02 The Moon And The Tide - Marina's Tales (16 page)

“Cruz is a fashion designer,” I said, “He
made me this one,” I pointed it out to her.

“That’s pretty,” she said to Cruz, “Did you
make it for real?”

I jumped up and went to go get it, grabbing a
few of his other pieces as well.

“See,” I showed them off proudly. I could
tell Shayla was powerfully impressed, and seeing Cruz in a
completely different light. I told her about his plans to attend
design school.

“He’s totally gonna be famous,” she said,
surprised.

“I know,” I said, smiling at him proudly,
“That’s what we all say.”

“Not if I don’t get back to work,” Cruz said,
as he took his clothes and left the kitchen.

I poured us some more coffee and sat
down.

“So what happened?” I asked, looking at her
hand.

“My mom gets kinda weird around the
holidays,” she said quietly, “We got into a fight.”

I tried to imagine fighting with Abby or Evie
but I couldn’t.

“And the window?” I asked.

“She locked me out,” she said, “I was trying
to break in. I guess I just pushed it the wrong way.”

I nodded, still having a hard time picturing
it, “Where were you going?”

“To the beach.” She must have seen the
confusion on my face because she added, “If I give it some time she
always cools off... or passes out.”

“Oh,” I said, feeling terrible for
asking.

“It’s cool,” she said, setting her jaw, “She
won’t even remember what happened tomorrow.”

I heard the front door open, a few seconds
later Abby bustled in with a couple of grocery sacks.

“Hi honey!” she said brightly, putting her
bags on the counter.

“Abby, this is my friend Shayla.”

Her eyes flickered to mine for a split second
and I knew she remembered that Shayla was the girl who had fought
with me, giving me a split lip just a few weeks ago. As upset as
she was at the time, I knew that if anyone was going to give Shayla
the benefit of the doubt it would be Abby.

“Nice to meet you,” Abby said with a kind
smile, “My goodness! Look at all that chocolate! Where did it come
from?”

“Evie,” I replied, “She sent a note along
mentioning that it’s good for the baby.”

Abby chuckled and took a piece, “I
have
been craving chocolate lately.” She hummed as she put
away her groceries and turned towards Shayla, “I’m making spaghetti
for dinner, will you join us?”

Shayla looked startled, “Uh, sure.”

Abby smiled to herself, pleased, “Why don’t
you girls go make yourselves comfortable while I get going in
here?” I got up, re-stacked the boxes and cleared off the table.
Shayla followed me out to the couch and we sat, looking out the
window.

“It’s supposed to be nice tomorrow,” I
mentioned, “Do you want to go surfing?”

She smiled for the first time since she came
in, “Sure.”

“You know any other good spots... with really
big waves?” I asked.

She looked guilty, “I didn’t think you’d want
to surf anymore after what happened last time... I shouldn’t have
taken you out there.”

“Yeah, I could have died when Kimo showed up
at school,” I frowned.

She looked incredulous, “I meant cuz of those
dudes that hassled us at the point.”

“It’s too bad really, that was a great place
to surf... Are they ever
not
there?” I asked hopefully.

“I don’t know. Everyone’s afraid to go there.
They beat dudes up for surfing there.”

“Those were some really nice waves,” I said
with regret.

“It should be good at Aptos tomorrow... it’s
right after the storm. Ever since Kimo came to school everyone
wants to surf with you. They’re dying to see you shred.”

“I don’t want to surf with those guys,” I
said, shaking my head.

“Why not? They’re all Ethan’s friends so they
won’t hassle you. Mike told me you were surfing alone last week. He
said you came out of nowhere… He thinks you’re shy,” she laughed at
the thought.

“He seems alright... but I don’t want people
watching me. I just want to surf,” I sighed.

“We could go early tomorrow, before it gets
crowded...” she said hopefully.

“OK. First thing in the morning?”

“Crack of dawn,” she said.

Shayla stayed for dinner and seemed more
relaxed as the evening wore on. Abby chatted about how she was
developing some pre-natal yoga classes and putting up fliers at
doctor’s offices around town. She planned on working as long as she
could before the baby came. Cruz told Abby some more Evie stories
and Shayla just listened, wide eyed.

