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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