Disclaimer: I do not own any character of (The Last of Us) TLOU is owned by Naughty Dog and its creators.
A/N: Okay people here the next chapter. Sorry for the delay but I have some personal things to do this weekend, but now I'm back. We're enter now to the final chapters of the story and things will get a little complicated soon. So thank you for reading and for the support to this story.
Chapter 24: A Little Paradise
After Joel had up the anchor, he moved the boat toward the big island that was close to them and anchored the closer to the shore he could. He pumps up the little raft and uses it to move the things they will need on their camp. Soon all that was taken to the beach, and Joel started to put up the tent.
"Are you sure that we're going to be here alone?" asked Ellie while lowering the last bag with the food they brought.
"Well… I guess. Not many people come to this beach, but it is not guaranteed that no one will show up anytime. But I'm sure that no one will show up here tonight… since I don't know anyone that comes here at night."
"Okay, that is good… this place is so peaceful and good for the both of us … that it would be a shame if someone showed up," Ellie said before moving close to Joel and kissing him on the cheek. "Okay… I will make myself useful and go further into the island to pick up some wood for the fire."
Joel turns around his head and looks at her. "Don't go too far… even if the island is not too big, people can get lost here."
"Don't worry, I will be careful… Do you know if there are any wild animals that I need to be careful with?"
"No, that I know… I only saw sea turtles a few times, but they normally use the beach on the other side of the island to put their eggs."
"Really… you seen sea turtles here? Can we go there and see if they're any?"
"I don't know if there will be any today and it is going to be an hour's walk from here. I don't think we can get there before the night falls."
Ellie moves closer to him again and grabs one of his arms. "Ahhhh… it's going to be so cool if we see any there… So can we go… please?"
Joel rolled his eyes. "Fine… Let's put up the camp first then we can go and check… okay?"
"Yay!… Thank you," Ellie moved forward and gave him another kiss. "I will right back with the wood."
Joel watches Ellie go into the palms and out of his sigh. It took one hour to get the tent and the campfire ready. As soon as their camp was up, Ellie dragged Joel into the island. They walk for almost one hour before they arrive at the beach which the turtles use to put their eggs. Before they arrive, Joel uses a path that he knows, but the fodder has grown up and makes it difficult to walk in there. Ellie takes a few pictures of them and the flora of the place. Even though the place does not seem to have big animals she found a few small ones; like reptiles and a few birds. When they arrive at the beach, they don't see any turtles there.
"See… I told you that it was a long shot." Joel said as soon as he saw Ellie's disappointed look.
"Is it okay Joel, it's worth the effort anyway. I took some pictures on the way here so it was nice," said Ellie while walking into the sand. After a few minutes, Joel stops her before she continues walking forward. "What?" she said while turning her head around.
It was getting dark but Joel brought a flashlight with him. "Over there… look." Joel pointed to the sand a few feet away from them.
"OMG…" Said Ellie while moving slowly toward the miracle of life in front of them. There was a turtle nest on the sand and not only that, they are now witnessing the little turtle as they get out of the sand and slowly start to move toward the water. "Ohhh… Joel this is… incredible." She started taking pictures of the little beautiful things. They stay there until all the turtles make their way to the water. Joel has to shut off a few seagulls away that come down to attack the poor little turtles. After all that was done, Ellie jumped happily on his arm and kissed him. She doesn't know how, but Joel always surprises her with something spectacular to see.
By the time they started to get back to their camp, it was dark. Joel has to use his flashlight to guide them back, lucky for them the moonlight helps them too. Soon they change their clothes for something more comfortable, they sit close to the fire. Joel put some of the food they were going to eat there to warm it up on the fire.
"So… you came here with Tess a lot?" asked Ellie while drinking some of the coffee Joel just prepared.
Joel stood up from where he was and sat beside her. "Why do you always want to know things about Tess? Isn't that a little weird?"
"I know… No man wants to talk about their ex with another woman. I just wanted to know how you two stayed together for so long?"
"It sounds more like you're jealous…" he laughed a little.
Ellie looked at him and hit him with her shoulder. "Maybe I'm… a little," she said with a smile. "Which girl is never jealous of the ex?"
Joel laughed a little. "I would agree to that if I was the one to talk about her, but you're the one that asks all those questions about her… Tess was part of my past and one that is not going to come back." He looked at the fire in front of him while taking a sip of his coffee. "What about you? Do you want to talk about your boyfriends? I don't want to get a surprise visit from one of them in my house one of these days."
