"THE AFFAIR" : MISSING SCENES.
"COLE'S STORY" from Episode Five (Part One).
Once Cole leaves Alison to go surfing early in the morning. What goes through his mind as soon as he gets outside?. Perhaps it might go a little something like this?. A look into the events which turned Cole into a surfer.
Part One Of Two : "Chasing Peter Pan's Shadow".
"You say you want some fun,
You're not the only one, not the only one.
You say, you wanna run,
You're not the only one, not the only one.
You will never get over me,
I'll never get under you.
Whenever our voices speak
It's never our minds that meet.
You say you've come undone,
You're not the only one, not the only one.
You will never get over me,
I'll never get under you.
Whenever our voices speak
It's never our minds that meet.
Lyrics by Paul Waaaktaar- Savoy.
From the CD "Minor Earth Major Sky"
By "A-HA".
Breathing in the air, filled with a salty tang with splashes of an unknown natural aroma and yet washed in a refreshing feeling, revitalising his senses, a sense of calmness settled snugly over Cole Lockhart as he took a few precious moments to take in his surroundings.
He liked being beside the ocean and on a morning like this one with the sun shining and the sea calling out to him, it seemed too good an opportunity not to miss to indulge in his favourite past time namely being a surfer and a pretty damn good one at that.
The only problem being that his involvement in running the family ranching business was taking its toll on his free time at the minute and not just that, it seemed running not just one side of a certain enterprise that was time consuming but there was another flip-side to this coin.
There was of course the "sideline" of the "other" business that he was involved with that was also restricting his down time but had to be attended to otherwise the income that the Lockhart ranch was funded with could come crashing down at any given moment such was the nature of the enterprise of being involved with illegal narcotics.
Being the older brother, Cole had taken it upon himself as a matter of pride but also as a duty of the first born son and his father's wishes that everything was his responsibility and his alone. Truthfully he wasn't a criminal master-mind, a dealer or even remotely interested in screwing with coke in any way shape or form. No, it was merely a way to keep funding his family ranch, a ranch which had been in his family for seven generations and just like most businesses in and around Montauk, feeling the pinch and tightening of the belt throughout those long months when the tourists and vacationers from the city were away back to their busy lives and waiting for the more lucrative summer season months to come back.
Cole had to keep a clear mind and head on his shoulders, not just as a shrewd rancher and respected business man in the community but also being a surfer, his favourite hobby needed a degree of concentration, poise and balance to be able to ride the waves safely and his judgement had to be as clear and as sharp as glass.
Drugs were a necessary financial life line to fund the ranch and keep his family with a roof over their heads and nothing more but to Cole that's all they were. Of course he had regrets about this "vocation", his brothers were all in on the operation as was his wife Alison, a lovely little "family" run business it seemed but unity was the only way to make this thing work and it was better to keep it in the family rather than let any strangers in. "lockharts" throughout the years had run such enterprises and "side line" businesses. His father, grandfather and great grandfather all had their own extra curricular activities and he was no different to them, only in the choice of illegal substance stood out in Cole's case. No other Lockhart had gone into drug dealing before and that was what made it so lucrative from Cole's point of view. No-one else had dared try it and that's why it was working out for him and his family, so far anyway.
Cole's thoughts turned away from the "family business" and back to his wife as he opened his eyes and returned to the "here and now" standing out in front of the beach house property he shared with his wife and a pang of regret seemed to disrupt his buoyant mood from minutes before.
"Alison", his wife's name fell from his lips regretfully, a little mournfully even as he turned to look back inside the house where she was. Supposedly she had said that she couldn't sleep and had said she was going back to bed to catch a few extra hours shut eye.
Of course in his haste to catch the sun and the surf, Cole had forgotten the most important item that he couldn't go surfing without and had been lax in forgetting to attend to the task of waxing his board before hitting the waves.
He'd meant to do this the other night but what with the meeting in the fire station and all that was going on regarding Oscar Hodges latest business venture, the task of waxing his most treasured surf board had fallen down his list of priorities and he cursed the fact that life seemed to be getting more in the way of trying to catch some much needed "down time".
Heading back inside, much to his surprise, his wife instead of lying in bed and catching up on some much needed shut-eye was up and dressed, looking through her wardrobe at her small collection of dresses.. A look of guilt, he swore was etched on her features, knowing that she'd been caught out by a lie and wondering how she could try and effortlessly glide over the fact that she'd been caught out red handed.
Cole decided to spare her the embarrassment of fumbling over a half-baked apology and save himself the ensuing fall out of trying to get to the bottom of the "little white lie". Alison always did as she pleased and even though this irked him and got under his skin and SHE KNEW IT as well, he was in no mood for going ten rounds in the verbal sparring ring at this point in the day.
"I always love you in that dress", he told her, trying to smooth over any gaping cracks that were threatening to erupt at any given moment between them, leaving her to do whatever it was she was planning to do and giving him some breathing space to try and get his head together. She was wearing a lilac/lavender dress, one which was his particular favourite as the colour showed off his beautiful wife to the waiting world outside their door. He wanted to tell her that, but somehow the words got lost in his haste to escape the situation he now found himself in. He wasn't good with words or a compliment, it was something that came to him naturally in the past, but that had been a better time, unfettered by grief and utter desolation. Both himself and his wife were now in much darker waters and struggling to get normality back in their fractured lives.
The jar of wax retrieved from the dressing table near the bed now firmly in his possession and without any other words spoken but a mutual respect lingering in the air, both it seemed were intent on going their separate ways for the rest of the morning.
