Surfing Dude

by Ed Nelson

  “I have a magic weapon that will bring all the girls around.”

  “What’s that Squirt?”

  “You silly, when they learn that my big brother is Sir Richard the movie star and singer and American Hero they will want to come, just to meet you.”

  You ever feel someone walking over your grave? I just had those sorts of chills down my back.

  “Don’t you think I’m a little old for them?”

  “Stupid boy, of course you are, some of them will have older sisters just the right age.”

  Maybe if I took off now, I could catch a tramp steamer on its way to Shanghai.

  “Well don’t be upset if things don’t work out.”

  “Don’t worry Rick, Mum and I will see that you get a nice pretty girl. We will chase the bad ones away.”

  Mary got a funny look on her face. I turned my head just in time to see that she was getting a Mum look. You don’t want to get a Mum look, at least not in our house. That went a little further in confirming some suspicions I had about events in England. Hmm, wonder how you get to McMurdo Sound?

  Chapter 9

  I finished breakfast and went to clean up. I had eased up on my running today, just enough to warm me up, but not to tire me. I think the surfing lessons might do that.

  After cleaning up I put swimming trunks on under my clothes. I wasn’t certain that my surfing trunks would be ready. Are they called trunks? Anyway after checking out with the guards I headed over to pick up Fred.

  He was ready but he looked worn out. As we headed to Huntington Beach I asked him how Saturday night ended up.

  “It ended up last night, they stayed Saturday and most of the day yesterday. I went out to pick up dinner and came back to a mess. They cleaned me out, my TV, radio, record player and all my albums, and most of my good clothes. The only thing they didn’t find was my hidden money. I keep that in the freezer wrapped as broccoli.”

  “Sorry to hear that, I guess that is the danger of picking up strange women and bringing them home.”

  “Yeah be glad you didn’t end up with one. I need to get checked out at a clinic, I may have picked up something.”

  I pictured them going through security at Jackson House; then running into Mum. I don’t think we would have been robbed. I would have got an earful, but not robbed.

  “Something about them didn’t ring right.”

  I got to listen to him the rest of the way to the beach, but I guess I would have been bummed out if it happened to me.

  We parked in front of Katin’s and went in. Our instructor Corky Carroll; wasn’t there yet, so we sat down to wait. Nancy had my surfing shorts waiting so I went to the back room and put them on. I knew surfing trunks didn’t sound right.

  I was sitting on the couch when three guys strolled in. One came right over to me.

  “Get up Dude, that’s my spot.”

  Nancy broke in, “Murf that is not your spot. I’m getting tired of your rudeness. You are banned from the shop.”

  This Murf guy turned to Nancy was though he was going to give her a hard time. I stood up. I guess Murf was a bit of a bully type as he turned back to me when he felt me move. I had a good six inches and forty pounds on him. He looked at me, while Nancy was telling him to get out. I did the one eyebrow raised trick but it didn’t seem to faze him.

  This Murf laughed at me, and said, “You may be a big guy, but I bet you have never done any serious fighting in your life.”

  I thought about two dead men on a bank floor in Colorado, arrows penetrating Russian agents, drawing down on cattle rustlers.

  “I’ve had my share.”

  One of his buddies must have recognized me because he whispered to the guy. I heard, “Sir Richard.”

  Murf sneered, “So with your fancy name and titles you would get the police on me after I whipped your butt. This place is a dump anyway. I’m on to bigger and better things.”

  With that he and his accomplices left.

  “Rick, I’m sorry about that, but Murf thinks he owns the Surf. He’s a jerk and will end up in a bad situation if he doesn’t change his ways.”

  “No worries Nancy.”

  Corky walked in and that changed the subject. He helped Fred and I select a board that would fit us. I ended up with a ten foot long board of the new material polyurethane. It was called a pig board. Why I have no idea. At least it didn’t weigh a ton like the wooden boards I had used before.

  Since I knew how to get into a wave, stand up on the board and steer it most of my first day’s instructions were refreshing rather than learning. Corky told me that all I need now was to catch and ride several thousand waves and I would be a surfer.

  He forgot to mention the part about chasing the board down if I lost it or getting drug across the sand. My skin was raw by late morning. I was glad to take a beach shower and head home. Fred was in a little better shape but not much. Our lessons with Corky were on Monday, Wednesday and Friday for the next three months.

  After dropping Fred off I headed home for another shower, hot this time. I then had lunch and then went at my school work. I was writing an essay when Mary came into the library. She didn’t interrupt me, just stood there.

  “What’s up Mary?”

  “Do you think the kids at my new school will like me?”

  Wow, not the same kid as at breakfast.

  “Why wouldn’t they. You’re nice and don’t try to hurt other people’s feelings. You are cute, so what’s not to like.”

  “I don’t know. They don’t know me so they may not like me.”

  “Hmm, you are going to be in Kindergarten?”

  “Yes.”

  “So it’s your first year of school?”

  “Yes it is you know that.”

  “So if it’s your first year, it must be all the other kids also.”