It was now Ellie the one that laughed. "I don't think that would happen… I already told you that the only one I have was in high school and that didn't last long."
"What about the one you have sex with?"
Ellie laughs at that. "He was the same. I just had sex a few times with him… even if my friend was always trying to hook me out with someone when I started at the university." Ellie moved closer to him and put her head on his shoulder. "I guess you're my first real boyfriend…"
Joel stayed quiet for a moment. He starts to think about all the things that have happened in the last few weeks. Joel is sure that he likes Ellie a lot and maybe loves her too, but all this still seems unreal to him. "Do you really think that we will be like that? I mean, I know that you said that you love me… and I think I love you too, but what is going to happen when your vacation is over? Maybe we're good now, but what if you change your mind when you go back to the States?"
Ellie moved her head away from his shoulder and put the now empty cup on the sand beside her. "Joel… do you still think this is only an adventure for me after what I told you?" Ellie stood up from beside Joel and crashed in front of him. She moved her hands and put them on his face. "Joel… look at me…" Joel lowers his head and looks at her. "I can see that you still have some doubts about us because of our age difference, but I don't. I know that we have to work on that… I saw how that bothered you the other day on the beach when people were looking at us and talking." said Ellie trying to hold the tears that were starting to form in her eyes. "I know what people are going to think about us, but our lives are none of their business… I love Joel, but if our age is going to be a problem… Please let me know." she said with a sad tone. "I want to do this, but I need to be sure if you want to do it too."
Joel looked into her eyes trying to find what to say to that… He loves her, but he wasn't sure if this will work for them. "I love you too… Ellie I really do, but I don't want to hurt you the same way I hurt Tess. And the fact is that I'm too old for you… and that is what people are going to see."
Ellie keeps her eyes on his. "I don't think that you will hurt me the same way you did with Tess, because I'm not her and you're different now, and about what people will say? I don't care… but I really want to know what you think and feel about us."
Joel stays quiet for a minute before putting his cup of coffee away and cupid Ellie's face. "I love you… and if you're okay with all this… so do I." He saw Ellie's smile come back, before pulling her toward him and kissing her.
"That is all we need Joel," said Ellie as the kiss ended.
Joel smiles at her before kissing her again. They make out for a few minutes before they cuddle together beside the fire and wait for the food to be ready. After they eat and talk for a little while, they put a big towel on the sand and lay on it. Joel was lying on his back with Ellie's body half wave on top of him. Joel was looking at the stars when he hear Ellie speak again.
"I wish I could stay here forever… in this small paradise place."
"Yeah… this is something else."
"Joel… I know that I don't have much time here and I have to get back to school… but I don't want this to end."
"You mean your vacation?" he said in a mocking way.
Ellie hit him softly in the chest. "I mean us… you selly," Ellie moves up and looks at his face. "I really want to make this work… you and me."
Joel put one arm under his head and looked at her face. "I want to make this work too, but I don't know how we're going to do that. I never dated someone that was still in school before."
"Really… I thought that you told me that Tess and you hook up together in school."
"Well, yeah. But I mean after that… it is not normal for a man to have a girlfriend that is 20 years younger than him."
Ellie moves a little up and looks at his face. "What the hell are you talking about? I saw that on TV all the time. So if they can do it, so do we… " she said with a smile. I know that I have to go back to school, but we can call each other… if you don't want to stay here for a little time…" Ellie lowered herself to his chest. "Or you can move to the States with me… if you want."
Joel moves his arm and embraces her against his chest. "And leave this paradise?"
Ellie closes her eyes to feel his heartbeat. "You don't need to do it permanently… we can try to find a house close to school… and… you can stay there for a few months and then come back here… I mean we can make some plans until I finish school."
"You really thought about all this, didn't you?"
"I give it some thought… yeah. I know we're not together for too long, but Joel I really want to do this… I want to be with you."
"All that sounds nice…but I will need time to think… I am not a teenager anymore and going back to the States… I don't know if I can do that."
Ellie raised her head and looked at his face. "Okay, I understand… we still have time to think about what to do. So in the meantime let's enjoy the summer here."
Joel cupped her face and looked at her directly in her eyes. "That sounds good to me. I don't know what the future has for us… but let's live in the present and see where that takes us." he moved forward and kissed her.
