The Peripheral Sur

by Bart Key

  •

  Surfing that day left me feeling fresh and alive again. I was so glad that I had not lost my surfing skills though they were certainly rusty. Jeremy was a gifted surfer. Reaching his skill level would become my new goal. For just having learned to surf, Sur was coming along nicely. He seemed much more athletic than I recalled and he had an incredible instinct for selecting good waves to surf. After the surf petered out about noon, Sur invited Jeremy to join us for lunch during which he and I began trading tales about our California surfing experiences as youngsters. Sur just listened to us get carried away and I could tell he was deep in thought about something.

  That evening, Sur asked what my future plans were and I confessed that I really hadn’t gotten that far down the road yet. He must have remembered my telling him that during summers in high school I had worked as a carpenter’s assistant on one of my dad’s construction crews because he asked me if I had any interest in working with him and Jeremy on his remodeling projects noting that Jeremy was already on board with the idea. I definitely was very interested. The next morning I drove back to L.A. to pick up my stuff, drove back to Ventura and moved in with Jeremy. My parents were as baffled as ever. Their West Point son was going to work as a carpenter on a house remodeling crew.

  When I moved in with Jeremy, it was a little strange at first. He was naturally cautious about my entering the scene and a perhaps a bit leery that I might start issuing orders. That was the last thing on my mind. Rather I wanted him to tell me what to do. His carpentry skills clearly were superior to mine and I had so much to learn. I found out quickly that Jeremy was a consummate perfectionist not only as a carpenter but in everything he did. Besides being so methodical, he was also incredibly well organized and never missed an opportunity to speed things along. He loved to chatter as we worked always making various crass comments about most everything. And they were funny. Both Sur and I loved working with him. Occasionally, I would join in the banter though I was not nearly as clever as he was. Jeremy did have some shortcomings like we all do. He was a sloppy dresser and his room looked like a tornado hit it. He didn’t have a clue about how to cook which he was the first to admit. As I was fairly skilled in the kitchen, I became the appointed cook and he gladly did all the cleaning up.

  Surfing was the glue that cemented our relationship. We both loved the sport with a passion and both of us were pretty good at it though I was not at his skill level, at least not yet. Our work schedule was unlike that of most folks. The three of us thought nothing of working seven days a week and sometimes ten or twelve hours a day. But when the surf was up, we were there. When paddling out, we were like brothers in purpose and mind.

  Not long after I moved in, I became aware of Jeremy’s active social life and how he never missed an opportunity to sow wild oats. I wondered if my being around might be creating a wrinkle in what he had been used to. His bedroom activities with a guest were not infrequent and one day he asked if that bothered me. I laughed and assured him it didn’t. Have fun. If anything, I’m envious. Jeremy was one of those lucky guys who was the chased not the chaser. As for me, I had put my social life on hold for now. It’s hard to explain why but all I really cared about at the moment was being close to Sur and at his beck and call.

  •

  I found it a little odd that a former army captain would want to work on a crew fixing up rundown beach houses. And he was to become my housemate as well. When Sur discussed with me the possibility of Ward’s coming on board, I supported the idea mainly because I could tell Sur wanted to do it and I trusted his judgment. Ward was a few years older than me like Sur. But from the beginning, the age difference was virtually ignored as we worked together, lived together and surfed together. From the moment I met him, it was obvious that he was the leader type and no doubt used to giving orders. But not once did he direct me to do anything or attempt to take on the role of boss. To the contrary, as he got acclimated, he asked me to tell him what to do. Ward quickly figured out that I was a rebel at heart and got a kick out of my gross language and side comments. When he had a mind to, he could swear like a trooper himself. From day one, friendly cooperation was our standard mode of conduct. Very quickly we developed a friendship, each accepting the other’s quirks. Our bedrock commonality was our admiration of Sur.

  From the beginning, it was obvious that Ward loved surfing just as much as Sur and I did. It didn’t take him long to return to his former skill set and he was determined to move beyond it. Both of us went out of our way to assist Sur in improving his skills and, not to our surprise, he did so at an amazing pace. In no time at all, he would become an accomplished surfer.

  No long after Ward moved in, the national draft lottery system birth dates were announced. My birthday drew a very high number which meant I almost certainly would never be drafted. As I heard the news and began jumping up and down in joy, Ward called Sur and the three of us went to my favorite tavern to celebrate. It was kind of strange. Here I was getting drunk with two Vietnam veterans and they were as happy about my not having to go to war as I was. I’ll never forgot that night.

  •

  How great it was to have Ward back in my life again. He, Jeremy and I quickly became comfortable as a team. Being the least skilled, I leaned on the two of them to teach me how to become a more skilled and efficient carpenter. In the meantime, I was content with taking on some of the more menial tasks like maintaining tools and cleaning up. Since neither of them particularly liked ordering supplies, I took up that function as well. Anything I could do to make things easier for them allowed them more time to concentrate on the skill work. Each time we completed renovation of a house, I leased it. Suddenly, I was a landlord having to contend with lessee issues which sometimes required my temporary absence from the team. I also found myself needing more time to attend to my stock market investments, something I had started doing soon after moving to Ventura. Down the pike, I could see the day that an additional team member might be required. After I got home each day now, I could not believe how much my life had changed in so short a time.