The sun's rays hit Cole's skin as soon as he got outside bringing his tattoos into sharper focus, almost giving a three dimensional look to them as they came alive,colours seemingly newly etched and painted, seeping into the canvas of his lower back and torso. They were the marks which defined his character and inner most thoughts, telling their own story about the man that he was and had become over the years.
The first inking had been his "surfer's totem", a rite of passage as a surfer and one which he had gotten as soon as he was deemed "legal" enough to do so, much to his parent's disapproval and consternation. This tattoo protected him whilst riding the waves on his board, giving him the protection he needed against "Mother Nature's" changeable moods. The second of his markings was a matter closer to his heart, one which he could never find the true words to describe, perhaps "actions" were more of his strong point rather than words or careful thought for that matter. The WHY of the tattoo and the woman who had put it there and the loss of his only child was inked into his skin as a permanent reminder of two important people in his life who he had lost in tragic circumstances and was one which he wore as a badge of remembrance to them both.
Stoically and just what was expected of him as a man, he just had to pick up the pieces of his life and try to stay strong for everyone around him despite occasional cracks in his mental, spiritual and emotional self defences from time to time. Mainly he did it not for himself, but for Alison as he knew she was emotionally fragile but he just couldn't seem to reach her.
Cole hated walking on eggshells around his wife. Time had passed since the death of their son Gabriel and although it seemingly LOOKED on the surface that they were both dealing with their only child's sudden death, inwardly and psychologically both of them were broken individuals trying to deal with it as best as they could in their own ways.
Alison seemed to have just shut herself down over the whole "grieving" process, Cole could see the haunted and sometimes blank expression that would glaze over his wife's features from time to time. Triggered by Gabriel's name, a memory or even passing a child resembling their missing youngster was enough to turn Alison from a balanced individual into something which frankly Cole just could not and was mostly unwilling to face at the best of times.
Yes, he'd seen the scars that littered her skin of her legs and upper thighs, he wanted to ask and part of him wanted to understand WHY on earth she could do this to herself but he was no shrink and he was just as messed up in his own head, battling his own demons and cutting himself open but in a completely different manner than his wife was physically doing.
Cole shook away his thoughts momentarily, admonishing himself mentally for dwelling on matters that were only bringing his own mood down. If he didn't snap out of it then it would be like a dark cloud overshadowing him all day long and looking up into the sky and seeing the sun shining back, it was certainly a day for banishing the world and its cares and heading out for the freedom of the ocean.
Bringing his best olive-green long board from its resting place nearby, Cole decided that the sooner this board was waxed and ready to go, the better. Already he had prepared his board to be re-waxed and all he had to do was scrape off the old wax and recoat his beloved board, ready for action.
Ranch work could wait for the morning and besides, he'd have to pop over there later on anyway. Scotty, his younger brother had texted him earlier on saying that some of the vegetation on several of the trail rides was getting overgrown. That was another job which demanded his attention as well as the usual ins and outs of a working ranch and despite Cole being the older brother, Scotty, Caleb and Hal had their own lives to lead outside of the business as well and hired help was expensive these days. Cheapest option was to do it all "in house" really as keeping "it in the family", besides, there were some "off trails" on the ranch that Cole preferred that were left alone. The "off shoot" of the family business was one which was dangerous and besides, if things did go pear shaped, the last place to look would be in any overgrown and hard to reach place on the sprawling property that was the family home and business. However, work could wait and it was time to get down to more relaxing frame of mind and headspace.
"I think it's about time we got re-acquainted there. Am I forgiven?. I guess I've been neglecting you haven't I?", Cole spoke gently, almost apologetically talking to his favourite surfboard and letting his hands run over the sandy, gritty and rough contours of the painted fibre-glass as if he were handling a rare and precious artifact from a by-gone era. First of all he was checking for any damage to his favourite board despite the fact that he hadn't been surfing for several days. A metal comb, he kept in his pocket was going to come in handy as his board needed to be prepared for re-waxing. The early morning sunshine, sand and the heat had already done most of the work he needed to do. A few strokes here and there and his board would be done in no time and retrieving his comb from the back pocket of his surfing shorts, he began to scrape off the old coating of wax from his board.
A couple of scrapes in and he realised that sand and wax would probably flying everywhere and besides, the sleeves of his zip top despite getting rolled up his arms to keep them out of the way were just going to do exactly that and get in the way. Despite it being just after 6am, Cole decided that it was warm enough to forgo the top and let the sun warm his skin. Besides, it would save the top from snagging on any edges of the metallic comb he was using and anyway, after his board was re-waxed, he'd be letting the ocean wash away the sand and wax that inevitably would gather and stick in his hair and beard and everywhere else it seemed to stick.
Unzipping the top he had been wearing, he casually threw it to the side and continued with the task of scraping and alternately smoothing over the surface he was working on. The surfing necklace he wore intermittently clinking against the fibreglass, creating a little hollow sound every time he moved or shifted direction. Leaning into the board and feeling the sensation of rough and smooth surfaces made a slight shiver ripple over his own bare skin. Getting up close and personal with his board was almost as seductive as dancing a tango and seducing a beautiful woman, having her in his arms and whispering all the right words in her ear, falling softly, like a caress onto her skin and weaving a spell that would eventually entwine their souls in that moment as one whole being.
Well, that was how his surfing instructor had explained it to him all those years ago, just as he was shy of his tenth birthday. "Ozzie" certainly had quite a vivid and elaborate vocabulary at his disposal and the man never did quite draw the line between where surfing ended and chasing and seducing the opposite sex began, but he had been one hell of a surfer and one which had influenced the younger Cole that summer and the subsequent four after that when he and his "surfer" gang had hit the beaches of "Montauk". Back then he and his dad would go riding out by the beach as the summer folks started to find their way back into their small tight-knit community and he would remember, back in those days most of them by name.