Ellie moves more on top of him and wraps her arm around his neck so she can kiss him deeper. They move around on the big towel but end up on the sand as they continue rolling and kissing. They wrap their bodies together and continue their makeup for a little while. After they finish, Joel and Ellie move inside the tent and make love there before they fall asleep.
They wake up late the next day naked. Lucky for them no one has come to the little island so they have it for themself. After putting some clothes on, Joel takes Ellie on a walk around the island to do some exploration so Ellie can take more pictures before they come back to their camp and go to swing on the beach for a few hours. One hour after noon, they start packing and get things back to the boat and get back to the big island. It was close to the evening when they arrived at Rodrigo Pier.
"Can you tie the boat?" said Joel as soon he stopped the engine and got the boat closer to the wooded pier.
"Sure…" said Ellie while moving to the side and waiting for the boat to completely stop. Soon the boat stops, Ellie grabs the rope line and jumps up to the pier, and starts to tie the boat to the metal part of the wood.
"Thanks… you're getting better at handling things in a boat," said Joel while climbing down from the driving part.
"I think I have a great teacher," she said while tying the other line.
"Let's get inside and take a shower… and get the salt water off… then I will come back and take the rest of our things out of the bout," he said while passing her bag and grabbing his.
"Okay…"
Joel gets out of the boat and put his arm around Ellie's shoulder while guiding her to the old man's house. After they take their shower, Joel goes to the boat and gets his things out. He put some of them in the old man's house and took what he needed to take back to his house on the jeep. After Joel finished, he did another check on the house before closing it up and going to the jeep to go back home. The trip was nice and he was glad that Ellie enjoyed it very much. They have a good talk and have a lot of thoughts about it, but for now, he will concentrate on continuing to teach Ellie how to surf. Soon they get back to Joel's house, he prepares something to eat and gets the rest of the night to relax.
xXx
The following week Joel continued taking Ellie to surf practice at some of the beaches where they were no other people or not too many. Joel was really surprised at how much she learned in almost two weeks. Of course, it will take years and a lot of practice to become a good surfer or a professional one, but since Ellie was not going to be one it was good enough to get some fun and enjoy the sport. He knew why she was doing all that and she showed him the list of things she had already done and Joel was really surprised by that. Joel told her that she doesn't need to do all those things to make her dad proud of her, but if she wanted to do it for herself that was okay. He told her that her father was already proud of her no matter what, so she didn't need to do it to prove anything. Joel told her that her father just wants her to live her own life the way she wanted and she already was doing that.
After Rodrigo comes back from his trip and finds out that Ellie and Joel were together, he goes to Joel's house that night to see how they're doing.
"So… I see that you two are closer now…" the man said before taking a sip of his beer.
"You can say that," Ellie said before sitting beside Joel. "How did your trip go?" she asked.
"It was… good I guess," he said while trying to avoid Joel and Ellie's eyes.
"Okay old man… what is it?" said Joel while moving his hand on the table.
The man looked at him with scary eyes. "No sé de qué hablas… todo está bien." he said quickly.
"¡Really! Y porque estas nervioso desde que llegaste? Y casi no has dicho nada?"
"Hey… what is going on?" asked Ellie at the sudden turn around of the conversation.
"He is hiding something," he told Ellie. "Something that has to do with your hotel reservation is that… Not right?" he said, now looking at Rodrigo.
"How do you know that?" The man put the beer bottle on the table and took a deep breath. "Ok… tengo algo que decirles… since I know you two will find out soon enough," he said in a lower tone. "But you have to promise not to get mad… okay?"
"Spit it out old man… we're all ears."
"Okay… Remember the man that called about canceling your reservation because you have not shown up in a few days and they need the room… well, that not was entirely true."
"What do you mean?" said Ellie, intrigued by what he was saying.
"I… I paid the man to cancel your hotel reservation and call you."
"YOU DID WHAT!" Ellie and Joel yell at the same time.
Joel hit the table with his fist before standing up and looking at him with a mad expression. "Acaso estás loco? Por poco Ellie y you vamos a ese hotel para demandarlos."
"Si lose… por eso se los estoy diciendo… La dueña me llamó antes de salir de viaje… me dijo que…alguien la llamó y que iba a demandar al hotel."
Ellie grabs Joel's arm and pulls him back to his seat. "Is okay Joel… just calm down."
"Why are you so relaxed? Do you see what he's done?"
"Yeah… he brought us together…" she answered him.
