"Never stop the action
Keep it up, keep it up

Breath to the rhythm
Dance to the rhythm
Work to the rhythm
Live to the rhythm
Love to the rhythm
Slave To The Rhythm"

Grace Jones – "Slave To The Rhythm"

Sabine stood in the shallow end of the pool inside of the Surfgeist building.

Her breathing came at a rapid pace and she tried to concentrate on the warm water pressing against her waist. It was the first time being in water outside of a bath or shower and she was still getting used to walking without her leg brace. Her physical therapy ended the previous week and she was given the release to surf again.

The healing had been long and taxing. Physically. Mentally. Spiritually.

She decided not to have any further surgery to fix the scars that were on her face and leg. Being in peak physical condition and using a non-surgical scar-reduction treatment, she was able to dull down the appearance of her damaged skin tissue. Meditation, Reiki treatments, and expensive skin oils did the rest. Sabine wanted to allow a visible reminder of what had happened to her to stay so she would remember to never act so recklessly again.

Fingers spread before her, she dropped down into the heated saltwater pool water and swam using only her arms. When she reached the deeper end she tread in place allowing her lower limbs to do the work of keeping her up. She held her breath a few times as anxiety rose into the base of her stomach. For some reason she expected her right leg to snap off. She was paranoid about injuring herself in any way.

Sabine kept a low profile among the chattering classes of surfers. She stayed busy with her blog and started doing a few vlogs for Surf Digest online. She gave a big shoutout to her friends Asia and Yolanda for still running their surf camp without her. They didn't need her really. Baby shark was the star of that enterprise now. Marina had won two junior surf competitions back-to-back in Florida and Huntington Beach. Buzz was building around her and her father, and there were sponsor offers on the table. Erik's daughter grew the number of young girls who wanted to learn how to surf in San Diego. So many of them were Black that Sabine would cry when she saw Marina showing them how to stand up on their boards for the first time. The leadership and cool confidence Marina had while working with other girls, even the ones older than her by a few years was humbling. Asia and Yolanda bragged about her so much and Sabine held a quiet pride allowing the girl the space to teach the way she wanted without her input.

Sabine felt the pressure from Maverick then.

Jean Fouche wanted her to reveal her personal relationship with Erik since he was on track to do a repeat performance of being champion again that year. Publicly hitching her wagon to Killmonger and Marina was a publicity goldmine for Maverick even though Killmonger and Marina were not signed to their brand. Being connected to them elevated her status even more and Jean wanted that free PR publicity.

Sabine didn't want to do it yet. Thus far, her name was popular enough by itself without the scrutiny and weight of Killmonger connected to it. Outside of their inner circle, Killmonger was just her coach and mentor. Dassit.

She leaned backward and floated on her back. Watching her reflection in the pool-length window high up in the ceiling, she allowed the water to carry her in a warm liquid embrace.

"Hey, beautiful. How does it feel?"

Sabine glanced over to the edge of the pool on the left side. Colin squatted down staring at her, that gorgeous bright smile of his blessing her morning.

"Good," she said.

He wore peach swim trunks and flip flops and his bare chest was ripped from all the training he was doing for Erik. The trip to Nazare was going to happen and Erik wanted Colin to be his tower. He was the only man Erik trusted to face titans with.

"Still worried?" he asked.

Sabine swam to the ledge using her legs, forgetting any concerns about her healed one. Gripping the edge, she wiped the water from her face. Colin reached over and boinked the pile of braids twisted on her head with his left hand in a teasing manner.

"I'm trying not to be a Debbie downer but I'm scared for him. He's only doing this to prove that he is the best at everything and he doesn't have to."

"He's the wave killer, Sugar. That's his destiny. Yours too."

"I don't like who I've become now. I would've been his biggest cheerleader last year…now…I think I've lost my edge, Colin. You can't surf without your edge. All I think about is Erik getting hurt…every day. He sees it on my face."

"It's natural to feel anxious after a bad injury. Knowing you, the feeling will pass—"

"I don't know if I want to do this anymore."

The smile on Colin's face disappeared. He reached down and pulled Sabine out of the water with both of his hands. She dripped water and the last of her confidence onto the pool floor.