Cole sighed, thinking back to the past, life had been much simpler back then and less complicated and of course when you're a kid, life seemed to have endless and unlimited possibilities untainted by adult perceptions and responsibilities. There were times in his life that he yearned for that simplicity and unfettered joy but reaching back into the past for him at this point in his life was an escape or luxury that he could ill afford. The rasp of the metallic comb across the fibreglass board brought his mind back to focussing in on the task at hand.
Slivers of sand encrusted wax, fell around the wooden floor of the beach house verandah and caught in the smattering of hair across his chest as he ran a hand through his hair, trying to shake the debris out before the wax would melt and make it difficult to get the stuff out. Many was a time that inevitably gritty sand and wax got left in his beard and hair and Alison would have to try to either soften it or cut it away. He had tried to do it himself in the past but of course Alison insisted that she would do a better job than he would and actually, he had to admit, she was right in this matter. Men really shouldn't have to wax unless of course surfboards were involved and begrudgingly Cole could empathise with what women had to go through, pulling out sandy wax was a bit of a tender subject and although he tried to be careful, there was ALWAYS a casualty, either in his hair, beard or chest.
Alison seemed to have a sly expression on her face, something a little dark even when pulling out these unwelcome reminders of un-waxing his board, Cole trying to not let the pain and subsequent burn of pain show in his expression but it did have its advantages as Allison would insist in kissing the afflicted areas all better, something which turned out to his advantage after all.
Such actions always inevitably led elsewhere and secretly Cole would always try to leave some melted wax and sand in wherever possible, but lately…lately…Alison had changed. Her manner was different, she seemed…well…it was something he couldn't quite put a name to just yet but there was something going on with her which he was determined to get to the bottom of. Maybe Athena was back in town or perhaps it was something work-related. Whatever it was, Cole noticed that she had changed or was in the process of changing and it unsettled him. Hadn't they been through enough already and deserve at least some peace amid all the upheaval that they had been through over the past year or so?.
Working steadily in measured strokes, Cole worked over one side of his board and turned it over to relieve the other side of the same sand and wax mixture. The board seemed to sculpt itself to his own hardened and muscled plains of his own body, the smoother parts of the board gliding against his skin, while the rougher sand blasted coating indented his body coming into contact with it leaving some sand trailing over his abdomen and a fine waxy film coating.. In several choreographed flourishes, the board surface was shaved clean of the mix as Cole made sure that the waxy goo came off the tail fin of the board and blew gently over the skin of the board to make sure any lingering traces of sand and wax were cleared from the surface as stood up, taking his board with him, leaning it against the steps of the verandah to check on the quality of his workmanship.
The pads of his fingers checking every surface open to them and his touch was as gentle as it could be as both by visually checking the board and using his sense of touch to enhance the experience as in his mind. As he inhaled the scent of coconut oil lingering from the board it set his memory drifting back to more pleasant times in the company of his father and back to the care-free time of his boyhood and long lost summer days. The first time he had smelled coconut oil on a surfboard in fact through a chance encounter with someone who would change his life forever.
A broad smile filled his features and set his blue eyes shining brightly in the morning sun as he remembered when he was taking his first lessons out on the surf. In fact the first piece of advice even back at that early age had been one which he had never forgotten all throughout his life. The voice echoed back from those warm, summer days of his boyhood and he could almost imagine for a second being there in that moment as he shut his eyes and it came flooding back to him.
"Ozias Preston Hendrix!", the name fell from Cole's lips as he could picture his surfing instructor. A tall African American with the coolest gang of surfers ever to hit Montauk's beaches and a guy who knew not just about the ins and outs of surfing but a wise teacher in most areas of life in general, and a street-wise attitude coupled with a warm and sometimes shocking sense of humour!. "Ozzie" as he liked to be called was no push-over and happened also to have the coolest taste in bands and music known to a nearly ten year old first born rancher's son. In fact that first summer had been the most pivotal one of all and was the first time that they had met. Ozzie was just one of a group of ten surfers who were "on tour" as such, spending the summer months at various coastal resorts and following the best surf around armed with their boards and a "surfer's" lifestyle to go with it.
Cole could still hear "Ozzie's" voice echoing through the mists of time and his words of wisdom as he recalled one of their later conversations…
"Cole Lockhart. If you're EVER gonna be one of the BEST surfers then you gotta keep one thing in mind kid. Maybe you're too young to understand but one day I'm damn sure, you'll get it!", the voice chuckled and Cole could hear his own childlike tones ask in reply,
"I'm almost ten!. You got to tell me!. I'll understand, my dad says I'm smart and I can ride one of the trail horses meant for a grown-up but don't tell him that!."
Cole and Ozzie were sitting by a beach fire as the sun was fast sinking below the horizon, the light was fading and Ozzie's friends were all talking nearby and recalling their days adventures in and around the beach community. Ozzie poking the fire with a stick every so often to keep the fire turning over and wondering if this kid had a home to go to and if his parents knew where he was. Not that he minded of course, but he knew the "Lockharts" by reputation and they were a tough bunch, "Tough but fair" it was said and besides "Ozzie" owed Reece Lockhart (Cole's dad) a favour for getting him out of some trouble by the "Hedges" brothers. Hell!. He could take the kid home once it got dark and besides, the kid was too young to party with the grown-up surfers. Reece Lockhart wouldn't want his eldest kid going off the rails and throwing his future away on a travelling surf party and besides, he admired this kid's spirit. There was something about him that would make a great surfer, the kid had it in him, there was no doubt about that!. If the kid could ride a horse then he could most certainly ride a surfboard as he had the balance to master the basics.