"Yeah… that is right. You two were so good together… and when you got out of the clinic… I thought that all that would be ruined… but look at both of you now!"
"You should not do that… what do you think will happen if Ellie goes there?"
"Sorry…" he said looking at Ellie. "I just want you to stay together… and for me to see it work out fine."
Both Joel and Ellie rolled their eyes. They were a little mad at him for that, but inside Ellie was happy that he did it. "Well, I guess that no harm was done… but I will have to call my mom and tell her… I bet that she was the one that called the hotel."
"Thanks, girl… I will be really happy if all that just goes away."
"Jesus old man… you're really something."
"I think it was a little romantic…" Joel just rolled his eyes.
They talk for a little while about other things. Joel was still mad about what Rodrigo did, but he knew why he did it. He has always been trying to hook him up with someone since Tess left… but he never imagined that he would go this far. Anyway, Joel wanted to talk to him about his relationship with Ellie, but he wanted to do it alone, so he will wait until tomorrow and go to his house while Ellie goes to town to do some shopping and talk to her mother.
xXx
Joel and Rodrigo were working on the boat and drinking some beer. After one hour there Joel told him about the fear he has with his relationship with Ellie. Not only because of their age difference but also because Ellie's vacation will end soon and she needs to go back to school. So he wants to know what he thinks about it because he does not know what to do.
"I can see you're scared about her age, but I don't really see the problem there… if you both love each other that doesn't matter… and if you really love her and she needs to go… go with her," he said while taking a sip of his beer. "¿Me Puedes Pasar me la llave de tuercas?" he said after putting the beer on the side of the hole where the engine of his boat is.
"You're making this sound so simple," he said looking for the tool.
"Because it is…" he stopped what he was doing and looked at him. "From what I see, you have two choices… go with her and get a new life or let her go and stay here and be miserable for the rest of your life."
Soon Joel found the tool he needed. He walked where the old man was and passed it to him "Here…" he looked at the hole. "I don't know what you are doing with the engine, but it was fine when I used it last week."
"Old things need more maintenance and love… you know that." he grabs it and continues his work. "Así que es lo que vas hacer? Por lo que he visto, Ellie ha sido lo mejor que te ha pasado. Ya no tienes pesadillas, about what happened with Tommy and she make you happy… eso no se porque tienes que pensarlo… solo vuelve a los Estados Unidos con ella… y se feliz. No es como que tengas algo que te ate a este lugar… Piensa que es un nuevo comienzo para ti…"
"Y tú crees que todo eso va a funcionar? Jesús… man. Ellie solo tiene 21 ¿qué creas que le va a pasar si vuelve a la escuela con un novio de 40?." Said Joel while sitting on the side of the boat and looking toward the ocean. "Sus amigos no van a aceptar eso… eso ni pensar qué dirá su madre. Además tu estas aqui… y mi casa está aquí, mis amigos también… y… y…"
"Y malos recuerdos también…" said the old man while sitting on the side of the hole and looking at Joel. "Yo se que lo más que te preocupa es su edad y que la gente va a pensar… pero si son felices juntos pueden lograrlo. Si tal vez Ellie es joven y alguna gente verá eso raro, pero que importa. Ellie es mucho más madura de lo que piensa y ustedes dos hacen una buena pareja."
Joel looks at the man before lowering his head and looking at the beer in his hand. "I don't know… old man. I never thought that something like this would happen, that is why I don't know what to do." Rodrigo stood up and went to sit beside him. "Todo lo que has dicho hasta ahora son solo excusas para no estar con ella… pero todavía no has dicho nada sobre lo más importante en todo esto."
"Y eso que es?" said Joel while looking at him.
"El amor… my friend." Rodrigo put his arm around his shoulder. "The only thing you need to focus on… is the love you two have for each other…Asi que la pregunta es… Tu la amas lo suficiente para arriesgarlo todo? Porque you creo que esa mujer está loca por ti… y está dispuesto a todo." said the man with a smile. Si esa mujer te pudiera convencer de volver a enseñar a surfear otra vez? No deberías dejarla ir… otra vez, ¿la amas de verdad?"
"Creo que… si."
"Cres? O estás seguro? Porque si no lo estas debes decírselo… es lo menos que se merece."
"Si… yo la amo… estoy seguro de eso." he salido mientras veía el ocean. "No me había sentido así desde Tess… Esa mujer es otra cosa, y nunca pensé en que encontrara otra vez a alguien así."
