02 The Moon And The Tide - Marina's Tales (36 page)

“Das me,” Kimo said politely.

“Whatever you want– it’s on me,” Bill said.
Kimo and I both started laughing.

“Bill, I’d like to introduce you to my friend
Kimo.” They shook hands as Bill rhapsodized about the time he saw
Kimo win a surfing contest in Oahu. Kimo nodded politely, but kept
his lustrous black eyes on me. I wondered if I had a smudge of
paint on my face or something.

“What can I get you?” Bill asked.

“I’ll have a latte’ please,” I said.

“Same here,” said Kimo.

We sat and drank our coffees, talking about
surfing big waves. Kimo told me about some of the places he’d been
surfing and asked me where I’d been. He was surprised to hear that
I’d never surfed anywhere but around Aptos.

“I just learned a couple of months ago,” I
said, not thinking.

Kimo looked like I was putting him on, “No
way!” he smiled.

“I’m a quick learner,” I said.

He threw his head back with a throaty laugh,
stopping when he saw all the artwork on the walls.

“Whoa! These paintings are da kine’!”

“What?” I laughed, I liked the way he
talked.

“Check it out… they’re crazy good waves!”

“Which one’s your favorite?” I asked with a
smile.

He studied them all and pointed at one, a
square canvas splashed with a thundering blue green wall of water
begging to be surfed.

I got up and took it down off the wall,
handing it to him. He looked at me with narrowed eyes.

“It’s mine,” I said, “and I want you to have
it.”

He took it and looked at the signature, a
smile spreading across his face.

“You painted dese?”

“Yes,” I nodded, “I was just here dropping
some new ones off.”

He looked up at the wall again, “You paint
like you surf.”

“Surfing is inspirational,” I smiled
again.

He looked all around, inspecting each
painting, “You been out surfing at night,” he observed, his eyes
flashing at mine.

“It’s my favorite time to go,” I said. I
didn’t feel like I had to hide anything from him.

“Aren’t you scared of no sharks?” he asked,
studying me.

“Not at all,” I said with conviction,
“Actually, they’re afraid of me.” He roared with laughter again and
I joined in this time. It was even more funny to me because I knew
it was true.

“Come surfing with me today. Me and my brahs
are gonna take a boat out to some mondo break.”

“I don’t know...” I said, looking down.

“You still have the same man?”

I pressed my lips together and didn’t
answer.

“Come surf with us– it’ll be good fun...”

As Evie would say, “Any port in a storm,” I
looked up into Kimo’s intense eyes, “OK.”

Kimo called his buddies and told them where
to pick him up. He arranged to follow me home so I could change and
get my wet suit. When the van pulled up in front of the coffeehouse
Kimo took his painting under his arm.

“Dis gonna look awesome in de shack,” he
smiled, “Mahalo,” flashing his large white teeth at me.

When we stepped out onto the sidewalk I
noticed the black sedan trolling down the street. I darted back
into the coffeehouse and watched from behind a pillar until it
passed by. I looked up to see Kimo watching me with a strange look
on his face.

“Who’s dat?”

“It’s a long story,” I said, coming out of
the coffeehouse cautiously, looking up and down the street before
venturing out and hurrying to the Rover.

“We’ll follow you,” he called out to me as I
climbed in.

I pulled up to Abby’s little house followed
by the van. Kimo introduced me to his two friends, Eric and Gabe.
They didn’t seem too happy that he was taking a girl along.

“I’ll just be a second,” I said as I raced
inside. When I came out Kimo had already loaded my boards into the
back of the van and was waiting with the side door open.

“I suppose she can stay on the boat,” I
overheard one of them grumble.

“I’m not leavin’ early,” the other one said
to Kimo.

“Shut up,” Kimo told them, making me
smile.

I climbed in the second row of seats and Kimo
sat next to me, his knees wedged in tightly against the front seat.
I doubted he’d ever ridden in the back before.

“Ready for some primo surfing?”

I nodded, grinning from ear to ear. He had no
idea.

We drove to the harbor and loaded onto a boat
that Gabe took the helm of. It was fast, and before I knew it we’d
reached a spot with big breaking waves forming on rocky points
jutting out into the water. They dropped anchor safely behind the
lineup and started changing into wetsuits. I looked up at the sheer
cliffs and over at the two giant boulders flanking the tiny cove
and smiled. I had been here before with Lorelei.