"I don't know much about ranching kid but I'll take your word for it and I won't tell your dad!. SO.. young man…the secret that I'm about to tell you is one which is held in great esteem by surfers all the world over. You gotta promise NEVER to tell a non-surfer though. Do I have your word as a beginner and as a kid who can ride a trail horse behind his dad's back?!", the voice held a tone of mock-serious humour and Cole held the memory dear to his heart as he anticipated his new friend's words of wisdom.
"I promise. Cross my heart and hope to die and all that stuff!".
"Well, then Cole, there's two parts to the secret. The first is that when you're old enough and your folks may not like it kiddo, but you gotta get a mark, a tattoo kid. Something like mine that is "born of the seas and the oceans", something that's gonna protect you when you're out there on your board and riding them big waves!. Y'see "Mama Nature" must be respected Cole, just like all her sea children and most importantly, the sea itself. I told you that when we first met kid. ALWAYS respect the sea and the element of water Cole. Don't go and piss old "Mama Nature" off, excuse the language kid, but truthfully, respect water and know your limits and you'll be okay. Got it?". Ozzie's eyes shone humorously but his tone was dead serious.
"Got it!. What's part two to the secret?".
Cole's eyes caught the reflection of the fire light and Ozzie nodded thoughtfully at first, the kid had the spark in him alright and he could put his trust in this young man with the surfing community "secret" code. He could have a little fun though and make the kid think he was part of a special elite group and so he leaned in closer to the boy and in a softer, hushed tone with a hint of amusement added…
"Part two Cole and I'm damn sure you're gonna grow up into a fine upstanding pillar of this here community of Montauk, is something that my instructor told me when I was just a bit older than you are now but I'm gonna tell you kid. Simply put kid, you gotta treat your board with some good old fashioned R-E-S-P-E-C-T, you know that old Aretha Franklin number?."
Cole had frowned and nodded, he'd heard of that record, his dad had a copy in his record collection, he was sure of it. Sometimes his mum would sing it, he hummed a little of the tune from memory faltering a little but he had the gist of tune.
"Got it in one kid!", came a laugh and a hand clap, Ozzie's eyes burned with humour, "NOW you got a bit of soul in you!. As I said, treat the board with some respect and MOST importantly, you gotta treat her like a lady!. A beautiful woman even but Cole in your case, a girl in your school class, women are for grown-ups young man and you'll find out about them all to soon!. As long as you treat your board like you would a beautiful member of the fairer sex, then you're gonna have one beautiful partnership little brother!". Ozzie's eyes gleamed bright in the glare of the fire and revealed his beautifully gleaming teeth as he threw back his head and gave out a hearty laugh.
Damn but this kid had soul and had "surfing mojo!". Maybe Cole Lockhart didn't know it yet, but there was a whole new vista ready to open up for him that summer and it would be something to change his life forever.
Back in the present Cole opened his eyes and let out a chuckle, "You were right about that one!" as his hands caressed the fibreglass for a few more well intentioned strokes before leaving the board to unscrew the top off the jar that held the wax which would keep his board waterproof and ready for action.
There were many board waxes out there for a surfer to choose from ranging from paraffin to harsher, more chemical like solutions and smells. Ozzie had turned his nose up at the more "manufactured" brands and preffered something more natural smelling, something exotic and alluring. Cole had taken a leaf out of Ozzie's book and had chosen the very same path with the same form and sense of humour as his mentor.
"Now Cole, just like what you put on and in your own body, you gotta know what's right and what's wrong. Some things are just overpowering and don't smell too good!. You can't go wrong with some good old fashioned coconut oil. The chicks dig it young man!. Oh and it makes waxing and re-waxing your board a much more pleasant experience too!.", Ozzie's voice drifted back over time to remind Cole of that fact.
Cole let the aroma of the board wax envelope his senses as he held a jar of "Dr Zog's Sex Wax" in his hand and it never failed to make him chuckle at the name of the product. Ozzie wherever he was now would've loved this stuff!. Certified natural and a mix of beeswax and oils, coconut amongst them with a hint of lemongrass and a pinch of eucalyptus to marry the wax with the scent of the oils, it was by far the best wax that he knew of for his particular needs.
Blowing the excess shavings off the wax comb that was making a second appearance, this was where things were likely to take a rather sticky and unpredictable turn.
Re-waxing boards was a messy business and as a light breeze blew on his skin and the sun's welcoming rays, warmed his body, as he prepared to start the next part of the process and hopefully avoid getting wax stuck in some hard to reach places.
Dipping into the soft, pliable solution with his long fingers, he spread a copious amount of wax along the underside of the board and decided to begin there, working the compound onto the skin of his prized possession tenderly and gently. He imagined that Alison was there, lying across his lap and bathing in the rays of the sun, back to a time before all the heartache and sorrow, remembering when she would lie with him on the beach after he'd come out of the sea still dripping wet and would heat his chilled skin as he lay with her.
Of course, she'd always want him to apply sun tan lotion just as his hands were cold and he could remember making her scream and giggle as he applied the runny mixture onto her pale white skin and her complaints of his hands being like blocks of ice whilst drips of water would fall onto her newly lotioned skin making the task outrageously fun and she would end up covered in half of the ocean and small bits of sand herself as Cole and her would wrestle playfully on the beach.
Cole smiled at the memory, of course Alison always added that Cole, despite working as a rancher and having a job that required a great deal of manual dexterity somehow still managed to have the best pair of hands above and beyond the call of duty for all the small and important tasks. Sun tan lotion application being one of them!. That was Cole's little secret of course, the board wax was also quite useful in keeping his own hands soft and one which as a surfer he'd never let anyone else know about except for the other surfers around Montauk. The choice of wax was always a closely guarded secret and never to be given out lightly and without due consideration.