"Are you serious?"

"I walk by the beach in the morning and I don't even look at the water like I used to. My board is sitting outside the house waiting for me and I just…the whole Maverick machine is on my back and I feel this pressure to be performative and I'm not there mentally."

She felt her chest tighten up and she fought back the swirling of tears behind her eyes.

"Have you talked to Erik about this?"

"Yes, but he tells me that I'm working through trauma and I will get back on track soon. Sometimes…sometimes I think I just want to get a job at Scripps and just use my degree and be safe—"

"Ah, Sugar. I've been where you are. I've taken some bad tumbles. Broken a few bones—"

"And you left."

"But I left because my true love was what I do now. Not because I was banged up or didn't think I could make it again. I found my passion. Surfing professionally is your passion."

"What if it isn't? What if I've just—"

"Stop. That's fear talking. You've been hurt before. Pete is on your mind. A loss of life gets down to the essence."

Sabine's eyes darted to the wet floor and she knew Colin had cut to the core. Losing Pete had her questioning the meaning of everything. It made her want to keep her loved ones close and safe. Colin held her right hand. He kissed it and when she was about to lament, he shoved her back into the pool.

She splashed loudly and dunked under the water fast. Shooting back up to the surface, she wiped her face and glared at him. His mischievous eyes leveled with her hers.

"Pete would talk so much shit about you right now. You're a true water baby, Sugar. You love this shit. Find why you fell in love with it and get back to it."

"It's that easy?"

"I think it is. When I knew Surfgeist was my life, I embraced it and never looked back. I still surf. I still play in the water, but my purpose is to elevate how we play in the water. I saw your last vlog. I saw the joy in your face talking about surfing and teaching girls how to embrace their power. This is you. The same for Erik."

"Do you have any concerns about Portugal? It's dangerous for you too."

"I want my boy to conquer what he needs to conquer. Is it dangerous? Hell yeah. But it forces us both to face what life is and test the limits of that life. That's a high we can't live without."

Sabine kicked her feet against the pool wall and backstroked to the other side. Colin sauntered back up to his office and she could hear his staff moving about with clients in the next wing where the gym was.

She held in a deep breath and swan underwater all the way across the Olympic-sized pool. Sabine did that a few times, expanding her lungs, moving her legs in tandem with her arms as she paid close attention to any twinges of pain or weird sensations in her leg. Everything felt in order. She swam for two hours straight before showering and taking a peek at Colin's remodeled office.

"All good?" he asked after showing her his new northern Europe inspired furnishings and West African art.

"Yeah."

Colin stared at his cell phone.

"E is on his way over here to train with Bruce. Stick around. Watch him prepare. It'll make you feel better. He's in the best shape of his life."

"I'm having lunch with my Mom."

She studied Colin's face.

"He's really the best, right?"

"He is."

"You'll get him, right? If he falls down, you'll get him right away—"

"Sugar, we got this—"

"You'll drag him in when you see it's not worth it—"

"Erik knows—"

"Colin, I want you to bring him in if it gets bad. I don't care if he cusses you out or never speaks to you again."

Sabine left the office and went out to the parking lot. She stood next to Erik's jeep as she watched him pull in with his white Acura. He wasted no time getting next to her and giving her a big hug.

"You do okay?" he asked.

"Everything is working like normal."

She cherished the kisses up and down her cheek and neck that he gifted her with.

"Heading over to have lunch with, Mom," she said.

He glanced at his watch.

"I'm training with Bruce until two and then I'm working with Colin on drills. I want to head over to the studio and work on the new boards. Adding the logos today. Calista is going to drop off the kids after dinner."

"I'll be at the house."

"You look like you have a lot on your mind. You sure everything went well? No aches? No popping?"

Sabine kissed his lips and Erik settled into her mouth a little too comfortably in public. She had to pull away from him.

"You can't get frisky before you work out," she scolded.

Erik glanced around and grabbed on his dick playfully.

"I can control myself."

