someone’s teeth.
whoosh flooded my ears. My
refused to cry, but man, my
dad called out for me to paddle
whole body ached. My knees
but his voice quickly faded
were bleeding. My bikini
“I am!”
into the sound of the wave
top had twisted sideways,
“Paddle, baby! Paddle!”
crashing. I was fucked.
exposing my flat chest.
“Come on, kid. Paddle!” he
said.
I was unnerved by the
In an instant, that smooth,
Dad bodysurfed in, right
increasing agitation in his
sweet wave had stood up on
arm held straight above his
tone.
its haunches and thrown me
head steering the way. I
onto my back in a back-flop,
panted, grateful for every
wave now loomed over me. I
chucking the giant long board
breath, as I watched him zip
paddled as hard as I could, but
at my face like a smack with a
across the wave slicing a line
the board didn’t seem to move
bat. The wall of water crashed
of white water in his wake.
up the face. The undertow
down on me, forcing me to roil
He knew how to wrestle that
pulled back against me. The
in the surf. Seaweed, rocks,
ocean down. It was never
ocean sucked up more water
the unforgiving fiberglass
going to get one up on him.
to form a thick wall. My arms
board, the sharp skeg tumbled
The wave dropped him off like
felt like rubber. The wave
along with me as my knee
a gentle giant hand, 20 feet in
crested. White water dripped
and chin scraped the ocean
front of me. He laughed as he
off the peak onto my back.
floor. When I was able to lift
stood up and trudged over to
Saltwater stung the rash that
my head up and take a deep
me. “Atta girl,” he said. “Your
had formed under my arms.
breath, but another wave,
first wipeout. I’m proud of ya,
The tip of the board rose with
bigger than the last, plowed
kid.”
the wave. I breathed a sigh of
into me, jamming a mouth full
I tasted something salty
relief. In a matter of seconds,
of saltwater down my throat. I
dripping down the back of my
I was going to cut through the
tried to catch a second breath,
throat. I felt a tickle above my
top and glide over to the other
but the weight and volume
upper lip. I swiped my arm
side where my dad would grab
of water was too much. I
across my face. A red stripe
the nose, and turn me around
tumbled into the shallows and
of blood painted a swath from
again, positioning me for my
skidded, road-rashing the shit
my elbow to my wrist. I had
next surf opportunity. This
out of my knees until, finally,
a bloody nose. I wanted him
was a cinch, but the wave was
I believed I wasn’t going to
to take a few more steps so
bigger than I’d thought, and it
drown after all, and I could
he could hug me and tell me
lifted the board up until it was
stand. I took a few defeated
how brave I was, but he bent
vertical, then cracked. The
steps, clenched my teeth, and
over laughing instead. “You’re
What was once a benign
hump-thump of
t
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nt
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