Using light strokes and working up and down the length of the underside of the board, he recalled another lesson from his days as a surfing novice. The words of his mentor rang in his head as another set of memories came forth as he spread more wax over the board running his fingers in "s-shapes" and working the solution into every possible nook and cranny first with one hand and then alternating with the other hand. A movement which he had developed himself and found that worked best with this particular board, however things hadn't always been that easy!. Waxing was just one stage and combing the wax was another. Trying to balance both activities equally was never going to be easy especially as an impatient child.
"Cole Lockhart!", Ozzie's voice scolded him and a tutting noise issued from his lips and he wagged a finger in disapproval, "How you EVER gonna impress the girls with your waxing technique just by slapping a whole load of gunk on the board and hoping that you're luck is in?!", he stood and shook his head from side to side. "Kid, you got A LOT to learn!".
"It's just waxing a surfboard!. You're not going to go "Mr Miyagi" on me dude?!", the young Cole stood there standing his ground cheekily thinking that he knew best in this instance when of course he did not.
"You're picking up the lingo, Cole, but you ain't got no technique little bro!", came the reply, "Mr Miyagi, young Cole-san, ain't got my moves!. In fact, taking a leaf out of his book and telling you that waxing a surfboard Cole is perhaps one of the most therapeutic pastimes available to a surfer!.", he laughed making a joke to the infamous martial arts movie, "You saw "The Karate Kid" too huh?!. Guess you got me sussed out there young Cole!".
"Didn't want to let on when we first met, so I played along…like I was acting. If ranching doesn't work out then I might need something to fall back on right?!", Cole joked, a defiant gleam still in his eyes at such a young age.
"Well kid, you had me fooled!. If we get you taught right by the summer's end then you won't need acting or ranching, you'll be a champion surfer and be able to be your own boss!. Now listen Cole, I'm gonna show you how to wax a surfboard and you do remember what I told you about how you gotta respect your board and treat it like a good lookin' girl that you want to impress?!. Well…you heard the saying that you gotta treat yourself with respect first before treating others the same?!. So do you respect yourself Cole Lockhart?!". Ozzie stood there his hands on his hips and raised a questioning eyebrow, waiting for a suitable response to his query.
Young Cole stood there and nodded, "I do." he replied, "I respect my mom and my dad, my brothers too, everyone except…" he frowned and a darker expression flitted over his face.
"That Mr Hodges and his son. Am I right?. I can see that your dad don't like him, you don't like him either or his son. Some folks are just put on this earth to try our patience at times kid. I take it the boy is in your class at school?.", Ozzie recalled the two brothers and the kid with them that day Cole and his dad happened to be riding nearby and thankfully saved him from further trouble.
"His name's Oscar. Thinks he can tell everyone else what to do and he likes to get his dad to pick a fight with mine. Both our families don't get along".
"So you wanna kick Oscar's butt?!", he let out a laugh as Cole nodded in agreement, a big grin on his face.
"Well kid, you're gonna have to wait until you get a bit older, but you can beat a bully in another way in the meantime. I take it Oscar don't do sports much?!".
"Not that I know of. Do you think I could be like you and kick butt on a surfboard Ozzie?!", the young Lockhart looked to his mentor for some guidance on this matter.
"You gotta practise Cole. You gotta work at it!. Not just at surfing either kid but at life!. Things just ain't gonna fall into place like that!", Ozzie clicked his fingers to emphasise the point and gave his prodigy a long look, "You need help as well, you need to find your "surfing totem" kid. That's a lesson we got to get you before me and the crew split from Montauk.", Ozzie stroked his chin and looked thoughtful, "Hell, I ain't guided no-one to look for their "surfing" mojo before. Let me work on that one kid, there are WAYS and then there are other WAYS that these things are done, but with you being at a young age…"
"Ozzie, I'm almost ten!", Cole protested in reply, "It's not fair!. I'm old enough!.". Cole just did not like to be reminded of how young he was and truthfully couldn't wait to grow up and get free of all the restrictions placed on him by his parents and adults in general. When he was old enough he wanted to teach Oscar and his family a lesson, something which his father, despite his tough exterior was unwilling to do for reasons unknown to him at that time.
"Kid. Lesson from Ozzie and take it from me and no doubt your dad will say the same. "Life….it ain't fair kid", remember that!. Now, where we was at was BOARD WAXING!", Ozzie remembered what he was going to teach Cole next. "Walk this way Cole and pay attention!, Ozias P. Hendrix is gonna git you a lesson in how to wax a surfboard and also impress those members of the opposite sex that will be hanging off every word you say by the time I get to teaching you all my knowledge given to me by my Grandaddy who knew everything about surfing and more besides!".
Young Cole looked angry for a split second as Ozzie could sometimes be just like his own father. Willing to take him only so far but then using the old tried and tested excuse of "I'm an adult and you're a kid. Get used to it cause until you grow up, this is how it's gonna be!". The look was fleeting but still etched within him as he sat down to watch his mentor give him the next important lesson in surfing and beach culture, that being how to re-wax a surfboard.
Really it was only now that Cole realised that he could be pretty trying as a kid and he wondered how on earth Ozzie sometimes had the patience to try and teach this young and sometimes too smart and headstrong kid fated to inherit his father's ranch one day down the line. Cole's fingers dipped in and out of the wax as he let the pads of his fingers work their own magic on the board, telling his own story, putting his pain and sorrow into every stroke and flourish like a master calligrapher focussed on creating his own masterpiece. The brush strokes were his own fingers and the parchment was his beloved surfboard. His story was full of ups and downs, full of laughter and tears and as Ozzie had said, there was some therapy in doing such a simple task. Just being outside and focussing his attention on the board and the activity he was engaged in was actually much better than seeing a shrink, marriage counsellor or a member of the clergy regarding his own battle to master his demons.