"Pues cual es el problema… mi amigo?"
"No lo se… I don't think it is fair to her to be in a relationship with a man like me… that is why I don't know what to do."
"Then you need to resolve your issues before all this gets too far. I don't think it is fair to her if you have doubts."
"Yea… I know." Joel drinks the rest of the beer before he talks again. "Todavía no puedo creer que cancelaras su estadía en el hotel… solo para que se quedara conmigo."
The old man got up and moved back to where the engine was. "Es que eres muy lento para ver las cosas… y era mejor darte una ayudita." The man looked at the engine. "Now help me with this will you?"
xXx
The next day Joel takes Ellie to the beach for another surf lesson, but this time he takes her to the main beach where other surfers go. When they arrived the beach was full of people. Most of them were normal people enjoying the beach. But in another part of the beach, there were a lot of surfers, tourists, and locals.
"Do you think this is a good idea?" asked Ellie from the wooden stair in the dune that goes down to the beach.
"Don't worry we're going to be fine here," Joel answered her.
"I'm just asking because I came here when I arrived on the island and tried to find someone to teach me. A lot of these surfers that were here didn't like surfers women."
"Yeah some can be assholes, but you're with me now… and you can also show them how good a woman can be on this."
Ellie smiles at him. "And what are you going to do if they start to say mean words to me and want me to leave?"
"I kick their asses…" he said with a smile.
"To all of them?"
"If I have to… yeah," said Joel before starting to move down the stairs. "C'mon… everything is going to be fine… this is a public beach they can't make you leave anyway."
"Oh…Joel, you're so romantic sometimes…'' she replied while following him.
Both of them got to the beach and found a spot to put their things on the sand. Soon after that, both of them went into the water with their board and Ellie started to practice her surfing. A few of the men that were surfing there look at Ellie with curious eyes, while others look at her with disgust. Joel told her to ignore them since they were just stupid and sexist and to think that women should not try that sport. A lot of women do it around the world and they're good, so all those bad comments were stupid. After one hour Ellie gets a few good waves leaving a few surfers with their mouths open on how good she was. Joel does a few ones too even with the protest of Ellie telling him that he should not. But Joel just told her that he was okay and only a few small ones.
After a little while, Ellie and Joel get back to the beach to get some rest. "Do you want something to drink?" asked Joel as soon as they stabbed their board on the sand beside their things.
"That will be nice… thanks," she answers while bending down and grabbing her towel.
"Okay… I will be right back." Joel walks away and goes up the dune where a bunch of little food trucks are.
A few minutes later after he was gone a few young surfers came close to Ellie, all excited. "Hey… you're really good," said one of them.
"Yeah,… who teach you?" asked another one.
"How long have you been surfing? I have never seen you here before." The group of boys continued with the questions.
"Are you a professional? I saw a lot of girls on TV, but I don't remember seeing you."
Ellie was surprised by the boy's questioning but in a good way. They were the first ones that didn't think that she should not be a surfer. "Thanks… guys… I'm really surprised about this, but I don't think I'm that good… and not that I'm not a professional, I'm only doing this for fun… well and for other private reasons." Ellie said excitedly to see that the young men liked her surfing.
"Are you kidding? I saw how you rode the last wave and it was incredible." said the boy
Two local young men move closer to them with some actitud. "De qué están hablando… ella no es tan buena… apenas se mantuvo en la tabla," said one of them,
"Si eso es cierto… además el surfing no es para mujeres." said the other one.
One of the boys looked at them. "What did you say?" asked one of the boys as he didn't understand Spanish. "I don't get what you said, but I got the part when you talk about women and that sounds sexist… dude."
"Si no sabes español qué haces aquí? Tampoco queremos novatos extranjeros en nuestra playa."
"This is a trust beach…" said the older of the boys as he moved forward.
While the two groups start to insult each other. Another group walked closer to them, but as soon as the leader saw Ellie, he started to move the other boys apart to get to her.
"Hey watch out dude…" said one of the boys as he got pushed to the side.
"Then get out of my way…" said the leader. "Hey, you…" he said while pointing his finger toward Ellie. "I thought we told you to not come here… anymore," said the young man that was leading the other three. "This beach is for professionals…" he said before turning to the side and pointing to the boys. "And that goes for you too."
Ellie looks at the young man and recognizes him. "Oh… it is you and your bodies again."