The skies cleared and the winds died down
after nightfall. Shayla adamantly refused to accept a ride home; I
made her take a sweater and promise to come back if there was any
more trouble. I offered to pick her up in the morning but she
insisted on meeting me at the beach.

“You can always come by if you need a place
to get away for a while...” I told her.

“Thanks anyways,” she said, looking down at
her feet, and walked off into the dark.

Ethan called later that evening to say that
he was pretty sure he could get back from fishing early enough to
take me out surfing. I was touched at how he was really trying,
doing his best to satisfy my urge to surf despite his busy
schedule. I had to wonder if he enjoyed surfing with me, or if it
was simply a desperate bid to keep me away from Lorelei.

I told him that I ran into Shayla and that we
were going out to Aptos beach early. He sounded relieved and said
he’d join us as soon as he got back.

“Shayla’s an alright girl when you get to
know her,” Ethan said, “She’s had a really tough life... I’m glad
you’re friends.”

“It’s the same way with Lorelei,” I pointed
out, “If you give her a chance.”

I heard him sigh, “I’ll see you soon. Be
careful out there.”

“I will.”

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you too.” I hung up and got ready for
bed, excited to know I’d be out in the water soon. I had a hard
time nodding off, but seeing the moon through the window reassured
me that it would be a clear day. I drifted off to sleep, imagining
perfect waves breaking on the shores of a deep blue sea.

I woke at dawn to find the fog had crept in
overnight. It was a good sign, as it portended a windless day.
Excited, I rushed to put on a swimsuit and some warm clothes. I
took my wetsuit bag in the kitchen and forced myself to eat,
remembering how easily I could lose track of time while surfing.
Ethan had been bugging me about eating enough all week, and I felt
foolish for being careless and giving him even more to fret
about.

Slipping out of the house quietly, I hurried
down to the beach where I could just make out the shadowy outlines
of two figures in the swirling fog. I closed in on them and was
dismayed to see that it was Long and Mike. I veered off to wait for
Shayla a little distance away from them.

“Marina!” Mike called as he walked over,
“You’re dawn patrolling it!”

“I’m meeting Shayla here,” I said, feeling
awkward. Long hung back, looking at me with something like fear in
his eyes. It was unnerving.

“You could come out with us while you’re
waiting,” he said.

I looked over my shoulder for Shayla, “No
thanks, she should be here soon.”

Mike walked back over to Long and I could
hear them talking with low voices. I could hear Mike laugh and
watched as Long picked up his gear and left the beach.

Mike came back over to me with his board,
“What did you do to Long?” he asked, shaking his head with a smile,
“He says that you’re bad luck.”

“I have no idea,” I said, remembering with
embarrassment how Ethan told me he thought I was some kind of spell
casting sea enchantress. He probably blamed Ethan’s recent surfing
accident on me too… I wondered what his grandfather had said to
him. Lue Khang seemed to know something about my connection to
Lorelei, but he wasn’t afraid of me; on the contrary, he thought we
were good luck for his fishing!

I looked over my shoulder and was relieved to
see Shayla headed our way.

“I guess I’m surfing with you girls,” Mike
said with a grin, “Today is my lucky day.” I had to smile at his
good humor. Shayla looked surprised to see us together when she
drew near.

“Good morning,” I said.

“Long just ditched me,” Mike said to Shayla,
“Say’s she’s bad luck.” He gestured to me with his surfboard and
started laughing.

“He’s still freaked out about the sea lions,”
said Shayla, rolling her eyes.

“Let’s go!” Mike urged, “It’s not getting any
earlier!”

We stripped down in a hurry and put on our
suits. I felt a rush of excitement when I saw some good sized waves
crashing in the distance. We paddled out, and I relaxed and
focused, sitting up on my board to look around. The fog shrouded
shore looked mysterious, and I realized that it was nearly
impossible to see us from the shore. I made a mental note to come
looking for Lorelei on foggy days only.

I lay down on my board and waited, feeling
the shapes of the swells piling up behind me as if I were touching
them physically. Each wave had a story, a history that reached out
far past the horizon line to its inception in distant waters. Some
remote storm or far off winds conspired with the moon to create the
surges of energy that ended up breaking here, on the shores of our
beach. It was a perfect system really, a miracle, and I closed my
eyes to better focus on the whispering of the water.

