'm not really into all that fashion stuff, I just had to take their word for it. I liked to keep it simple, and thinking of "cute outfits" or accessories was just too much effort for someone who would just end up taking it all off to surf anyways.
I sat down on the sand, and gave my black locks a quick toss over my shoulder to get them out of my way. Despite the fact that it reached my hips, my hair never really bothered me too much, probably because I was so used of them. Besides once I got it wet it would be even less of an issue. Once I was situated in front of my board I began to wax it; first in circles, then side to side. I traced the three large orange triangles as I continued to wax the light yellow board. It was on the smaller side and looked pretty retro compared to a lot of the newer designs I had seen in the shops in town. However it used to be my dad's, so how could I not love it? I wondered how he was doing without me at home. No doubt the family was just waking up to go for a surf now. I would have to give them a call later.
Once my board was waxed to my liking, I took a moment to sit back and watch the waves. It would be stupid to just go out without at least observing what the waves were like first. After all, I hadn't surfed here in at least 6 years so I wanted to be a little extra cautious. The surf looked beautiful; the waves were perfectly sculpted and beckoning for me to ride them. It only took me a few minutes to get an idea of what the surf would be like, and then I decided it was time to test them out for real. I took off my jean short shorts in one quick motion, throwing them towards the direction of my bag. I didn't have the willpower to resist the waves any longer.
One good thing about this beach was that there wasn't nearly as much reef as there was in Hawaii, so I didn't need to paddle out as far. I saw a small wave coming at me, instinctively I pushed my board down in order to pass under it. Once I was far enough out it was time to play the waiting game until there was a good set. I glimpsed around for other people to see if there was a line up. Only three other guys were out right now, although it sounded like there were 10 of them with all the noise they were making. I was a little surprised there weren't more people out surfing. I didn't really want a huge line up, but I didn't want to be the only one that had to put up with these obnoxious guys either.
It only took a few minutes for a good set to build up. I checked to make sure the wave wasn't already claimed, glimpsing at my noisy neighbors who seemed to be taking a drink break on their boards. My excitement began to build as I began paddling for the wave. Once I knew I had gotten it, all my instincts took over. I slid back and popped up, taking a few moments to center myself. Then with nothing to hold me back, I let it all out. My muscles ached for a cutback, and I happily obliged. Even if I was miles from home, the ocean always made me feel at ease. Once I knew I had ridden out the wave I sat up on my board and looked back at my neighbors who were getting ready to ride the other waves down. I decided to paddle a little ways away to give myself a better buffer zone between them. There was a lot of unclaimed beach and a small amount of surfers. No reason I should sit in a line up next to them when I could move a little ways away, and give both groups more surf time.
Once I was a good distance from the other guys I waited for a sweet wave. Looking back toward the beach, I noticed a small group of people walking toward the hotel. They still had their surfboards in hand, so they were either guests or employees. I strained my eyes attempting to see if any of them were Broseph. After I didn't see his poufy hair, I figured he probably wasn't with them. I turned my attention back to the ocean and was happy to see a wave coming in with my name on it. I positioned myself and was ready to go again. This was going be a bigger one than before, and probably last a little longer. I started paddling and when the moment was right I popped up again. I did another cutback turn to gain speed, and then I preformed a perfect aerial reverse.
I was really feeling this wave and setting up to see if I could do one more maneuver when I caught a face full of spray, and fell into the water. When I resurfaced I quickly reach for my board and braced myself for the next wave as it came crashing down. It hurt a lot more than I had expected. I guess I still wasn't used to these waves yet. When I had finally managed to get out of the break zone I searched for the culprit. I finally spotted him paddling back out to rejoin the other guys, the ones who I had tried so hard to avoid.
"He dropped in on me," I whispered to myself, almost in disbelief. I looked around in a vain attempt to judge if maybe I was at fault for not swimming far enough away. But alas it was true. He had broken the one true rule of the world. Never drop in on someone else's wave. I smacked the water with my fist in anger. "Fantastic," I said gritting my teeth in annoyance. I already missed a great day of surfing and now my session was being interrupted by some… some... KOOKS! I considered paddling back out, but Auntie would make me into her famous jambalaya if I got into a fistfight on my first day. So I reluctantly decided I would just find a new spot further away. Being loud and obnoxious was one thing, but did they have to drop in too?
After I had grabbed my board and walked out of the water, I started up the beach to find my bag. I struggled in a sorry attempt not glimpse out at the kooks that had stolen my wave. I didn't want to give them any more of my time than what they had already taken. I knelt down on the warm sand to collect my few scattered belongings. I had just finished shoving my shorts into the bag when a smooth voice caught my attention.
"Those were some great moves out there," the masculine voice said with enthusiasm. I looked up and found myself staring at the face of a guy about my age. I gazed at him for only a moment before turning my attention back to my bag. "Thanks," I said smiling to myself as I tightened the straps, effectively closing the bag. I instantly thought back to my performance, and wondered what it must have looked like from his point of view. Unfortunately, all I could imagine was how dumb I must have looked when I fell off. I was a little glad that I had a reason for my face to be looking elsewhere, or I might have blushed in embarrassment.