He pulled her in for another deep embrace. She could feel his rock-hard chest and abs through his windbreaker. His workout pants hugged the muscles in his thighs and backside. Erik's tongue ran along the seam of her lips and when he had his fill of snuggling up on her, he released Sabine and stepped away from her.

"Let me get in here," he said.

She watched him take confident strides into Surfgeist, and when she looked up to the second floor, she saw Colin watching them. He gave Sabine a thumbs up and she waved goodbye.

Lunch with her mother was fun.

Sabine took Belinda to their family restaurant and they acted like they were on the Riviera in France. They dressed up in fancy dresses and enjoyed a five-course meal that Papi presented to them. He thought they were being silly, but Sabine needed comfort food, and each of their food choices was delicious.

After lunch, they visited the Natural History Museum in Balboa Park and enjoyed espressos outside in the patio area of the San Diego Museum of Art under a large blue umbrella. They walked across the Cabrillo bridge and around the grassy lawn bowling club area before Sabine felt a little fatigue in her body. She drove her mother home and changed clothes in the tri-level.

Grabbing a glass of white wine, Sabine stared at the stone and crystal living room clock above the family room door. Marina and Deuce would be there in a few minutes. They had been with Calista in New York for a week and she was eager to see them. She was pouring herself another glass of wine at the kitchen island when the front door flew open and Marina came running in with her rollaway bag clacking at her heels. Deuce bounded in full of grinning good cheer with his suitcase.

"Hey!" she said as Marina hugged her waist.

Deuce gave her a pound and Sabine was ready to hear all the details of their trip when Calista walked in. She wasn't expecting their mother to come inside. She usually dropped them off and headed off to the airport with a car service on her way to Burbank.

"Calista," she said watching Erik's ex-wife look around the room.

"I have some time before my flight out," she said.

"Oh."

"Is it okay if I hang out for a minute?"

Sabine looked at Marina and Deuce and she saw that there was something in their eyes that made this request suspect.

"Yeah."

The children took their things up to their rooms leaving Sabine alone with their mother. It all felt so staged. She trod carefully.

Calista and Erik had been getting along. The back and forth with the children was working well. Sabine had very little contact with her and even less during her own rehabilitation. The woman looked her up and down and Sabine reached for her wine. Calista's eyes went to the glass.

"Would you like some?" Sabine offered.

"Yes."

Sabine reached for a glass in the wine cupboard and poured Calista a heavy amount. The woman took a large swallow and sat on a stool in front of the island counter.

"Looks like you're back to normal."

"I am."

Calista nodded.

The long silence made Sabine antsy as she heard Marina and Deuce moving around above them.

"Portugal," Calista said.

The woman cleared her throat and touched her hair. It was soft around her shoulders and ultra- blonde. Sabine admired the clipped-in pieces that made her lank tresses look fuller and healthy.

"Yeah?" Sabine said. She swallowed hard.

"I used to be so worried about him all the time. You get caught up in all the fun parts of his career, but when he hits those extreme places…it gets hard…"

Calista's eyes went to her wine and she stroked the stem nervously.

"I'm concerned, Sugar. He won't talk to me about it and I'm trying my best not to be afraid in front of the children."

Sabine let out a relieved sigh. Calista took in the fear on her face.

"You too?" she said as Sugar drank more wine.

"Yeah."

"Your accident really put me on alert. I know we're not together, but Erik is still the father of my babies and I care about what happens to him every day. The big wave riding unnerves me. I don't like it. Never have. I feel anxious about this upcoming trip and I need to know if you can talk to him about not doing it."

"I already tried. His mind is made up."

"He's been there before. Wiped out bad a few times, but he did it. But the last few years…these waves are different…monstrous. A man died there two years ago—"

Calista's mouth turned into a big "o".

"I'm sorry…I wasn't thinking…I forgot you lost your friend—"
"It's okay."

"I'm relieved. For some reason, I thought you were like him…a machine when it came to going out there."

"My accident gave me a new perspective."

"I wish he understood his own mortality. I don't think he has a fear gene anywhere in his body. I thought having children would deter him from the big wave riding, but he doesn't care."

Calista reached for the wine bottle and poured herself another glass.