“Look at you, all happy,” Kimo said.

I smiled wider, for I was happier than I’d
been in weeks. I put my suit on and picked the first new board to
try, remembering how it felt to slip between the two rocks. I
focused on the incoming swell as we all paddled out. I closed my
eyes to better feel the next wave, an extremely good wave.

“This one’s big,” I said with a quaver in my
voice, “I’m going...” I said.

“Ladies first,” said Gabe with a dismissive
wave.

“Be careful,” called Kimo, “Dis reef break–
all rocks.”

The wave built higher and higher, and I
paddled out to stand up on a cresting wall of water every bit as
good as the waves at the point. The board was easier to maneuver,
and I carved tight turns, jumping off the lip, twisting and turning
to slide back down. I listened as it told its story to me, and I
found myself reacting to its changing shapes instinctively. My
timing was perfect, keeping my board at the exact point and angle
to make the most of the ocean’s surging energy.

It was like magic, and the surfboard Kimo had
picked for me was responsive, a big improvement over the others. I
laughed lightheartedly as I easily steered myself between the
sentinel rocks into the little cove, paddling back out with a
rapturous smile. Ahh, Relief.

I headed back out to the guys, feeling
relaxed and calm inside. Kimo watched me approach them with a funny
grin on his face, shaking his head.

I sat up, “This is the best board I’ve ever
surfed on! What’s the difference between this board and the other
one?” I asked. They all started laughing in disbelief.

Now Kimo looked surprised, “Where’d you
disappear to?” he asked.

“I’ve been here before,” I said, pointing to
the two boulders. “If you can maneuver between them there’s a nice
little cove back in there.”

“She’s right,” said Gabe.

“How’d you find dis place?” Kimo asked,
perplexed.

I rolled my eyes, “Can we just surf?”

Kimo looked at his buddies, “Isn’t she da
cute?”

I scoffed at him and paddled away to listen
for another great one. His laughter in the background was drowned
out by the roaring of the ocean’s voice in my mind.

We surfed and played the afternoon away,
taking our turns on one great wave after another. The three of them
were all expert surfers, and I watched carefully, mining them for
ideas. They each had a signature move, and their surfing styles
were as individual as every unique wave. There was a natural
camaraderie among the four of us, all recognizing our common love
for riding the waves, our mutual respect for the sea.

“Check out Kimo hot dogging for Marina!”
laughed Eric.

I giggled lightheartedly as I watched Kimo
goofing around on his board, doing handstands and turning
completely around on his feet. I felt looser and happier than I had
in weeks, and spent the day surfing with pure joy and freedom.

Among strangers, I could simply relax and be
myself. I never felt like they wanted to hold me back and restrain
my instinctive behavior. They were happy to just hang out and surf–
and they actually liked it when I showed my unique skills. The guys
were most impressed with the ability I had to predict the big waves
before they came.

“Tol you– she’s akami,” Kimo looked at me,
pointing to his head, “Smart.”

“Man, I’d win every contest if I could pick
’em like you can,” said Eric, “How do you do it?”

“I was just born that way,” I said. It was
unbelievably liberating to speak the truth, even if they thought I
was being flip.

I wasn’t nearly as strong as the guys, but my
ability to read the waves allowed me to expend less effort, riding
lightly on the surface of the water instead of fighting through it.
I used the ocean’s power; all I had to do was balance.

The hardest part was all the paddling. My
shoulders were sore and my arms quivered with fatigue, making me
rest more than usual between each set. I realized that I was
getting used to having Lorelei tow me back out after each wave I
rode in. When the guys tired we swam back to the boat for a rest. I
unzipped my suit and peeled it down halfway, leaning back in the
sun, contented and drowsy. Kimo handed me a soda from a cooler and
sat down beside me.

He looked at me, evaluating, “You got faraway
eyes,” he observed.

I smirked, “You have shark eyes.” He laughed
at me.

“Hey Marina, how come you’re not surfin’ the
circuit?” Eric asked, looking at me curiously.

“Yeah,” said Gabe, “If any chick should go
pro it’s you!”