His mentor's words and teachings were still fresh in his mind as the day he had learned them and Ozzie had taught him well, just like Daniel-san and "Mr Miyagi", the pair of them, unlikely as it seemed had bonded well together over that first summer. Still, he could recall that first lesson on how to wax a surfboard and the trouble he had in trying to get the right moves and technique correct. Not as easy as Ozzie seemed to make it look as his mentor took out his waxing comb and proceeded to clean the practise board that he'd laid out for his young protégé to work on.
Cole remembered standing there, frowning and feeling exasperated that his first attempt at trying to re-wax a surfboard had met with such stern disapproval from his teacher. That is until Ozzie had made the lesson slightly more interesting than initially he had planned.
Before Ozzie even let Cole go on a surfboard, he insisted that Cole had to learn the as he called it "the basics of the basics" and Cole of course wasn't too happy at not just getting out there to ride the surf and take it from there. In fact, his face told the story of his frustration even though he tried not to let on to Ozzie too much.
Ozzie thought it best if Cole got acquainted with all the parts of a surfboard, the equipment involved in surfing and of course the fact that the kid didn't have a suitable sized wet-suit was a problem. That he hoped would be solved in the shape of asking one of his surfing gang to go and put the word out to track down something suitable for the young Lockhart to wear.
In fact Ozzie hadn't counted on what happened next to add a little more interest to Cole's first lesson in surfboard waxing and this came in the shape of Natalie and her daughter Jocelyn who just happened to be the answer to Ozzie's problem at that minute in time.
"Looks like your student is getting to grips a little too freely with that wax!", a musical voice joked as a young woman with raven dark hair and her blonde haired daughter called out to Ozzie, both were decked out in wet suits and were unloading surfing gear from their vehicle which was parked on the nearby car park leading to the beach.
Ozzie laughed and winked to Cole, "See what I mean kid. Chicks can't help but get interested in board waxing!. Now you get it?. Shall we invite them over Cole?".
Cole meanwhile seemed to be struck dumb as his eyes were drawn to this newcomer's daughter, who had blonde locks and a pair of sparkling eyes which even from this distance held him in a kind of trance. He recognised this girl, in fact, he frowned momentarily trying to place her…was she in his class at school?. Barely aware of Ozzie's question he mumbled, "Sure, okay…"
"Ozzie calling planet Cole. Come in Lockhart, are you still here?!", Ozzie joked as he could see that his young protégé seemed to have his mind fixed firmly on the girl that looked pretty cool decked out in her own wet suit and carrying her own board under her arm as if it was the most natural thing in the world to do and was returning Cole's gaze with added interest. The slight breeze whipping her untied hair around her small face and an even smaller smile creased her lips as she came closer following her mother over to where Cole and Ozzie were.
"You by any chance wouldn't be Ozzie would you?. Some guy called "Harper" said that you were looking for a kid sized wet-suit for your student.", The woman extended her hand, "I'm Natalie by the way. Natalie Foster and this is my daughter Jocelyn. We've just started up our own business just outside Montauk selling surfing wear, boards and accessories."
"Have you now Ms Foster?!", Ozzie let out a wide charming smile, "Now that is the best news I heard all morning!. I take it you do Cole size here?. I do in fact happen to be Ozzie and this is my new student for the summer, Mr Cole Lockhart.", Ozzie introduced himself and Cole to the both of them and shook Natalie's hand.
"I know you Cole. I seen you around class." Jocelyn let her smile widen on her face appraising the boy in front of her seeing him out of the confines of the school classroom. He was in fact quite cute, something which she hadn't noticed before until now. "Your dad owns that ranch doesn't he with the horses?", she shuffled her feet a little awkwardly in the sand and complimented Cole with the following appraisal, "You can ride real good, I see you and your dad riding out sometimes along the roads and trails."
"Uh, thanks…I…I…um…you…I..", Cole looked and felt a little lost for words as he realised that whatever Ozzie had been saying about girls and surfboards was exactly beginning to hit home and that he felt he was in out of his depth despite being on good old "terra firma". Why hadn't he noticed Jocelyn before?. Until today she was just a girl in his class, non-descript like any other girl and one which he never picked out as a real looker. Confusion seeped into his mind and it showed as he felt a flush across his cheeks at this girl complimenting his riding skills.
"So you surf do you Jocelyn?. How about that?!", Ozzie stepped in and saved the day. "I bet you got a good teacher as well, I can see that you're full of confidence!".
"My mom taught me, I think I'll be trying out in the competitions pretty soon, won't I mom?." she turned to look at her mother who smiled back and put an arm around her daughter and gave her a reassuring hug.
"You're just about there Joss!. I take it young Cole there is just taking his first steps?.", she fixed her gaze on Cole and added, "The Lockharts prefer dry land from all accounts and like their feet in the stirrups of a good horse, I have yet to come across one who was a surfer."
Cole felt his cheeks burn under the gaze of not one but two women and he put his hands in his pockets of his beach shorts and kicked some sand, "Maybe I wanna be different to the other Lockharts, Ms Foster. I wanna do something for me and make my dad proud too", the words fell from his lips as he turned to Ozzie and Ozzie smiled back proudly.
"Young Cole here knows what he wants, Natalie. Is it okay to call you Natalie?. And yes, he is just trying to grasp those "bad ole basics" before I let him in the water!", Ozzie explained.
