“Are you sure that’s the foot you feel comfortable using?” She nods, her left foot in front of the other. “Awesome. Shall we catch some waves?”
“Is that surfer lingo?” She looks at me.
I laugh. “Not quite.” I pick up my board and start running toward the sea. “Try to keep up, babe.”
“Wait—what?” I hear the slapping sound of her feet behind me as they hit the wet sand, trying to keep up.
Grinning, I lay my board down, wading into the water with it beside me until I’m at a height I can get on it and paddle. I pretend like I’m storming ahead of her when in reality I’m going slow so I can keep an eye on her getting into the water.
I paddle away from the breaking point of the bigger waves and sit up on my board, watching as she paddles frantically toward me against the current. I laugh as she flails and topples off, the board popping up three feet away from where she disappeared, with her on its tail.
She coughs and the determination on her face to get back on the board has me staying where I am. When she eventually makes it over to me, I teach her how to sit up on the board without it toppling over. That she gets right away, much to my dismay.
“See, that wasn’t bad at all. You’re doing well for a Barney.”
“Purple dinosaur?” she asks, running her hands through her wet hair.
I get distracted wishing I could run my hands in the same path she just did before I look into her waiting eyes. “I… no. Not Barney the dinosaur.” I shake my head with a smile. “Never mind.”
Her gaze flits down before widening. “What’s that white stuff?” She points to my board as her back straightens and she looks down at her own board. “I don’t have any white stuff on mine!”
I hold in my snort as she shouts about “white stuff.” But when I see her chest heaving, I realize how serious she’s being. This is her first time in the water, I need to remember that.
“The ‘white stuff’ as you so eloquently put it, is wax. You don’t need it because your board has the traction here.” I rub the board by her legs. “See?”
“So I don’t need it?” she asks, her voice small.
I place my hand under her chin, getting her to look up at me. “I would never put you in any danger.” She takes a stuttering breath as she stares into my eyes. “No, you don’t need the wax.” I look behind me seeing the perfect starter wave form. I grin and turn back to her. “Are you ready for your first wave? Get down and start paddling, don’t worry about popping up just catch the wave for now. Okay?”
“Catch the wave?”
“When you feel your board lift, grab onto the sides and ride it to the shore.” I look behind me. “Paddle!”
“Ahhh!” she shouts, the sound of the water splashing next to me telling me she’s going for it.
I watch her paddle as the wave passes under her, taking her and her board with it toward the shore. She makes it all the way there, falling off at the very end as the wave breaks on the sand.
She stands up and wipes her face, turning toward me with her hands in the air. I throw mine up, cheering, and she does too, until I remember she’s tethered to her board. My hands go to my mouth as her board pulls her back into the sea and she grabs onto it, spluttering as she pulls it onto the beach.
I cup my hands around my mouth and shout, “Are you okay?”
She leans back on the sand and puts up both her thumbs; she’s a tough cookie, but it’s time to show her how a real surfer does it.
I paddle back out to the bigger waves, duck diving under the breaking point. I blow out a breath and keep paddling as I reach the surface of the water, sitting back up and waiting for a wave. I’m not waiting long before I see my opening.
I turn my board to face the beach and start paddling until I’m at the top of the wave. I pop up at the right moment and pick up speed as I surf down the barrel toward the narrow opening at the end of the breaking point barely making it out without making an ass of myself.
Making it in one piece, I bail into the water after shooting a wave to Amelia who is now standing at the edge of the sand, shielding her eyes with her hand.
Once I’ve paddled back to shore, I drag my board out of the water and set it beside hers.
“Wow,” she whispers, awe in her voice. “That was… amazing.” She looks back out onto the water, her eyes shining with excitement. “I want to go again!” She doesn’t give me a chance to reply as she runs back toward the water.
My lips lift up into an uncontrollable grin as I follow after her, getting into the water as she starts paddling deeper into the ocean. For the next hour she rides small waves, each one ending with a cheer from both of us. She goes under the water more times than I can count, but it doesn’t matter because each and every time she comes up spluttering, she gets back onto the board.
“I love this!” she shouts when she sits on top of the board, coming up next to me as we float in the calming waters. “I think—” She’s cut off as her chest heaves with a hiccup, her hand slapping on her wetsuit. “Argh, I hate hiccu—”
Another one racks her body and she tilts forward, losing her balance and almost toppling off the board. I reach out, bracing my core and catching her arm. “Alright, mermaid. Shall we call it a day and get back on dry land?”