I picked the biggest wave, and oblivious to
the world around me, jumped on it. I was lost in the sensation of
speed, flying across the water, spinning and twirling. I let out a
laugh as I flung the board into the sky and twisted around to land
back on the wave. It wasn’t tall but it broke slowly from one side
to the other, lasting longer than most. It was going to be a good
day.

Paddling back to Shayla I was euphoric once
again, “You were right! The waves
are
great today!”

Mike pulled up between us shaking his
dreadlocked head, “Dang girl! That was some serious surfing! Where
did you learn how to rip like that?”

“Uhm, I watch people surf,” I said, shifting
uncomfortably.

He exchanged a look with Shayla and she
nodded, “You shoulda’ seen her go off at the point on some epic
waves. Kimo was totally blown away. He wants her to go on the
tour.”

Mike looked at me with awe and amazement. My
heart sank as I realized that surfing with everybody from school
would be a serious mistake. It would be tempting to bask in the
praise and continue enjoying myself, but I knew I’d done nothing to
earn it. They would be suspicious of my rapidly developing skills,
and they would talk and spread rumors. Long was already doing it,
and he hadn’t even seen me surf.

Lorelei had mentioned her fear of bad people.
What if someone saw her with me? Judging from Kimo’s reception at
school, famous surfers clearly attracted a lot of attention, and
I’d have a hard time sneaking off to surf with her. I could be
exposed as a hybrid and harassed by lunatic conspiracy theorists. I
knew enough about people to realize that I’d never be left in
peace. Evie liked to be recognized everywhere she went, but the
thought held no appeal for me. At that moment I vowed not to let
anyone from school witness my new-found surfing skills.

Shayla and Mike had already seen me, so I
went back to the lineup, needing to get in as much as possible
before anyone else showed up. I attacked every wave I could,
savoring the sensation of flying across the ocean, free as a bird.
It never lasted long enough, but it was what I’d been craving after
a long week of sitting around the house.

The sun started to take control of the sky
and the fog began to lift, unveiling figures gathering on the
shore. Soon a few more surfers came towards us, greeting Mike and
Shayla. They introduced me to each new guy that arrived, and I
could see them sizing me up, waiting to see me surf. I knew what I
had to do.

I took a deep breath and a small wave,
fighting my instincts in order to stand unsteadily, wobble and
fall. I could see one guy watching laugh and elbow another in the
ribs. Going against my natural inclination was one of the hardest
things I’d done in a long time, and I embraced the challenge. I
tried a new awkward fall each time I caught a wave.

I was relieved when I started to feel the
weight of their expectations fall away from me. I sat up and rested
on my board, smugly pleased with myself.

Mike came close with narrowed eyes, “What are
you doing?” he asked.

I put on the most innocent look I could
muster, “What do you mean?”

Shayla paddled to us, a pained look on her
face, “I told them you could surf... they all think I’m crazy.”

I felt a pang of guilt. Shayla was the only
girl that surfed with these guys, and I realized it meant something
to her for a girl to be competitive with them.

“I’m sorry,” I said under my breath, “I guess
I just don’t feel like it.”

“Why?” she asked, hurt.

What could I say? “Look, just do me a favor
and tell them that Kimo only came looking for me ’cause he wanted
to ask me out... okay?” It was halfway true and that was close
enough.

I looked across the water and saw Ethan
paddling out towards us. My heart lifted and I grinned from ear to
ear as he pulled up with us. Shayla and Mike drifted off, muttering
to each other as he sat up to take my hand.

“You look happy,” he said, looking into my
eyes with a smile. “Have you been putting on a show?”

“You might say that,” I said with a
smirk.

He rolled his eyes and smiled wryly, “Oh
boy.”

“Watch this,” I said, and went out, waiting a
minute for a smallish wave. I paddled out, flailing my arms
inefficiently. It was actually fun coming up with new clumsy ways
to fall after a pathetic wavering ride. I surfaced and swam over to
Ethan, biting my lip to keep my laughter in check.