The man turns his head toward Ellie. "Yeah, it's us… this beach is our territory and we don't like women surfing… or novices here…"
"Si… vallense de aqui." said one of the locals.
Ellie rolled her eyes at the comment. "First of all… this is a public beach and anyone can be here if we want. Second; you don't own this beach or even live here to call this your territory… and third; surfing is not only a sport for men… like it is not any sport in the world."
"I don't care what your opinion is… we don't want you surfing here or whatever you call what you're doing… so pack your things and go."
"What the hell are you talking about dude?" said one of the boys. "I saw her surfing and she is better than you… Besides, as she said, this is a public beach so you can't tell us to go," said the boy while stepping in front of Ellie.
The leader of the group moves forward to confront the boy. "I think that she is better than you… because all of you suck, but better than me? Your dream pal," The young man started to laugh as did the others with him. The discussion continues for a few minutes between the local boys and Ellie. But after a few more minutes passed, Joel arrived with the drinks.
"What the hell is going on here?" said Joel with two sodas in his hands.
"Hey… look, is the old man from before." said one of the young american men.
Joel quickly looked at them and recognized them. "Hey… you're a sexist group from the other day… Why don't you go away and play be a surfer elsewhere? And let people that come to enjoy the beach… surf in peace."
One of the American boys moved forward and stood beside the leader. "Hey, Adam… is the old asshole from the bar," said one of the young men.
"Yeah… maybe it is a good time for you to leave too. So… why not take your little bitch daughter and get out of our beach… before we kick your ass."
Joel drops the sodas in his hands and makes a fist. He was trying to not hit them, but those punks were asking for it. "What did you say?" Joel moves toward the young man preparing to hit him, but the other moves in front of him to stop him. They all start to push one another when another man shows up from behind the boys.
"What is going on here?" he said with a furious tone.
The group of younger men get off of Joel's grip and move to the man's side and start to talk to him. "Uncle… this is the man that hit me in that bar a few weeks ago," said Adam while pointing toward Joel.
The man looked at Joel that now was in front of Ellie and the other boys. "So you were the asshole that likes to hit boys?" he said while starting to move forward. "I've been looking for you… for two weeks and now you're here… this island was not big enough for you to hide," he said while preparing his fist to fight.
Joel moves forward to meet the man. "So you're the asshole that goes to the restaurant and makes them fire me?"
"You deserve that… after beating some innocent boys… there."
Joel laughed at that. "Innocent boys? I think you're confused about those assholes. And if I beat them up... they will all be in the hospital right now…" Joel said while pointing at them. If you want to know… Your nephew and those others here made a show in the bar and aroused the girl behind me and insulted her when she was eating there in peace." he said pointing toward Ellie.
Soon Ellie hears what the man did, she moves beside Joel. "That is true and JJoel just did his job… Your nephew comes to my table and try to hit on me and when I said no… he starts insulting me… so get the real story before you start to do stupid things."
"You're fucking liar… you jumped on me and tried-" starts the young man before he stops as soon he sees Joel moving toward him. He quickly moved back when Joel tried to grab him but his uncle moved in front of him quickly to protect him.
"Are you calling my nephew a liar?" said the man. "Because I think you're the one that is lying."
"Are you for real? Do you just believe what your stupid nephew told you? If you want to know what happened there, you can go to the bar and ask my ex-boss and maybe you can find a few witnesses there too." answered Joel while they glared at each other.
The young man moves a little from behind his uncle and looks toward Ellie. "I don't care what happens in the bar… the point here is that we don't want any of you here. We always come here to surf and practice and we don't want women surfing or those losers invading our beach"
"Are you serious?" said Ellie furiously.
Joel glares at the boy. But quickly changes his attention to the man in front of him. "Listen, I don't know where you and your nephew take the idea that these beaches belong to you. And if you boys keep talking like that to her. I am going to get punched in the face for real this time."
"I dare you to try…" he said with a firm voice. "This beach has always been for real surfers, so why not take your daughter to another beach…. There is plenty here," said the man, before some of the boys there started to argue.
"We're tourists too and we have the right to surf here… this is a public beach, so we don't see what the problem is?"
A few of the local surfers walk toward them and start to speak. "Hey… no queremos problemas aqui." said one of the men.
The uncle turned his head and looked at the local. "Hey… Pedro. El único problema aquí son estos invadiendo nuestras… playa." he sabido aprender Spanish.