"I'm happy that Deuce has other interests other than surfing, but the more Marina wins, I see her father in her. That drive. She gets it from you too."

Sabine didn't know what to say to that.

"You have a huge influence on Muffin. I'm glad you'll be the voice of reason in this house."

Deuce and Marina came back downstairs. Deuce grabbed a soda from the fridge and Marina grabbed a small apple sauce snack pack from a cupboard.

"Look at what Mommy got us," Marina said holding up a gold chain necklace with a half-circle charm from around her neck.

The gold and diamond-encrusted jagged half-circle had the word "Best" across it. Deuce went into the family room to watch tv but Marina went over to Calista and pulled out a matching necklace from within her mother's blouse. Calista's lower half-circle had the word "Mother" on it and when they held their necklaces together, they connected into a complete circle stating "Best Mother."

"That's pretty," Sabine said.

Marina flipped her necklace over. On the back were the words "Little Sister".

"Deuce has 'Big Brother' on the back of his and we can stick them together that way too."

Marina poked Calista in the side.

"Now?" Calista said to Marina.

"Yes," Marina answered.

Calista reached into her purse and pulled out a small black jewelry box. She slid it across the counter to Sabine.

"For you."

Sabine looked at Marina whose face beamed.

Opening the box, she saw the same jewel-encrusted half-moon necklace. It said "Friend" on it. Sabine pulled it out and held it up. Marina walked over to her and held her necklace above Sabine's. When they connected the jagged pieces together, they became a complete circle.

"Best Friend," Marina said as she read the joined words.

"Thank you," Sabine said.

She gave Marina a hug and felt her eyes water.

"Mommy had them made for us in New York. No one has them like this. Just us. I have Daddy's in my room."

"Best Father?"

"Yep."

"It's on!" Deuce shouted from the family room.

"What monster movie are you two watching now?" Sabine asked.

"Megashark versus OctoCrab."

"Octocrab?"

"A giant Crab with eight mutated claws," Marina said.

Calista looked at her cell phone.

"I better run, my flight leaves in an hour."

She gave Marina a hug.

"I'm leaving Deuce."

"Bye Mom," he called from the family room.

Calista stood up from the stool.

"My driver is still outside, so don't worry about me and the wine," Calista said.

Marina ran into the other room as Sabine walked Calista to the front door. She palmed the necklace in her hand.

"Thank you for this."

Calista stared at Sabine.

"Do me a favor," she said.

Sabine tilted her head.

"What's that?" Sabine asked.

"Please love him for who he is and not for what you want him to be. That was my mistake. He's not easy to be with and the pressure of this life is tough. I wasn't right for Erik. But I think you balance him. I didn't ever think I could say that about another woman. I was angry with you and him for so long. Thank God I learned how to get out of my own way. Life is so much better when I did that. You and I…it'll never be perfect. I expect we'll butt heads in the future. I just want you to know that I'm still a work in progress and I want what's best for my kids. That's all."

Her eyes darted down.

"I needed to get that off of my chest."

"I hear you," Sabine said.

"Goodbye," she said.

Sabine watched her step out into the night air and make her way around to the side street. When Calista was gone from her sight, she stood in the doorway and allowed her eyes to watch the evening waves roll in.

"Fear is the mind-killer," she whispered to herself.

###

Erik returned home and found his children piled on top of the family room couch watching another Syfy channel mashup. Sugar sat at the dining room table with her laptop as the kids ran to him giving him hugs and pats on the back. Marina flew upstairs and ran back down waving a black jewelry box for him.

He opened it in front of them all and his daughter squealed when she and Deuce took turns joining their necklace with his. Sugar fingered a similar necklace around her neck and Erik was surprised that Calista would do something like that for her. They didn't speak of Sugar often to keep the peace between them, but Erik could tell the jewelry meant everything to his woman.

