Page 56 of Big Island Sunrise
“I haven’t surfed in… man, close to a decade? I’m worried that he will be too much for me.”
“We can go wherever you want. But the surf is mellow today, and I think you’d have fun there. I remember seeing you out on the water in high school. You don’t forget a thing like that. Surfing, I mean. It’s like riding a bike.”
She smiled self-consciously.
“What?” he asked.
“I never learned how to ride a bike.”
“For real?” He smiled at her and then turned his eyes back to the road. “Now I know what to do for our second date.”
It was a gorgeous day, pale blue skies and dark blue water. The river beneath the bridge was calm and clear. And he had been right, the surf was perfect. Big enough to be fun, but not overwhelming.
Tenn found a parking spot just past the stairs, and Lani chose the smallest board from the back of the truck. It was a pale sunshine yellow, faded with age but still in great shape.
They carried their boards down the hill and across the warm black sand until they reached a spot where it was easy to get in. Lani walked out through the surf, pulled herself onto the board, and started paddling.
Muscle memory kicked in immediately, and she felt a rush of pure joy as she skimmed across the water. Her arms weren’t as strong as they used to be, but the old motions were as familiar to her as ever.
There was a crowd of people like always, and for a long time she just sat there on her board, relishing the view and enjoying the gentle bob of the water surging beneath her. She watched as others caught waves and rode them.
Then Tenn lured her into the perfect spot.
“I don’t know,” she said as a big wave rushed towards them.
“You’ve got this. Here, take this one!”
She pointed the nose of her board towards shore, looking anxiously over her shoulder.
“Go!” Tenn cheered behind her. “Go! Get it!”
She paddled furiously, shoulders burning. For a second, she thought that the wave would pass underneath her and leave her behind. But she kept up and caught it, board surging up beneath her in a rush of speed as the wave drove her forward.
She lifted her hands out of the water and flew.
The rush of wind and water sent her straight back to her childhood, out there with her dad.
And Tenn was right. It was like she had never been away. She steadied herself with her hands and hopped up onto her feet like it was nothing. The wave took her almost all the way to the rocky shore before she steered herself over the back of it and landed with a gentle splash.
As she paddled back out towards the other surfers, they all clapped and cheered.
Tenn cheered first, last, and loudest of all.
“You can take the surfer girl out of Hawai’i,” he said as she paddled back to the line up, “but you can’t take Hawai’i out of the girl!”
After a few more waves, she went in. All that paddling had made her muscles ache and burn. She carried the borrowed surfboard up out of the water and set in the warm black sand. Then she plopped down beside it, relishing the afternoon sunshine that warmed her back.
As she watched, Tenn caught a wave and popped up to his feet. The sun glinted off of his golden skin as he carved through the water. Then he lost his footing and landed with a splash.
Lani giggled, feeling younger than she had in years. She lay back and turned her face up to the sun, feeling the heat of it on her lips.
Black sand coated her skin and sparkled in the sunlight. It was filled with tiny pieces of sea glass, sparking like stars in the black. Blue and green and white and gold, all glinting in the sun as she turned her arm this way and that.
When the sun retreated to the far side of the island and shadow overtook the beach, Tenn came in and found her still lounging on the sand. They rinsed off at the showers and changed into dry clothes, and then he drove her into Hilo for dinner.
The sushi place was a small building in a gorgeous location, out on a small peninsula with a wide view of the bay. But the windows were dark, and the parking lot was empty.
“What time does it open?” she asked.