The group of local mam look toward Joel and the others. "Si, esta playa es de nosotros… es para profesionales y no queremos novatos ni mujeres surfeando aquí… ¿Por qué no se van a otra playa? Y así se evitan el problema… nosotros no los queremos aquí."
"Si… vayansen." a few others start to yell.
"Are you all serious?" said Joel looking at the group.
"Yeah… I'm with them… this beach is for professional surfers like us, not for beginners or girls… So why don't you take your daughter and teach her how to make full use of her elsewhere?"
"I'm not his fucking daughter… you stupid bastard… so you can't make us go," Ellie moved forward with a fist, but Joel put his hand in front of her to stop her.
Joel moves quickly in front of Ellie. "First; this beach is not yours or theirs… is a public space and we can call the police to clear that out if you want," he said pointing to the locals. "So stop being so stupid about that… and second, you really think that you and your boys are professional? Oh please don't make me laugh… they look more novice than those rookie boys over there," Joel turned his head and looked at the young boys beside them. "No offense."
"I don't care what you said… but I really have another way to resolve this… right now." The man moves closer to Joel with a fist ready to fight. Ellie notices what is going to happen and even says that she wants Joel to kick the man's ass. She did not want Joel to end up in jail for this.
So she quickly moved between them. "Guys… guys… why do not forget about all this… we don't want to start a fight here… or get in any trouble with the local police," said Ellie while using her hands to push them apart. "No one here wants to end up in jail… right?" she said while pointing at the hill where two policemen were now looking at them. "You can take you stupid beach for yourself… We can go to another one, where we are just here on vacation."
Joel looks at the policemen and tries to calm himself. "Yeah… you're on vacation as much as those kids… And all this thing about not allowing women or those boys surfing here is ridiculous."
One of the young men moved closer. "Yeah, that's right… we have the right to be here too."
"Why? You're not even surfers… you're just a bunch of wannabe." said the man's nephew.
"And you think that you're better than us?" said another of the boys.
"One of the local men moved closer to them. "Esta playa es nuestra… es para verdaderos surfers… Así que si quieren surfear aquí tendrán que ganarse ese derecho."
"What did he say?" asked one of the boys.
Joel looked at the boy. "He said that you and your friends have to win the right to be here." answer Joel to the boy, then look back to the local man. "Eso es ridículo… Yo vivo aquí hace muchos años y siempre han venido turistas a surfear aquí. Todo esto es-" Joel was interrupted by the local man.
"Tu viviras aqui pero sigues siendo un entranjero… yeah, we know who you're. Pero la mujer tiene razón… y nosotros no queremos problemas con los turistas o la policía … ustedes dejan mucho dinero en nuestra isla, pero eso no significa que pueden andar por hay haciendo lo que quieran. Nosotros tenemos reglas aquí especialmente para los surfers."
Another local man move forward. "Hagamos una cosa para resolver todo esto… porque no hacemos una apuesta en la próxima competencia?"
"A surf competition? I like the sound of that." said one of the young men.
"Si… una competencia entre los dos grupos. Los dos grupos pueden inscribirse en nuestra competencia local de surf la próxima semana… y si su equipo gana tendrá el derecho de surfear en esta playa." he said pointing at Ellie and the boys.
Joel glared toward the American, then to the locals surfers. "Yo entiendo que traten de mantener esta playa para usted, pero deben entender que tratar a los turistas de esta manera es malo para la isla."
The local man moves closer to Joel. "Emparte es cierto, pero tampoco queremos que nos quiten el espacio que usamos… hay otras playas a donde pueden ir si son novatos."
"Yes, that is what we're talking about… we-" the young man started but was quickly interrupted.
"¿Puedes decirle a tu sobrino que se calle? I'm not finished here." said the local man while looking toward the young man 's uncle. "Como decia… solo queremos nuestro espacio… pero te dire algo si tu equipo se gana nuestro respeto en la competencia tal vez los podamos dejar surfear aquí sin ningún inconveniente."
"Todavía entiendo que todo esto está mal."
Ellie moved closer to him. "Is okay Joel… let's just go to another place."
One of the boys looked at the locals and smiled. "I don't understand all of what you said, but if you want us to compete for the right to be here I'm in."
Yeah, me too… and if they want to make this hard for us why not make a bet on it?" said another of the boys while pointing at the young american.
"A bet?" asked Joel.