“I’m not interested in competing,” I
said.

“Why?” asked Eric.

“I’m just not,” I said, with a note of
finality.

“She’s a soul surfer,” said Kimo, flashing a
toothy smile at me. I closed my eyes and leaned back again with a
sigh, not feeling the need to explain myself any further. The boat
bobbed peacefully in the swells, rocking in the ocean’s cradle,
tranquilizing my troubles away.

There was a stark and sudden change in the
atmosphere that made me bolt up, tense. Something was coming at us.
I turned to Kimo, hairs on my head standing on end, “It’s a
sleeper,” I gasped, not knowing what else to call it. I looked back
out to the sea.

Kimo studied me shrewdly, “Gabe! turn da
boat!” Gabe started the engine and turned the boat to face into the
enormous wave suddenly coming from out of nowhere. Kimo grabbed me
with one hand and the boat with the other as we were lifted to
nearly vertical. We crested, made it over the top and back down. It
was over before we knew it, the sea calm again, the sun
shining.

“My God!” Gabe said slowly, “That was an epic
rouge! Dude... that woulda rolled us!” They all looked at me in
amazement.

I shrugged, “You guys ready to surf some
more?” I asked, and we all laughed with relief.

The van pulled up in front of Abby’s house as
night began to fall.

I turned to Gabe and Eric with a smile, “It
was nice meeting you two,” I said as I climbed out.

“I’m sure glad you came along today,” said
Gabe solemnly.

“That was some sick surfin’ Marina,” added
Eric.

Kimo got out, helped me put my surfboards
away and handed me my bag. He walked me up to the porch.

“Ja like to go get some food?” he asked,
scratching his head.

“Thanks, but I don’t think so... I’m not
really dating.” I blushed, glad it was getting dark.

“Hey,” Kimo said, holding his hands out
innocently, “We’re just surfing buddies.”

“I don’t know,” I wavered.

“Come on... you haven’t lived till you had
some good Hawaiian barbeque...” he cocked his head appealingly,
making me smile.

I caved in, “OK, I don’t see why not.”

“Kay-den,” he said, “You mine driving?”

“Not at all.”

“Good,” he smiled, “Lemme get rid of dese
jokers.” He went to the van as I climbed into the Rover. In a flash
he jumped in beside me, looking around.

“Do you have a rich daddy?” he asked
playfully.

It made me sad to think of my dad, “No, not
really,” I said quietly.

He looked at me perceptively, “Les go eat
sumpin.”

I followed his directions, driving to a
little nondescript storefront in a strip mall by the college
campus. We walked into a bustling restaurant, crowded with students
and surfers fresh out of the water. A large woman came rushing at
us from out of nowhere.

“Kimo!” she cried, throwing her arms around
him and kissing both his cheeks. She was almost as tall as him, and
built solidly, with glowing skin and long black hair. Love and
warmth radiated from her.

“Hannah, dis is Marina, she nevah have
Hawaiian barbeque before.”

She turned her attention to me, “Oh, wiwi
wahini! Let’s get you fed!” She grabbed me in a bear hug that
nearly smothered me in her massive bosom. I should have minded but
I didn’t, there was something so genuine and kind about her, so
motherly. She reminded me of Abby.

She led us to a booth in the back, fussing
until we were settled. Kimo told her to bring us whatever was good
that day and she scurried off, eager to please him.

I leaned forward, “What did she call me?” I
asked.

“She called you ‘skinny girl’,” he replied
with laughing eyes.

“She’s certainly very friendly,” I said,
making him laugh out loud again.

“What’s so funny?”

“You are,” he said.

I looked around at the posters of Hawaii that
papered the walls, listening to the guitar music playing in the
background.

“Hawaii looks really beautiful,” I said.

Kimo launched into loving descriptions of the
islands and surfing there that made it seem like heaven on earth.
He told me how surfing was ancient and spiritual in Hawaii, and how
it spread around the world from there. He described warm clear
water and skies filled with rainbows. I wondered what Hawaiian
mermaids were like.

He painted an entrancing picture of surfing
the world, telling me about the waves in Australia, Bali and Costa
Rica. Kimo spoke of warm turquoise blue waters you could surf in
without a wetsuit. He described uncrowded waves that broke
perfectly.