Once he settled in and listened to their east coast adventures with Sugar at the dining table, he hustled them upstairs to get ready for bed. The second floor was filled with steamy hot showers and the aroma of flowery body wash. Erik showed Deuce how to use aftershave for his face after giving him his first electric shaver. The boy was proud even though he still had a little more growth to go on his face before he could shave anything significant. Erik checked in often with Sugar as he got ready for bodily changes with Marina. His daughter had started feeling odd cramps in her belly every now and then, and he had to sigh thinking about his baby girl getting her first period one day soon. They were growing too fast for him. Belinda and Sugar had bought Marina training bras. The little dainty things looked like small sports bras to him when Marina waved them at him from the shopping bags. Too soon. It was too soon for them to start being this grown.

Once the kids were settled and he made sure the house was locked down and secure for the night, Erik climbed up to his bedroom and showered himself. Sugar was in their bed in her short nightie when he crawled in next to her. He rolled over and kissed her.

"Today was good," he said.

"It was."

Her voice sounded wistful and he stared at her face carefully. Running his left hand up and down her side she melted into him. His breathing grew a little ragged as he found himself becoming aroused. His workouts were intense and his body was extra sensitive to tactile stimulation. More so since he was strict with his diet and had more full-body massages from her to work out the tension he carried in his limbs. Colin spoke to him about Sugar being scared for him. She mentioned her concerns and did try to convince him to do Nazare another time, but the way Colin talked to him about it…she wasn't just scared. She was terrified.

Her fingers trailed down his chest and he could see the desire so open in her eyes.

"I received an invitation to a shibari show in San Francisco. We could go to it before heading out to Nazare. If you want to go."

Her eyes closed at the mention of Nazare. He kissed her lips and she cradled his neck. Her long braids fanned out on the pillows.

"Don't be afraid for me, Sugar," he kissed into her mouth.

She groaned and he ran an exploratory finger along the areola of her right breast. He plucked the piercing there and her thighs dropped open for him. He reached down and pulled off his boxers. Her eyes took in his erection and she fumbled with the fastenings on her nightie. Erik admired her body and fingered her clit as he stared into her eyes. He licked his fingers quickly and forced her legs wider so that her folds opened for him.

"I got this, baby," he whispered.

Sugar whimpered as his fingers slipped inside of her. He tapped gently on her walls and lowered his head to suck a nipple.

"Erik…" she whispered.

He leaned away from her and reached down to stroke his dick.

"You know who I am. Known it all your life since you first heard of me."

He tapped his glans against her clit and the wide head spread her wetness as it seeped out from her. Her inner lips spasmed as he struck her harder with his tip. Spanking it into submission, he watched her entire vulva grow shiny and more slippery. Shoving her knees back, Erik lifted up and rested his weight on her as he pushed into her sacred space. The entrance was warm and snug along his length and he gave short thrusts to remind her of what she had been missing since her healing. He could have her body without restrictions now and he needed to teach her about dispelling fear.

"You know me," he grunted as he got down deep into her.

"Hmmm."

"I'm Killmonger…right?"

"Yes!"

He nuzzled her neck and let his teeth scrape along her throat before he bit around her left areola.

"I'm called that for a reason, baby."

His fists rested along either side of her waist as he thrust with snake-like hips into her. Her head bounced back against the pillow. He reached between them and pressed his thumb around her clit. He tugged on the piercing there, then pinched the sweet spot several times until her eyes shut tight as her lips pursed. He threw her legs over his shoulders and slowed down his pumping to give her long deep strokes. Every time he pulled back, he fisted his dick and smacked her clit with it. Over and over he did this until she had sweat pouring down her face and there was a puddle of her own lubricant under her ass. In between slaps of his glans, he licked and nibbled on her vulva. His wide tongue lapped up her nectar and he felt her tremble. He teased her this way until she arched her back and begged him to finish her.

He didn't.

Her eyes stayed wide open as he continued deep stroking and spanking her nub. Her opening throbbed and spewed glossy wetness and he was shocked by his own self-control. His dick grew fatter and glistened with her slickness as he neared his own breaking point, and he gave in to the torture by giving her all of his thickness. His balls slapped her ass and they both grew quiet while enjoying the sound of his dick making her insides creamy.

"Oh, fuck, Killmonger!" she shouted.