The older American man moves forward and looks at Joel. "Yeah… a bet sounds like a good idea. My group, against your daughter and the rest of those rookie boys… if you win all of you can surf here without us saying nothing, but if you lose… neither of you will put a foot on this beach again." said the man.
"Hey… I already told you that I'm not-" Ellie started but was interrupted by Joel.
"You're on… pal," said Joel quickly.
The man crosses his arm in front of his chest and smiles. "Great, see you here in one week… losers.'' Then he turned around and started to walk away. "C'mon guys let's get back to the water before we lose the good waves," he said before grabbing his board and continuing walking toward the water. His nephew and his friend give the finger to Joel and company, before turning around and following his uncle.
The local surfer looks toward Ellie and the boys. "Nos veremos en una semana… espero que puedan praticar mucho." said the older one of the group before singling his friends to follow him away.
Soon they are gone, Ellie moves in front of him with a mad expression. "Joel… what the hell was that? We don't need to agree to that… the beach is not theirs… besides we could go to another beach."
"Is not only about the beach… not anymore."
The other boys get closer to Joel in an excited mood. "That was great man, thanks for standing up for us… those assholes will get what is coming for them," said one of the boys.
"Yeah… but a competition? How are we going to win that? They're better than us." said another one.
The older of the boys moves beside Joel with a smile on his face. "We can if he teaches us…" he said while looking at Joel's face. "I didn't recognize you at first because of the bear, but now I know who you're… you're Maverick… the most famous surfer in the USA and a five-time champion around the world. I remember watching you in all those competitions when I was a kid with my dad and you're amazing."
"Really?" said one of the boys beside him. "That is great… if he is Maverick we can win for sure."
Joel looked at them. "I am not the person you said…I am."
"Sure you're… yeah you look older now… but I can recognize your technique anywhere… and I saw it on her too," he said pointing at Ellie. "But I didn't know that you have a daughter that can surf too."
"For the love of God… I'm not his daughter… Fuck!." said Ellie with a furious tone.
"Sorry kid… I'm not that man… not anymore. But if all of you want to get back at those assholes, I can help you to win that competition."
"Really?" said one of the boys.
"Yeah… They're not that good and I saw you surf early and you're not that bad. You just need a little more practice."
"So… can you help us?" said another of the boys.
"Sure… just show up at my house tomorrow, so I can see what you all got… and come prepared to practice all day."
Three of the boys go together and start to talk to each other. "Man this is so awesome, don't you think?."
Joel stays looking at the older boy that continues looking at him. Stop staring and bring me a piece of paper so I can write to you my address." The boy turned his head and looked at the others.
"Hey, Tom… go to our things and bring me my notebook." Tom runs toward their things and brings the older boy his notebook. After Joel writes his address, he passes the notebook to the older boy.
"See you all tomorrow at 10:00 and don't be late," said Joel while watching the boys walk away with a smile on their faces.
Soon they go away, Ellie grabs Joel by his arm and pulls him close to her. "Joel, what the hell are you doing? I know you want to help those kids and me… But trying to defend my point with a surf competition? You know that you can't surf anymore… and I don't want this to end badly for you."
Joel waits for Ellie to finish before starting to walk toward their stuff. "The doctor only recommended that I should not… not that I can't. Besides, I'm not going to be in the competition. That will be you and those boys. I know that this is a little stupid, but those boys and you have the right to surf here… and if that competition resolves that… I am willing to do anything to stop them."
"I know that you want to help us… But maybe we can resolve this in another way… this is a public beach, right? So why do we not go to the local authority and make our case?"
"Yeah we can do that… but you think they care? Those men and people like them come here all the time and spend a lot of money here. So I don't think that the local authorities will help us with all that. The best way to get them to respect you and those boys… is by beating them at their own game. They think that they're the best here… so let us show them who is the real surfer here."
Ellie shook her head. "All this is so stupid… and I don't want you to get hurt because of it.'' She looks at Joel with a sad expression. "But I really appreciated all this… just promise me that you're not going to take any risk on this."
Joel finishes picking up his things and looks at her. "Don't worry Ellie, anything is going to be okay… we're going to beat those assholes and end all these stupid prejudices against women surfers." Joel put his hand on Ellie's shoulders and smiled. "Now c'mon… my sweet daughter let's get out of here and get something to eat I'm starving,"
"Really… you too?' said Ellie, before punishing him in the shoulder.