  “I suppose so.”

  “What do you think all those other kids are doing right now? Tomorrow they have to meet a bunch of new kids and they don’t know if they will be liked.”

  “Oh.”

  “I bet they are afraid no one will say hello to them. That would be terrible. I know I would feel bad if no one said Hi to me on my first day of school.”

  Mary nodded wisely, “That would be really sad, I better say Hi to them so they will feel good about school, and not be scared.”

  “That sounds like a good plan. Now do you think people will like someone who helps them not be scared?”

  “Yep.”

  “So there’s your plan, be nice, say Hi and you will have friends.”

  The sad Mary that had been standing there was the normal cheerful happy Mary once again. As she turned to tear off on some mysterious Mary mission I realized Mum had been standing there.

  She turned to walk away, but gave me a parting, “Well done.”

  I worked for another hour when I realized that I was stiffening up from the strange exercise I had earlier. I went for a run and ended up doing my normal five miles for the day. Another shower, how many was that for the day, and I went back to the books until dinner.

  At dinner we were informed that there would be a charity event at the house on Sunday September 20th. It would be a sit down dinner for thirty couples. We children were to attend the gathering, but not the dinner or events after. We would eat our dinner in the family dining room. For once I was glad to be counted as one of the children. That helped a little when we were informed we would be in tuxedos.

  On that high note I retired to my room and read about gray leathers which sounded more attractive than a penguin suit.

  I was up a littler earlier than normal, well half an hour, so I was able to do my morning exercises and run, while still be cleaned up and dressed for the day as I joined the rest of the family for breakfast.

  Mary was bubbling over about school. She couldn’t wait to get there and say Hi to all the scared little girls. She was going to help them and they would be her friends. She couldn’t wait!

  Eddie asked her abou
t what she was going on about so she explained, Ricks way of making friends. She just knew it would work. You could see the wheels turning in Eddie’s head so maybe he would give it a try. Denny who was a high and mighty junior high student paid it no mind.

  Dad asked me my plans for the day, was I going surfing?

  “I don’t think so Dad. I now understand what I need to do. There is no plan for me to be a world class surfer. they just don’t want me to look stupid on a board. Three times a week for the next three months should get me there easy. I have the basics down, so now it is repetition and learning to read the waves.

  Denny being a typical junior high student asked, “How do you read waves, are they in English?”

  I treated it as a serious question.

  “I know the theory but not the actual practice. There are three main types of waves, reef break, point break and beach break. They are waves breaking just like they sound. Breaking over a reef like the Pipeline, breaking over a point of land like Rincon, or breaking over a plain beach like Ehuki Beach in Hawaii.

  The best quality for a showy ride is a reef because they break hard and fast. The point break wave is a long smooth ride. The beach break is short, steep and powerful. They give the longest tube ride, so I suspect that is what they will shoot in Hawaii.

  “What’s a tube ride?”

  “It is the showiest surfing move. You start at the peak of a wave and try to get ahead of the wave by going over the leading edge, the lip. The idea is surf down the front wall of the wave and be under the falling lip, you move across the wall as the wave falls, so it looks like you are in a tube. If you get too far ahead of the wave and get to the bottom or the trough the wave will fall on you and wipe you out.”

  “These make the most dramatic camera shots so I think that is what we will be doing. Other things that effect how a wave moves are the wind and tide. So while I know the words I don’t know the reality of doing it.”

  “Huntington Beach is a classic beach break and has more consistent waves than anywhere else in California so that is why we are practicing there.”

  “What’s a wipe out?”

  I think the little bugger knew about a wipe out, and was just trying to cause trouble.

  “That’s where the wave tips you over and you then have to retrieve your board and start all over.”

  I wasn’t about to say, oh yeah it could also brain me with a ten foot board and I could drown. I didn’t think Mum and Dad needed to hear that.

  Dad spoke up, “There is a rare chance that the board could flip around and hit Rick in the head, leading to bad problems, but overall it is safer than driving on the free-way. “

  “Jack, if the freeway is that unsafe should Rick be driving?”

  This was spinning out of control quickly.

  “Peg, that is a good point.”

  That’s when I realized that I had been had by my parents. I shook my head and stood up from the table.

  “What I am going to do today is see about flying lessons, so I don’t have to drive on those dangerous freeways.”

  Mary asked, “Rick will you fly me to school, so I don’t have to be on those dangerous freeways.”

  “Sure thing squirt.”

  “Thanks.”

  Mum and Dad were looking at each other with a, what have we started look?

  “Have a good first day of school guys and doll, I am out of here.”

  Now that was time well spent!

  Chapter 10

  I had looked in the yellow pages and found the nearest airport with flight instruction was at the Santa Monica Airport. I drove over there to the offices of a company that advertised in the phone book, but they were out of business. I stopped at a restaurant, The Hump to get a cup of coffee and to borrow their yellow pages.

  While the waitress was bringing my coffee I heard two people talking about the airport. Apparently the local residents didn’t want the airport around them because of noise at night and the danger of crashes. They had all sorts of requests in front of the city council. If they had their way the airport would be closed and made into parkland. Not even industry would satisfy them.