Sugar's body flailed under him and he kept right on stroking her down. When another wave of spasms hit her and he felt her pussy tugging around him stronger, he let loose. Roaring his pleasure in her ear, Erik's orgasm had his ass clenched tight. He could feel his balls throbbing and pumping cum into her and when he looked down at his pipe squaring her pussy up, she clawed his arms and collapsed under him.

Panting, sweating, and feeling strong hot flaring tingles rush up and down his back, Erik pulled out of Sugar. More cum spewed from his tip as he rested it on her mound. Lowering his face to hers, he kissed her lips softly.

"Tell me you love me," he said.

"I love you, Killmonger."

"Tell me you won't be scared when I go out there."

Sugar closed her eyes and her hands fell away from his arms. She rolled away from his body and curled into a ball. Erik spooned her.

"I need you to tell me you won't be scared for me."

"I can't say that. My heart is in my throat right now thinking about it."

Erik ran his hands across her hair. She leaned back into him.

"I'm going to be there and support you, Erik. That's all I can promise you right now."

"I'll accept that," he said.

She left his side and went to the bathroom. He heard her cleaning herself up. He used the bathroom after her and took another shower. Sugar was his touchstone. Out of everyone around him, she was the one who knew what it was like to be out there on his level and want to challenge the boundaries. If she had doubts in her mind…

Erik climbed back into bed with her and she slept against him with her arm thrown around his waist.

It took him a long time to finally close his eyes.

###

Praia do Norte, Nazare.

Named in Portuguese after the biblical city in the Holy Land, Nazareth, Praia do Norte was a small seaside fishing village that was home to long sandy beaches. In recent years, Erik became more enchanted with the place as stories started coming out over a decade about giant record-breaking waves crashing against its coast. He studied the geography and learned of the underwater Nazare canyon that caused the ocean swells to grow and converge with a water current that increased the size of the waves like no other place on earth. Powerful beach breaks there gave the world wonder.

Erik watched online as one of the great ones, Garrett McNamara, flew there from Hawaii and broke the first big wave record when he rode a monster seventy-eight-foot beast from trough to crest. It sent a ripple through the big wave world that grew into a tsunami of surfers flooding the place to try their luck at reigning in a leviathan. McNamara's record was broken six years later when the Brazilin surfer Rodrigo Koxa rode an eighty-foot giant.

Amateurs didn't fuck with Nazare.

Most professionals didn't fuck with Nazare.

Each year surfers watched the weather and surf reports waiting to hear when the Big Mamas were arriving. Typically, they came in late fall, mainly November, and word spread fast. More record-breaking swells were on the way. The true big guns flew out there. Erik was one of them.

Erik and several other surfers rode on a fishing boat to get out to the water and he could see drones flying high in the sky and so many jetskis ready to tow-in the surfers and drag them out if needed. Twenty teams were out there. Waiting. Gripping the side of the boat, Erik turned to look back at the shore. His eyes took in the red lighthouse standing on top of the Fort of Sao Miguel Arcanjo. There were international surf photographers up there along with hundreds upon hundreds of spectators waiting to see victory or agonizing, potentially life-ending, defeat. Somewhere up there under the gray skies and howling wind was Sugar.

Erik touched the necklace that his children gave him that his ex-wife paid for. He thought of Marina and Deuce being in school the day before, trying to do classwork and probably wondering if their father was going to come back in one piece. Erik wouldn't be surprised if they were up now watching online.

His eyes darted out to the sea and he could see the challenge before him. He swallowed hard and pushed his earbuds deeper into his ears as his music soothed the anxiousness in his stomach. The boat rocked and felt his balance was thrown off as a swell tipped them far over on the port side. He heard a whistle blow in the distance and saw Colin wave at him. His best friend's jet ski was tossed about and Colin practiced their hand signals to get them prepped for any problems. Erik tugged on his surf vest. It was snug around him and he hoped he wouldn't have to pull the tabs to buoy him up in an emergency.

Closing his eyes, Erik breathed deeper.

Focus.

Man.

Board.

Wave.

All the years of experience he had gained culminated in this one day. His body was ready. His mind was steady. His spirit felt peace. His children were loved and in a home that finally nurtured their gifts. He had a woman who loved him and that he loved with his entire being. He was at the height of his game in the sport.

