I knew we lived on the shore, but after living in a home that was five minutes from the sand for most of my life, it was a strange sensation to walk down the steps attached to the terrace and be right there.
Mom found two surfboards in her garage. These wouldn’t disintegrate like the boogie board, but a few days ago, I had a local surf shop clean them up. Thanks to Noah and his unlimited bank account, I was able to afford the highest quality maintenance on them. Leaning against the concrete wall, the boards looked brand new.
The waves were already rolling in and that time of morning would be perfect for practicing techniques of the board prior to actually hitting some bigger waves.
I showed the two of them how to hold and maneuver the board on the sand. It was step one to getting comfortable with the board. While I didn’t intend on letting Gina go out on the water alone, as she was way too young for that, she needed to understand how to balance her weight and the like.
Once I was comfortable with them and their understanding, we headed for the water.
The moment we stepped into the surf, Gina clung to my leg, hard enough that it stopped me in my tracks.
I looked down at her. “What’s wrong?”
“I don’t want to go,” Gina said.
Noah came over and held my board while I dropped down to Gina’s level. I moved the stray strands of hair off her face. “You can do this.”
Gina’s eyes welled up with tears. “What if I get hurt?”
“I don’ think you will,” I said. “The waves aren’t that big on this beach, and if you fall, you will land in the water.”
She blinked a few times in a row.
I smiled at her. “That’s part of learning. That’s why you wear the life vest. And I’m going to be right there with you the whole time.”
“You promise?” Gina asked.
I pulled her against me in a tight embrace. “I promise.”
Gina checked her life vest one more time before we waded out into the water.
Noah squeezed my hand before giving the board back to me.
Once we reached a safe distance, I positioned Gina on board, laying her down in front of me. She held onto the strap, her knuckles showing under her pale skin.
I glanced over a Noah. “Let’s wade here for a minute to get used to the water.”
Noah nodded. We were at a safe distance from each other so we wouldn’t bump, but I had the urge to bring him closer to me. Little did both of them know that I was nervous too. I wasn’t an expert by any means, but I wanted Gina to stay safe. Surfing was a way of life down here, and I didn’t want to ruin the experience for her by having a bad wipe-out the first run.
After a few minutes of wading and several encouraging words to the both of them, I spotted the perfect swell.
“All right, here we go,” I said.
Gina flattened herself against the board, and
so did Noah.
“Start paddling,” I said to Noah.
I cupped my hands and paddled through the water as the swell reached us. Our speed picked up, and I jumped up onto my knees. The board moved swiftly through the water below us.
“Gina, sit up,” I said.
She got up onto her knees, and I grabbed her under her armpits to lift her up.
I felt her heart thrumming under my fingertips, matching my own racing one.
“Keep your feet grounded,” I encouraged.