  And then Cory called.

  Chapter 4

  The Warrior

  While I was still in the ‘Nam, I received a postcard from Sur saying hello and giving me his new address and phone number noting that should I ever need a reference, he would be happy to provide one. Months later after returning to the States and being discharged, I drove to my home in Portersville where my parents welcomed me back. As we were an outdoor family to the core, the three of us soon donned backpacks and headed into the High Sierras for a week. It was early autumn and the lower trails were still fairly dry, the days cool and the nights cold. Being in the mountain wilderness again helped immensely in helping me to leave the army and the war behind. When we got back, I returned to work for my dad as an apprentice electrician. The two of us had always been very close. As a young man, he had been in an army special forces unit and had taught me a lot about survival techniques and self-defense. At a young age when I had showed an interest in learning taekwondo, he signed me up for instructions and was very proud when I eventually earned my black belt.

  After several months, I became restless living at home and made the decision to strike out on my own. My parents kind of figured this day was coming and didn’t discourage me. So I called Sur to let him know I was out of the service and looking for a job. He was pleased that I called and asked about my prior work history. After I told him about my experience as an electrician’s assistant, he seemed interested and said he would get back to me. He called the next day and described his new business of fixing up run-down beach houses. His remodeling team could use an extra hand and my experience in electrical work would be valuable. After hearing the pay and benefits, I accepted and the next day drove to Ventura. When I knocked at his door, he invited me in and began briefing me on the kind of work his team did and its other two members. One was a guy with prior carpentry experience n
amed Jeremy who he said was about my age and had assisted him in remodeling his home after which the two of them began fixing up other houses he had purchased. The other member was a guy I might remember as Lieutenant Donley in Vietnam. I did remember him. My patrol had escorted him and Sur on a couple of fairly dangerous missions into the Laotian jungle. During his first assignment in the ‘Nam, he and his platoon had been involved in some real shit which resulted in a number of casualties. I recalled that he was a career army officer and I was surprised to learn not only that he had left the service but that he was now working as a carpenter on Sur’s team.

  Sur took me over to the house where Jeremy and Ward lived and introduced me after which they helped me move my things into the into the house’s third bedroom. I was naturally a little nervous about living with a couple of guys I hardly knew. But right off the bat, the guy I knew as Lieutenant Donley told me to call him Ward and to please not call him sir. It was really strange seeing him in civilian work clothes. As for Jeremy, it didn’t take me long to figure out that he was the rebellious type which I had a reputation for being myself. Jeremy seemed thrilled to have someone about his age on the team. He loved to make made smart ass comments about most everything which I was not innocent of doing myself. His language, like mine, was raunchy to the core. Ward would laugh at the constant jibes thrown back and forth between Jeremy and me and occasionally would sling off some lewd witticism himself. It was obvious that Jeremy and Ward had become close. And they were both bigtime into surfing, as was Sur.

  I began bugging them to teach me how to surf. I was really liking my new life and wanted to fit in. Very soon I was being eased into the waves with a longboard. They were all very patient and protective, one of them always staying close to me as I was learning and practicing. I’ll always remember the first time I stood up on my board successfully. After becoming satisfied I could handle myself, they pretty much quit monitoring me figuring I could manage just fine on my own. While I loved to be with them whenever they went surfing, I wasn’t as fanatical about it as the three of them were. Sometimes, when the waves were too intimidating, I would just hang out on the shore and watch them. Ward always exercised careful judgment before launching himself into a wave. Jeremy was more daring but then again his skills were at the level that he could manage good rides when others would just crash and burn. Then there was Sur who would just leap to the challenge without any forethought. I would cringe when he wiped out ugly which he did more often than the other two put together. But when he resurfaced, he would just shake it off with a smile and paddle back out. When he did have a particularly great ride, you could hear his shout of jubilance over the sound of the surf. While not as gung ho about surfing as they were, I loved to paddle out with them and enjoy the spirit of the setting. It was much like being in the woods or the jungle. Wild and untamed especially when there were few other surfers around.

  As a youngster, I had always been somewhat of a loner. But now I was one of the guys. Our kidding around with each other was continuous and never mean spirited. It amazed me just how well the four of us clicked as a work team. From what I could gather, when Ward joined the team, Jeremy was sort of the leader but after a while Ward sort of assumed that position with Jeremy’s full support. I had been worried at first about my limited experience as an electrician. Jeremy sort of sensed that and told me not to worry about it. He had a surfer friend who was an electrician and was sure he would be glad to help me out whenever I required advice or assistance. And several times I did. In turn, our team would hire him for specialized electrical work when needed. Starting with day one, I asked Jeremy and Ward to teach me carpentry skills so that I could pitch in as needed.

  Jeremy occasionally set me up with dates. Although I was not the consummate lover like he was, I usually managed to end the evening having fun in the bedroom. Honestly though, dating was just not my thing. I was always nervous and squirmed a lot from not knowing what to do and being worried about embarrassing myself. In the army if you wanted to get laid, you just paid for it and moved on. Sometimes when the dating game wasn’t cutting it for me, I would just take a couple of days off, drive to Vegas and pay to get my jollies. I didn’t see myself as a future family man though, like Jeremy, I loved being around kids.