"That kook dropped in on me though," I said, only allowing a trace amount of annoyance into my voice.
"Yeah, I saw that too," he said apologetically, "that was really un-cool. I hope they aren't going to be staying long," he said glancing in their direction, before turning back to me. "Are you okay by the way? It looks like you got really worked by some of those waves," he asked his eyebrows furrowing a little in sympathy.
"I'm okay, just a little peeved is all," I said standing up. I turned to face him, placing my hand comfortably on my hip. "I mean he's not the first kook I've met, and he wont be the last," I said letting my irritation out a little more. It made me feel better to vent a some frustration, but I tried my best to not seem as pissed as I truly was.
The short lull in the conversation provided time to get a better look at whom I was talking to. My eyes danced around at his features, from his light brown hair to his purple eyes. It was in that moment that I noticed what he was carrying. "What's with the camera," I asked a little more skeptically than I had intended.
"Oh, I make surf videos," he said excitingly. My face must have given away what I was thinking, because he immediately reassured me. "Relax, I'm not some creeper," He said flashing me a quick smirk as if this could clear any doubts I had.
"I was actually wondering if you might let me film you surfing," he asked promptly with a cute smile. I froze a little at his sudden question, my eyes looking away in discomfort. He must have sensed my distress because he took a small step back.
"Oh, sorry. I guess that does sound a little strange when we have just met huh," he said without showing any noticeable embarrassment. He seemed like a nice guy, but for all I knew he could be a pervert or a stalker disguised as a "good guy".
"Don't worry 'bout it. It's just… I don't really like to surf for stuff like that," I said giving him an awkward smile in the attempt to be polite. I quickly turned away and picked up my bag.
"Even if I did…" I said pausing for a moment to choose my next words wisely, "I'm not so sure if I would for a random person I met on the beach. Stranger danger ya know?"
I wondered if I was being too mean, but I thought he ought to know that he was making me feel a little uneasy. I started to walk away, only managing to take a few steps when I heard him utter in a sincere carefree voice, "Sorry. I hope to see you again sometime."
I knew what he meant, but his statement didn't exactly help his case against being a creep. Without looking back, I gave him a lazy wave goodbye and continued down the beach.
I surfed for a while in a more private spot I had found a little ways away. Even missing one day made me feel a little out of shape. While I surfed I couldn't help but over examine my conversation with the camera dude. Was I too rude? Should I have responded differently? I wonder if he thought I was a jerk. I continued to scrutinize myself all morning until early afternoon when I decided I was done for the time being. I walked along the beach until I was back in the front of the hotel at the bus stop. I heard the behemoth of a bus before I saw it. It was impossible to not notice the roaring engine as it made its way to a squeaky halt. It was definitely in need of a new muffler, or was that supposed to be whale noises? Either way, I didn't want to know. "Hey Wahine! How was the surf?" Kahuna asked as the doors opened. I climbed and flashed him a sly smile, "Pretty good. You gonna go out?" I asked.
"Of course, one more round trip to the pier then I take my surf break," he replied in a relaxed tone.
"Lucky me that I caught you then," I said while letting myself sprawl out onto one of the seats. I too wanted to enjoy a little break before I headed off to work. I had promised Auntie I would help in her surf store today, because well, I didn't have much else to do with Broseph working at the resort and all. When I had finally reached the pier I hopped off after thanking Kahuna, and started towards the Surf Shack. It was on the main strip that looked onto the beach, so it wasn't too far from where I was let off.
Unfortunately, it was a lot harder to find than I thought, mostly because it was one of many surf stores in town. Of course if anyone asked me though, the Surf Shack would be the best, hands down. When I finally found it, I wondered how I could have ever missed it in the first place. The shop had two large totem poles outside and a tree growing in the center. The inside the shop, was a decent size. The swim suit collection alone was impressive. Along the left hand wall there was a long row of surfboards, and on the other side were three dressing rooms for the swimsuits.
I placed my board in the back among the unopened storage boxes, and in the privacy of the 'employees only' room, changed into my "Surf Shack" tee-shirt. Once I was finished Auntie gave me the employee rundown. She wasn't as laid back as Broseph, but she wasn't a tyrant either. The job was pretty standard, man the cashier, help customers, and stock the shelves. My shift was only 4 hours, but even so I had a lot of down time which I happily spent skimming the surf magazines near the register, or looking through swim suits. If this was how my summer was going to be, it was going to go by at a snail's pace.
Author's Note:
Hello, this is my first Fan Fiction. I originally posted this one a couple days ago, but after re-reading it again when I wasn't dead tired, I realized there were a few things I wanted to change or write differently. I'll put notes at the bottom of some chapters to explain some of the Hawaiian terms or customs I mention thought the story. However, if there is one not mentioned that you don't understand, then just hit me up in a message.
Anyways, I hope you liked it. Be sure to tell me what you think.
