Page 63 of California Waves

His heart was in his throat. He couldn’t even sit down. He stood, walked to the edge of the water, and just watched. She was a dark shape against dark waves, and then the sun began to rise, casting a deep pink glow. She popped up on her board as easily and lightly as a ballerina leaping onto a stage and began to ride the waves. She was glorious, so beautiful it made his heart ache, and he watched her coming in toward him, so grateful she was safe. But she didn’t come all the way in. He realized with dread that she wasn’t finished.

She jumped off her board while she was still pretty far from shore and swam back out again. Half a dozen times, he waited for her to come all the way in, and each time she went back out for another ride.

Day was dawning, and he couldn’t take much more of this tension. He could see her more clearly now, and it seemed to him that she was barely in control of her board. Yet, when he was certain a wave would toss her, she somehow managed to stay on its back and ride.

Now he watched helplessly as she rode a big one, one of those that always scared him, where it curled right over like a big mouth trying to gobble her up. He could hardly bear to watch, yet he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

She seemed so small and defenseless in the curl of the wave. “Come on, come on,” he said aloud, his heart pounding. “Come out of there.”

And as she did, his worst fear was realized. The greedy mouth of the wave snapped its jaws shut.

And she disappeared.

A few seconds later, he watched her board pop up, but she wasn’t on it.

He didn’t even think. He dropped his coffee and sprinted into the water, calling her name.

Back when he’d been an Ironman, the swimming was the strongest leg of the event for him. His muscles remembered exactly how it felt to drag himself through the water with efficient strokes and at high speed. He kicked with all his strength, dragged himself forward with his arms, panting with the effort, half blinded by the waves, choking on seawater. Not knowing what else to do, he headed for her surfboard, where he could still see it bobbing. He was nearly there when a head popped up.

“Mila!” he yelled.

She looked slightly disoriented as she turned toward him. “Hersch?” And then she yelled again, “Hersch! You did it. You’re swimming!”

He didn’t even know what she was talking about. “I thought I’d lost you.”

And then they reached each other, and she threw her arms around him, and he threw his arms around her. He kissed her cold lips.

She was trembling.

He was trembling.

He kissed her again, and they clung to each other.

She said, “You’ll never lose me. I love you.”

And then they both grabbed at her board, and it supported them as they wrapped their arms around each other and kissed with the kind of deep love they’d never dared to express before.

He took another deep breath and said, “I love you too. I never should have said it last night. I wanted to make a big romantic thing of telling you, but the words just slipped out.”

“I liked hearing it,” she admitted. “But you startled me. I already knew I loved you. I was just scared to tell you.”

In that moment, Hersch realized they were still in deep water, and panic began to set in. His teeth were chattering, and the beach seemed a long way away. “Can we go in now?” he asked.

“Of course,” she said softly. “Let’s go home.”

* * *

When they got back, they showered until they were all warmed up and then cuddled in her bed, sharing coffee and just enjoying being in love and being with each other.

He leaned over and said, “I’m not going to scare you by asking too soon, but get used to the idea that one day I will. And before I even ask, I want you to think about how you’d feel marrying someone with one of the riskiest jobs on or off the planet.”

She rolled over and kissed him, and the smile bloomed all over her face. “Haven’t you noticed? I am a bona fide risk-taker. We’ll make it work.”

He reached over and ran his hand down her hair, tucking it behind one ear. “Bad things can happen. I’ve had to make my peace with that in order to be an astronaut.”

She shook her head at him. “Love is risk. The biggest risk of all. I never thought I could find a man like you. I never thought I could love this deeply. And loving you this way, I understand that one day you could be in a rocket, and it might not go well. You know that I could be on a wave, and it might not go well either. But that’s why we’re perfect for each other, because we understand and accept that risk.”

He pulled her close to him until her head was resting on his chest, and she could hear the slow, steady beat of his heart. He said, “You know, I had an epiphany the other day.”

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