  •

  When Jeremy and I learned about the possibility of Sur’s hiring Cory, I told Jeremy what I remembered about him from Vietnam. He had been the leader of a Lurp unit which stood for long range reconnaissance patrol. The soldiers in these units specialized in going out into the boonies where the enemy was known to be present and concealing themselves so that they could observe and report back on its activities. If the enemy had any hint of the patrol’s presence, they would attack with a vengeance. Twice, Cory’s patrol had escorted Sur and me inside enemy-infested jungle so that Sur could conduct some tests relative to some highly-classified detection experiments. Before leaving on the missions, Cory would give us detailed instructions on how to become invisible in the jungle in order to avoid discovery. He also made it clear that we were to follow his lead at all times. We had no problem with that as he knew the drill and we didn’t.

  There were times when we were in hiding so close to enemy soldiers that we could hear them talking and sometimes even smell them. Once they had moved on, Cory would signal us to continue with our work. More than once an enemy soldier got too close for comfort necessitating his quick dispatch by Cory or one of his men usually by slitting his throat from behind. When this occurred, all of us would have to move out of the area immediately as we knew the dead soldier would soon be missed and searched for. The nights were the worst as that was when the enemy moved around a lot on the trails where we were doing our work. Cory had taught us techniques for getting some rest and staying dry at night. But we never really slept nor were we able to ever get completely dry. When Sur and I completed our inspections, all of us walked to a rendezvous point where we were picked up by a chopper and flown back to base camp. Sur and I were so relieved when we got back and could hardly wait to take a long shower and get some real sleep. As I told all this to Jeremy, he was fascinated but I could tell by the look on his face that he also thought the three of us must be insane.

  Jeremy already had “gifted” me with the pleasure of being the appointed cook and once Cory moved in, he seconded the motion. In truth, it was no more difficult to cook for three than two. And as the cook, I was also the shopper which only made sense. In return the two of them had no problem with doing all the kitchen cleanup and housekeeping both inside and out. No doubt at least partially because of our time in the military, Cory and I always wore well-fitting work clothes that were not tattered or faded. Jeremy on the other hand looked like a ragamuffin. He rarely bought any clothes and the ones he had were faded and close to threadbare. He actually seemed to prefer that.

  After Cory moved in, we became a little cramped for space. I longed for a place where I could work out with weights and our small garage was taken up with benches for waxing surf boards. One day I asked Jeremy and Cory if they would have any objection to enlarging the garage to include a workout room. Both loved the idea and joined in helping me do the work. Once we were done, I began a regular lifting regimen and soon both of them did as well. Weather permitting, I also loved to run several miles along the beach every day. While reluctant at first, they soon joined me. As Sur was also a runner, many times all four of us would run together usually around dusk. Having a buzz on during our jaunts just added to the experience. And of course we gawked at all the people and their activities on the beach as we ran. Jeremy confessed to me once that when he saw someone particularly provocative he would imagine in his mind what that person looked like naked. I called him a pervert and he just howled with laughter. Being cleanliness freaks, all of us showered every day usually after exercising or running. Typical for him, Jeremy had no modesty whatsoever. He would walk to and from the shower buck naked. Being more modest, Cory and I would tease him mercil
essly about his privates being on display. He would laugh and moon us.

  Not long after Cory moved in, we all pitched in and bought a color TV mainly so we could watch sporting events and some of the popular comedies including the Monty Python show. The three of us thought it was hysterical and our conversations became peppered with quips from the show. One day at work Cory happened to say “and now for something completely different” which caused Jeremy and me to break out laughing. Sur had no idea what was so funny until we explained. I think he was a little embarrassed at being so out of touch. Although he had his own color TV, he rarely watched it preferring instead to read his beloved Wall Street Journal from cover to cover. But the following week when it was time for Monty Python to start, Sur arrived with a fat joint and the four of us laughed hysterically watching the program.

  With three bachelors in the house, you’d think there’d be a lot of extracurricular activities going on. But not all that much really because we worked long hours every day of the week and, during our time off, we were surfing, working out or running the beach. About twice a week, Cory would go to his martial arts studio in the evening for a lesson or practice session. Jeremy might have a beer with friends and occasionally would come home with that unmistakable look on his face which we interpreted as meaning he had managed to get his horns trimmed. Other times, after Cory and I had gone to bed, Jeremy would come home with someone special who would always be gone before we got up the next morning. I had become familiar with Jeremy’s occasional flings before Cory came on board and, if I awoke at all from the noise, I just turned over and went back to sleep. But since Cory’s room was right next to Jeremy’s, he could clearly hear what was going on next door. The next morning, he would tease Jeremy mercilessly about being awakened by all the moaning and groaning going on. Jeremy would just sort of sheepishly grin, apologize and make some wise-ass comment like “every now and then a young man just has to get his pipes cleaned.” Cory and I would crack up. And of course Cory would continue to give Jeremy more shit for the rest of the day.