"Natalie will do fine Ozzie and it's just as well I saw you. We've started to do a range of both kid and adult wet suits…here…" she fished out a couple of business cards and handed one to Cole and one to Ozzie. "Drop by anytime and we can sort you out with something. Boards, T-shirts, necklaces, memorabilia, you name it…we stock it…board wax and combs included".
Ozzie looked at the card which had the name of the business called "Surf'n'Turf" and whistled, "Perfect Natalie!", he smiled broadly again, "You got your first customers without much persuasion, ain't that right Cole?!", he nudged Cole's arm, trying to bring the boy back down to earth and engage him in the conversation instead of gawping at Jocelyn as if she was an angel standing there in front of him.
"Uh, sure…um…you gonna be there Jocelyn, if I um…well...if Ozzie or my dad and I call in...by...uh…any chance?", Cole stumbled over his words again, getting lost in the fact that Jocelyn had laid down her board and took it upon herself to take charge of the situation.
"After school and holidays, weekends too I guess. You're welcome to drop by any time," she smiled and then turned to her mother. "Mom, can I stay here and help Cole and Ozzie?. I think Cole needs help with his board waxing!", she gestured to Ozzie's practice board which was still bearing the scars of Cole's first attempt at waxing. "I think Cole needs a helping hand, maybe I could show you a few things I learned when I started out?". Again her eyes fixed on Cole, determined to get to know him a little better.
"Well that's if Cole and Ozzie agree to that. I hope she's not intruding on the both of you!", Natalie smiled back wondering where her daughter's sudden interest in the oldest of the Lockhart boys had suddenly come from. She could see that her daughter and Cole were a little awkward around each other but could sense that perhaps Joss could find a valuable new friend in the young boy and besides…Cole was a rancher's son who owned horses. What little girl didn't have a thing for horses?!.
Her daughter's first love was surfing but secretly Natalie knew that her daughter was looking for a chance to get into horse riding and that this might be a good way to ease her into looking into this new hobby.
"Well, I ain't got no objections and besides, I think young Cole here is pretty much taken with the idea. You okay there with Jocelyn sitting in on today's lesson Cole?", Ozzie could pretty much sense a certain chemistry in the air and who was he to stand in the way of a blossoming friendship?!.
"Call me Joss, it sounds much cooler", Joss told Ozzie and looked at Cole who nodded and replied, "Okay Joss, you can join us."
Ozzie put the business card in his surfing shorts and clapped his hands, "Well, we got that settled. You need a hand with your gear from your car Ms Foster?. I'm sure Joss and Cole will do just fine in our short absence."
"I think I may have a wet suit for Cole back up there in car. Got a few trial samples of board wax too if you need any Ozzie, I think we should leave the kids to it huh?!", Natalie tried hard to keep her amusement from her daughter and Cole off her face as Ozzie shared a knowing look with her.
"Mom!", Joss knew exactly what both adults were trying to hide and felt a little embarrassed, "I'll keep an eye on Cole, you just…just go…okay!".
"We're gone!", Ozzie grinned and headed off to where Natalie parked the car and yelled over his shoulder before getting five steps, "Cole Lockhart, you'd better take good care of that board while I'm gone. She's my pride and joy!. Keep in mind what I told you about surfboards and wax!. Miss Jocelyn there will keep you right!".
Cole rolled his eyes, but didn't reply and instead focussed his attention on the girl in front of him. He cleared his throat determined to actually speak rather than fluff any further sentences and took a couple of deep breaths to calm himself.
"So, Joss. How long you been surfing then?", it was a good a question as any to try and start a dialogue between them and fill an empty and possibly embarrassing silence.
"Two years now. Started when I was seven. You're just about ten aren't you?.", Joss wandered over to Ozzie's practice board and winced, throwing Cole a look of horror, "How much wax did you put on that board Cole?!."
"I thought it was enough.." Cole looked deflated and his face crumpled seeing Joss's disappointment in him, "I guess I was wrong.."
Joss grinned and added, "You should see the price of the good stuff my mom sells in the shop Cole", bending down she took some shavings that still lay on the board and sniffed them. "Coconut oil.." she grimaced not from the smell but from how much was on the board itself, "Cool but it costs the earth!".
"So how do you wax a surfboard Joss?. Ozzie was just about to show me how it's done and I wanna impress him when he gets back. Show him I didn't y'know mean to screw up!", Cole decided that if Joss had a little more knowledge than he had then it was something worth learning to get into Ozzie's good books.
"Well, Cole. You ride horses don't you?." Joss fixed him with a look.
"Yeah sure", Cole felt confused as the conversation veered off surfing and onto horses.
"Maybe it's like looking after a horse, y'know, grooming it and the stuff that you do on the ranch to look after the horses, cause they don't look after themselves do they?."
Cole thought about it for a moment, "I suppose so. You got a point there. So you're sayin' that I should see a horse there instead of a surfboard?. Ozzie told me that I should see a surfboard like a beautiful girl and look after it as if it were the most precious thing in the world.", Cole's words came tumbling out of him now as his confidence with Joss was growing steadily, "Until today, I guess I didn't get it...but I do now!", he grinned forgetting his previous shyness and gawped at Joss and gulped as his mouth became a little dry and he became self conscious.
"Is that a compliment Cole?", Joss asked him and smiled, her eyes taking on a sparkle to them just like the sun reflecting off the ocean on a cloudless summer day.
"OH!", Cole suddenly reddened, his face going beetroot red as he realised what he had just let slip and found himself fumbling over his next words, "I…I…didn't mean...to…you...um…know…I.."
"It's okay Cole. I didn't mean to embarrass you. But thanks anyway. You know Cole, you remind me of one of the horses that I see you riding sometimes when my mom and I pass you and your dad ridin' out on the road.", Joss had a sly look in her eye, determined to give out something similar in reply.