There was no prize money to be gained there.

There were no timed heats or judges ranking him.

He wasn't competing against another surfer.

It was only man against wave. To the victor goes the spoils.

The day before Erik had stood with Colin and Sugar next to the lighthouse studying the wave breaks. He tried to look for a pattern as the waves exploded below them, and he watched Sugar take in the great watery arena with awe and fear in her eyes. Breaking angles. Peaks. He watched how the wind blew against the face of the waves as they rushed in like moving mountains. The currents were tricky. That's what he heard from the veterans who surfed there before him as they sat in a village bar trading tips. The currents worried him the most. They could push him into no-go zones where Colin couldn't reach him. He had to avoid the left-hand waves as much as possible. He didn't want his body beaten against rocks from eight-story waves.

Erik held Sugar's hand and she squeezed it many times as the deafening breaks crashed and churned far down the lighthouse cliff hugged against the sea. He pushed back on the subtle creeping of nervous energy. He channeled the surf God within himself and stared down his opponent. The waves were relentless. Brutal. Cold. He studied the multiple sets that rolled in. Timed them in his mind as he tried to detect patterns to the breaks. This knowledge could save his life if he fell. His breath control was impeccable. He could hold it for nearly four minutes and knew how to control his heart rate so he wouldn't panic when he fell and had to wait for Colin to get to him. Their hand signals would let Colin know if he could wait to get Erik if the sets made it difficult for his friend to rescue him right away. That could mean Erik would have to continually hold his breath as wave after wave pounded over him. He had to fight to breathe and not get fatigued enough where he could drown.

The drop off point arrived and Erik grabbed his board that he made for the serious occasion. It was a specialized tow board with foot grips to keep him in place as Colin dragged him out. He jumped in and felt the immediate temperature drop against his wetsuit. Connecting his covered feet into the foot straps. He sat in the water watching other surfers make their way into the sea around him.

Men and a couple of women that Erik came to know over the years, competed with, fought, and argued with, sat in the water with their own thoughts like him.

Colin swung around and threw the tow rope to him. Erik grabbed it.

"We here to do this!" Colin yelled.

His voice was thrown to the left of Erik's face as the wind kicked up. Erik kissed his children's necklace and tucked it inside his wetsuit.

"No one else has gone yet," Colin said.

"Let's bust it open!" Erik shouted.

Colin twisted the throttle and shot away from him and Erik felt the tension of the rope grow tight as it lifted him and his board above the water. His mind slowed down and he hyper fixated on what he needed to do. Stay conservative the first few rides. Stay in the top half of the wave so he wouldn't get caught in a falling lip or a mountain of whitewater. The rides were short and intense and he prepared to kick out early.

Colin whipped Erik around and his eye caught the lighthouse. Releasing the rope, he felt the surge of powerful water lift him up. He exhaled and dropped down as wind-whipped sprays of icy liquid struck his face.

Jesus.

The wall was massive.

He moved fast on the board making a line at such supersonic speed that he felt every bump and microscopic wobble. Despite the speed, his mind crawled to a slow-motion state. His eyes rapidly calculated how much further he could skim along the wall. He heard the whitewater crashing down behind him ready to swallow him up. It was time to kick out before it caught up to him. Leaning his weight forward, he felt the nose of the board strike hard against the giant's face and his balance became a precarious scramble to overcompensate and avoid a wipeout at forty miles an hour.

Erik didn't do what he told himself to do.

"Fuck conservative!" he shouted to the water.

Lifting his legs in an extreme kick out, Erik did a one-eighty and flew over his escape route. He dropped down into the safety zone and saw Colin zip around to greet him.

"Nigga, you wildin' already?!"

Colin floated near him and they struck hands.

"What was it? Forty feet? Fifty?" Erik yelled.

"Big Mama is out here today, man. That was at least sixty."

Erik whistled.

"You were riding it too, bruh!"

"Briefly to track your ass."

"Let's go!"

Erik twirled his finger around and Colin dragged him back out to sea to catch another one.

His eyes went back to the lighthouse as he gripped the tow rope.

"Sugar…I got this baby. Watch me."