Thursday, June 25, 2015

Surviving the Teenage Dream Teaser

Almost forty-five minutes later, we arrived at the beach and parked near a quiet corner of Venice Beach. Lugging our bags, we trudged to spot on the beach, nearby a surf shop where we could rent boards, wetsuits and any other surfing gear. We set up our towels before Mia, Edward and Masen went to the surf shot. Kyra said she’d go later and Owen settled into read his book, his leg covered by a towel.

Mia, Edward and Masen walked back to the towels, wearing a wetsuits with two guys, who looked to be Steve’s age. “Mom, this is Kai and Sean. They’re going to give us surfing lessons,” Mia said, looking dreamily up at Kai. Kyra snorted out a laugh behind her magazine. Her sister kicked some sand toward her, scowling at her not-so-subtle dig. “Dad’s even going to try it.”

“Make sure you have 911 on speed dial,” Edward deadpanned, pulling up his wetsuit.

“Don’t drown,” I said, smirking lightly.

“I’ll try not to,” Edward snarled amusedly.

“Mom, can you take pictures?” Masen asked. “I want to show off to my friends at school that I surfed in the Pacific Ocean. Those waves look gnarly!”

“You’re catching onto the lingo, little man,” said Sean, ruffling Masen’s hair. His voice reminded me of the movie Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, one of the guys from that movie, Keanu Reeves. “Let’s catch some waves!” Sean picked up his board, sauntering easily on the sand. Masen tried to mimic his walk, but was failing miserably since the board was so big, dwarfing my son. Mia was taken under Kai’s wing and Edward begrudgingly followed.

“You sure you don’t want to go?” I asked Kyra and Owen.

“I want to work on my tan,” Kyra said, laying back in the towel and adjusting her modest bikini.

“Owen?” I pressed. He shrugged, putting in his ear buds and taking out a thick book. I removed my cover-up, walking to the water with Masen’s camera. Kai was doing a majority of the teaching while Sean was helping with the demonstrating on the beach. After a half hour, Kai and Edward swam out, waiting for some waves to come in. Mia and Masen were watching with rapt attention, but from Mia’s anxious bouncing on her toes, she was ready to go out there.

Kai and Edward got about three hundred feet out, sitting on their boards. I could see both of them looking back, gauging the distance of the incoming surf. I could see a wave coming in and they lay down on their bellies, paddling back to the shore. Mia was clapping excitedly while Masen looked a little pale, nervous for his dad, or to go out in the water. Kai and Edward stopped paddling, jumping to a crouch. Kai expertly took off, navigating the wave like a pro. Edward wobbled a little bit, but stayed upright as he rode the wave back to shore. Mia squealed excitedly, running up to her father and throwing her arms around him once he was safely back on the beach.


I stayed nearby for about an hour, watching as Mia and Masen struggled to stay upright on the board. Masen, because he was bigger and stronger than his sister, stood up first. Mia struggled, mainly because she kept getting pushed off the board since she was so little. She also struggled with her hair. She kept inhaling it. I eventually helped her, braiding it tightly and tucking it into her wetsuit. After my magic touch, Mia finally got up and was able to ride a wave to shore. 






Kai

Sean



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