"I do?!", Cole looked taken aback and wondered just exactly what Joss meant.
"There's this horse. It's a spotted one, an "Appaloosa", you know the one I'm talking about?."
Cole nodded, "That's "Mamba" and he's one of the newer horses my dad bought for trail riding. You like him?.". The conversation was flowing between them rapidly now and he felt relaxed in her company.
Joss nodded, "I do like him, the more I see him. I read about Appaloosa's and how special and rare they are Cole. They got spots on them and are a little different from the other horses aren't they?".
Cole was impressed by the young surfer's knowledge of horses and his face broke out into a broad grin, " You read up on horses real good Joss. That's pretty cool!", indeed he was impressed with this girl and her knowledge of his world. If only he could be the same and learn all there was to know about surfing then the playing field would be levelled. The both of them inched a little closer to each other over Ozzie's surfboard.
Joss noted that Cole on closer inspection had a few markings, freckles and moles of his own about his neck and giggled in delight.
"Appaloosa!", she told him trying hard not to squeal in surprise, "You're marked like an Appaloosa!".
Cole's mind came back to the present at that minute in time as he finished off his surfboard by dragging the comb through the newly applied wax and making the right shapes and texture needed so that his board would be ready to ride, once the sun had dried out the wax sufficiently. He smiled recalling Jocelyn's fascination with horses and his own unique brand of markings, a fascination that had stayed with her all throughout their teenage years and well into adulthood.
Joss had been the first "proper" girl that he had as a friend and subsequently as a lover.
Things had cooled off ever since he had dated Alison and married her and of course they had to keep things "respectable", Joss had kept her distance and although they still surfed together and hung out at the beach, there was a lingering attraction there between the pair of them. Cole could see that smile of hers every time she saw a freckle or a mole and in fact it was a private "in-joke" between them.
From that day on when they first met at the beach, Joss jokingly referred to him by the nickname "Appaloosa" and Cole found himself thinking back always to that initial meeting and how things changed between them as they grew older and surfed together during weekends and holidays and in fact whenever they had a spare moment to head to the beach.
Cole found a sunny spot to let Mother Nature do the rest of the work for him as he had to go and get changed into his wet suit if he was going to hit the waves. A short time in the sun would get his board ready for hitting the waves and harden the wax to the right consistency for traction purposes.
"Yes," he thought to himself, taking a moment to remember back to his teenage years, "There was time back then to surf and then there was time for…other matters!". He remembered Joss's laughter as she discovered that fateful night when they were older that Cole lived up to his "Appaloosa" nick-name and just like the horse had his own special "moves" out of the surf and back on dry land.
Ozzie had been right though, surfing had moulded and enriched his life in so many different ways and none more so than the people who had shaped his formative years.
If it hadn't been for that chance encounter, one fine mid-morning when he and his dad took the horses for a bit of "beach exercise", then his life could have turned out a hell of a lot different to what it was now…
"Sometimes you don't know something's open til it shuts..
I loved you so much...I hated your guts..
It's raining now…
Raining on Jocelyn Square.."
"Jocelyn Square" by "Love and Money" from the
Compilation CD.: "The Tree, The Bird, The Fish
And The Bell".
End Of Part One…
INTERMISSION..
Okay folks, that's the first part of this done and just like in the Kirk Douglas version of "Spartacus" and Kubrick's "2001", there's gonna be a break in proceedings while I go and do some research and put my thinking cap on for the second part.
The title of Part One was inspired by "Peter Pan" which is of course the book Alison was reading at Gabriel's grave side in the first episode of "The Affair". I wanted to stick with that theme of the book but they'll be a bit more of that in the second part I think. Same with the "A-ha" track which I thought considering what the show is about was an apt piece of lyric to chuck in.
Looking over at some of the ten episodes of the show, I took some ideas from little bits and pieces of detail that I picked up. More in the next chapter about that when I get to it. However, I did think it should be explained how Cole came to take up surfing in particular since we haven't seen much backstory on that subject and nothing on "Jocelyn" since episode one. Whatever happens to Cole next in Season Two, I just hope he isn't going to hang up the surf board now the ranch is sold.
I saw a programme on the "Appaloosa" horse only this week on television and decided to use this in the narrative. They are lovely horses, special in their own, unique way and of course it seemed a good comparison regarding beautifully and exquisitely marked horses to describe another just as beautiful and intriguingly marked individual central to this story…sorry Mr Jackson but your freckles and moles just get me every time!.
Doing a little research on surfboard waxing, I came across the product "Dr Zog's Sex Wax" and of course, immediately thought, "Come on!. You just got to put this in the story somehow!".
Too good an opportunity to miss really and I hope that Cole does a his boards with "Sex Wax" and lashings of it! ( Damn but someone should sneek a little bit of Product Placement into Season Two of the show!).
Mr Jackson, if by chance you read this, having read about that "Dawson's Crack" poster from an interview, this one should appeal to you!. I'm sure if Season Two kicks off that you could just SOMEHOW get that into the story or ask Sarah Treem to write Cole a surfing scene with board wax included!. Fingers crossed!.
Anyway, good to see that this show won a couple of "Golden Globes" and thank you to unmentioned internet sites for allowing us poor Brits the chance to see it as NO-ONE yet wants to air this show in the UK.
Try and find a song about the name "Jocelyn" by the way ain't easy but I thought that one of my favourite Scots bands (Love and Money) did a good job. Actually it's about a place name in Glasgow but it's a good song.
Back shortly with Part Two and hope you enjoyed this!. Some more surfing action and innuendo to come!.