  They hadn’t allowed the runway to be lengthened in 1958 driving Douglas away, and in the process losing forty four thousand jobs to Long Beach. Whatever makes them happy I guess. I just knew that this area would be more trouble than it was worth to get flying lessons.

  Ontario California had a small airfield. It was further than I had planned on driving. It was close to Cucamonga of Jack Benny fame. The area was planted in grapes which I don’t think would be concerned about aircraft noise.

  It took me an hour to get there, but it was worth the trip. It didn’t look like I thought it would. I expected a small dusty airport with a short runway, several hangers, a broken down looking office building with a windsock on a pole on top of the roof. There would be no control tower.

  It was very different than I imagined. It was the Ontario International Airport with commercial service daily to Las Vegas by Western Airlines and Bonanza Airlines. There were two, what looked like to me long runways. Later I was to learn the east/west runway was 6,200 feet and the northeast/southwest runway 4700 feet. There was a nice control tower, plus a small terminal building, about a dozen small hangers and several office buildings.

  When I pulled onto the airport grounds, I saw a sign pointed to flight lessons so I must be in the right place. I followed several arrows to a small building with a sign, Flying Lessons.

  Inside was a small office with a desk which was overflowing with paperwork. Behind the desk was a wizened looking man dressed in jeans, a plaid shirt, wearing a funny looking leather jacket with a patch, the patch had a tiger with wings. It was really too hot for a jacket. It must have been over one hundred outside. There was no air conditioning, only a fan blowing back and forth.

  “Kin I help you,” He asked.

  “I would like to see about flying lessons.”

  “I can’t take on anyone working for their lesson’s, I need the cash, up front.”

  “That’s okay. I will pay cash up front. That said; I don’t know what I have to do to learn to fly and get a license.”

  “You know how much it will cost? It could run into the hundreds of dollars.”

  Rather than play twenty questions, I pulled a wad of money out of my pants pocket.

  “How much?”

  “Two hundred dollars.”

  I counted it out and handed it to him.

  “Let me get you a receipt.”

  “How about a handshake instead?”

  “I like your style kid. I’m Bill McGarry.”

  He extended a hand and gave a firm shake.

  “Rick Jackson.”

  “Really nice to meet you Rick, I was sitting here wondering how I would pay my rent this month. You have saved me.”

  That stopped me for a moment. Rent this month? What if he had no more students, would he go out of business and leave me high and dry. Maybe this handshake wasn’t such a good idea.

  “Uh, glad I saved you, what about next month?”

  “All I had to do was get through the next ten days, after that I have a contract kick in with Bonanza Airlines to start a new batch of pilots, that will keep me going for another two years.”

  “Good, you had me scared for a moment.”

  “Sorry about that, now my method of teaching isn’t the same as others. I believe in learning as you are flying. We will have you soloing and flying your friends in no time.”

  “How old do you have to be?”

  “No problem there, only seventeen.”

  “I will be sixteen in October.”

  “No kidding! I would have pegged you at twenty or so. Well that slows things down but we can get your flight lessons out of the way and soloing. Why aren’t you in school?”

  “I’m on a study program with the studio I work for.”

  “So you’re that Rick Jackson, my daughter will want to meet you.”

 
I knew better to ask him how old she was, and if she was good looking.

  “Now what do I have to do to start.”

  “Read a bunch of stuff.”

  At that he opened a filing cabinet. From his desk I expected a mess. In fact it had neatly labelled folders. The surprise at the neatness must have shown on my face, as he said, “Daughter.”

  The thick folder he gave me contained forms I needed to fill out and study material. Among them were some that made sense such as, ‘Pilots Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge’, ‘Airplane Flying Handbook’. But what was the ‘Weight-Shift Control Flying Handbook’ all about?

  “Now when can you come out to start your lessons? We can have you ready to solo in fifty or sixty hours of classroom and flying instruction.

  “I can do Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, plus a Saturday or Sunday afternoon if needed.”

  “Let’s start with Tuesday and Thursday, four hour sessions. Each session will be a combination of classroom and flying. We can’t do four hours today, but I would like to get you up into the air.”

  “Works for me, let’s go.”

  And that is what we did.

  He took me up in a Cessna 172 which was a fairly new aircraft, which looked like it had been flown a lot; at least from the worn upholstery. This was a different experience than I had as a passenger in larger aircraft. I could tell we were flying.

  Mr. McGarry let me take the controls and do some simple turns and ups and downs. He talked me through everything. He took over as we landed, but even then he talked me through each step.

  There was no question I was going to be a pilot!

  I was still bubbling over at dinner. I gave the family a quick update of my day and small adventure. Mary wanted to know if I could fly her to school tomorrow. I had to tell her I couldn’t fly other people until I was 17.

  “But Rick I will be old and out of school by then!”

  “Well you may still be in college. How was your day, did you meet any new friends?”

  Hopefully that would distract her.