Chapter Three – Dawn
Dawn Schafer-Mackenzie came in out of the waves shaking her hair with her surfboard tucked under her arm. The waves out on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii were rough today. Great for surfing, but dangerous nonetheless. She collapsed onto the sand and pulled her wet, long, blonde hair back into a ponytail as she examined the horizon. It looked like a storm could be brewing out in the distance. Heavy, dark clouds were rolling in and the wind had picked up quite a bit. Even though Dawn was a professional, she didn't want to mess with Mother Nature and end up splayed across the jagged rocks down the beach. She decided to call it a day and started the short walk back to the parking lot. Dawn gently laid her surfboard in the back of her Jeep. It was a prize from winning a recent surf competition in Fiji and she took special care of it. She unzipped her wet suit and pulled a t- shirt and shorts over her bikini. Dawn didn't bother putting the cover on the Jeep as she thought she could make it back home before the storm hit. Putting the Jeep into gear, she pulled out onto the empty highway than ran around the perimeter of the island and headed home.
Home. Dawn chuckled to herself as she thought of the meaning of the word. She had moved around more than anyone she knew. During her adolescence, she had bounced back and forth between California and Connecticut before finally settling down and finishing high school in California. It had been a really hard decision to make, but her surfing had become the number one priority in her life and contrary to her parents' feelings, she wanted to make a life out of it. Her parents were so disappointed that she decided to forgo college in favor of a beach bum/ hobo type of life. For six years she lived out of suitcase, traveling all over the world, constantly searching for better waves to master her skills. California, Hawaii, Fiji, Australia, Thailand, Bora Bora, Spain, the Seychelles, Dawn had been all over the world learning and growing. After her most recent successful competition in Fiji, Dawn turned professional and finally settled in Hawaii with her husband Tyler. Dawn met Tyler in his native Australia and he was a surfer as well. Neither one of them held a "real" job. Instead they lived off promotional deals and prize winnings from competitions. They were by no means wealthy, but lived happy and comfortably in an open air house right on the beach. Dawn could eat mangoes and make coconut-banana smoothies from the trees right outside her front door. She was so blissfully happy. The ocean, fresh food, a husband who loved her and shared the same interests, what more could she ask for?
Dawn pulled the Jeep into the gravel driveway and into the covered carport just before the splattering of large raindrops could be heard on the metal roof. "Made it!" she breathed with relief as she grabbed her tote bag and made a run for the house.
Inside the house, she found it quiet and peaceful. The only sound Dawn could hear was the gentle whirring of the ceiling fans circling lazily. She walked through the sunken living room and glanced out through the large sliding glass doors to the covered porch on the back. Tyler was stretched out on the hammock dozing and fresh vegetables and fish were sending off delicious smells from the grill. Dawn joined Tyler on the hammock. It was so peaceful listening to the crashing waves from the beach and the gentle rain on the roof as they rocked together.
"You got a letter from home," Tyler remarked.
"Which home?" Dawn chuckled. "East or West coast?"
"Stoneybrook. It's from your sister, Mary Anne but it looks really formal," Tyler replied in his lilting Australia drawl. Her curiosity piqued, Dawn quickly went into the house and found the letter on the kitchen counter. Opening it up, she found it was an invitation to a reunion of the Babysitters Club. Delightedly, Dawn took it out to the porch to show Tyler.
"Are you going to go?" Tyler asked.
"Of course I'm going to go!" Dawn replied. "They were my best friends growing up! I haven't seen some of them in absolutely ages...." Dawn mused quietly. "Of course I saw Mary Anne last year for Christmas, but I haven't seen anyone else since....man, in forever!"
Dawn gazed out at the ocean from the porch swing rocking softly, deep in nostalgic thoughts.
Dawn Schafer-Mackenzie came in out of the waves shaking her hair with her surfboard tucked under her arm. The waves out on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii were rough today. Great for surfing, but dangerous nonetheless. She collapsed onto the sand and pulled her wet, long, blonde hair back into a ponytail as she examined the horizon. It looked like a storm could be brewing out in the distance. Heavy, dark clouds were rolling in and the wind had picked up quite a bit. Even though Dawn was a professional, she didn't want to mess with Mother Nature and end up splayed across the jagged rocks down the beach. She decided to call it a day and started the short walk back to the parking lot. Dawn gently laid her surfboard in the back of her Jeep. It was a prize from winning a recent surf competition in Fiji and she took special care of it. She unzipped her wet suit and pulled a t- shirt and shorts over her bikini. Dawn didn't bother putting the cover on the Jeep as she thought she could make it back home before the storm hit. Putting the Jeep into gear, she pulled out onto the empty highway than ran around the perimeter of the island and headed home.
Home. Dawn chuckled to herself as she thought of the meaning of the word. She had moved around more than anyone she knew. During her adolescence, she had bounced back and forth between California and Connecticut before finally settling down and finishing high school in California. It had been a really hard decision to make, but her surfing had become the number one priority in her life and contrary to her parents' feelings, she wanted to make a life out of it. Her parents were so disappointed that she decided to forgo college in favor of a beach bum/ hobo type of life. For six years she lived out of suitcase, traveling all over the world, constantly searching for better waves to master her skills. California, Hawaii, Fiji, Australia, Thailand, Bora Bora, Spain, the Seychelles, Dawn had been all over the world learning and growing. After her most recent successful competition in Fiji, Dawn turned professional and finally settled in Hawaii with her husband Tyler. Dawn met Tyler in his native Australia and he was a surfer as well. Neither one of them held a "real" job. Instead they lived off promotional deals and prize winnings from competitions. They were by no means wealthy, but lived happy and comfortably in an open air house right on the beach. Dawn could eat mangoes and make coconut-banana smoothies from the trees right outside her front door. She was so blissfully happy. The ocean, fresh food, a husband who loved her and shared the same interests, what more could she ask for?
Dawn pulled the Jeep into the gravel driveway and into the covered carport just before the splattering of large raindrops could be heard on the metal roof. "Made it!" she breathed with relief as she grabbed her tote bag and made a run for the house.
Inside the house, she found it quiet and peaceful. The only sound Dawn could hear was the gentle whirring of the ceiling fans circling lazily. She walked through the sunken living room and glanced out through the large sliding glass doors to the covered porch on the back. Tyler was stretched out on the hammock dozing and fresh vegetables and fish were sending off delicious smells from the grill. Dawn joined Tyler on the hammock. It was so peaceful listening to the crashing waves from the beach and the gentle rain on the roof as they rocked together.
"You got a letter from home," Tyler remarked.
"Which home?" Dawn chuckled. "East or West coast?"
"Stoneybrook. It's from your sister, Mary Anne but it looks really formal," Tyler replied in his lilting Australia drawl. Her curiosity piqued, Dawn quickly went into the house and found the letter on the kitchen counter. Opening it up, she found it was an invitation to a reunion of the Babysitters Club. Delightedly, Dawn took it out to the porch to show Tyler.
"Are you going to go?" Tyler asked.
"Of course I'm going to go!" Dawn replied. "They were my best friends growing up! I haven't seen some of them in absolutely ages...." Dawn mused quietly. "Of course I saw Mary Anne last year for Christmas, but I haven't seen anyone else since....man, in forever!"
Dawn gazed out at the ocean from the porch swing rocking softly, deep in nostalgic thoughts.