by Marika Ray
I sighed.
"Patience, Hessa..." I muttered under my breath.
2
Kai
"Tower one, I need backup south side of the pier. We got a jumper."
I dropped the radio on the control desk, stripped off my polo and exited the door. I jogged over to the railing, taking a split-second to take a deep breath. Before I wasted time doubting my actions, I jumped off the cement pier, jackknifing my body and dove into the water below. My dive was picture-perfect and I bet I didn't even make a splash as I dove in head-first. My high school diving coach would be so proud.
I surfaced quickly, scanning down into the water for the man I'd seen jump off the pier just moments before. He was flailing with one arm, seeming disoriented, floating a few feet down. I swam over, dove down to grab him and propelled him to the surface. Thankfully he was too out of it to fight me. Once I looped my buoy around him, I swam over to the lifeguard jet ski driven by my buddy Jax. Quicker to get him out of the water on the jet ski than to swim him all the way to land.
We rolled him safely onto the backboard and tied it to the back end of the jet ski. Jax paused, lifting an eyebrow at me and I gave him a thumbs-up in return. Seeing that I was fine after the jump, Jax took off. I took a moment to float on my back, enjoying the sway of the water out past the break. I took deep breaths to let the adrenaline release from my system and let my heart rate slow down.
When I was ready, I swam it back in, body surfing a wave to expend less energy. As I pulled myself out of the water, I thought about how lucky that guy was. He was breathing when I lifted him out of the water and didn't look like he'd broken anything significant. At the end of the pier, the water was one hundred feet below. A jump from there would end in certain death, but he'd jumped much closer in, where the drop was maybe fifty feet. Still a crazy jump, but not certain death.
We got a jumper or two every year, but I saw the guy's face the moment before he leaped. He didn't look depressed or scared. He'd looked excited and determined. Plus, he did it right in front of the lifeguard office window. I'd have to follow up at the hospital later and find out how he was doing.
When I got back to my post on the pier, my supervisor, Ivan, was there to question me about the incident. Ivan was a good supervisor and an even better person. He kept pressuring me to interview for a higher-up position, but my heart just wasn't in it. I didn't want the added stress or the responsibility of supervising other lifeguards. I just wanted to stay where I was, spending time in the ocean where I felt at home.
"What's up, man? You survive that dive okay?" Ivan leaned one hip against the control desk like we were just shootin' the shit, but I knew he was genuinely concerned.
"Wanted to take a little dip and check the water temp. Happened to do that right after a guy jumped in. Lucky coincidence, man." I shrugged like I didn't just make a killer save, the type us lifeguards dig for the adrenal hit.
"Know why he jumped?" Ivan got right to the point. We tried to lock down any word of jumpers getting out because it usually caused copycatters, which required more man power from the lifeguards. And regardless of how effortless I made the dive look, it was risky jumping from that high up.
I shook my head. "Nah, he wasn't talking when I lifted him out, but I'll stop by the hospital after my shift and see if I can ask him a few questions."
"That'd be great. I know the police will do their own questioning, but I want to know what's happening on our beaches. If he's got friends that will try to one-up him out here on the pier, I wanna know about it beforehand." Ivan may have looked chill, but he never messed around when it came to people's safety out on the beach.
"I'll see what I can do."
Ivan got to his feet and walked to the door, hesitated and then turned around. "So. What are you doing on June sixteenth?"
I frowned. "Well, let's see here. Eight months from now, I know I have..." I stopped to chuckle. "I'm just kidding, man. I have no idea what I'm doing on June sixteenth. Why?"
"That's the day Esa and I are getting married and she's hounding me already on some of the details. Would you stand up for me? Be a groomsman?" Ivan looked a little sheepish to be asking me.
"Hell yeah, I will! That would be a great honor. Thank you. Why you embarrassed? It's not like you're asking me out on a date, dude."
Ivan finally laughed. "It just feels weird asking my friends to join in on the wedding formalities. I can't wait to marry Esa, but this wedding stuff seems so silly. I know she's planning all sorts of things and it means a lot to her. I just want to marry her. Who cares about the actual ceremony, you know?"
"Well, hang in there, brother, because your woman wants a beautiful ceremony and I know you can't say no. But I'll be standing up there with you, okay?" I stepped forward and gave him a guy hug, you know, the kind that involved whacking each other's backs. "Who else you got?"
"I only plan on you, Dean, Jax, and Cane, but Esa keeps adding bridesmaids, so I may have to ask a few more guys to keep the numbers even."
"The Beach Squad is growing, huh?" I laughed, remembering how Esa named her group of girlfriends. "Got any hot, single ladies I should know about?"
"Yeah, I believe Shasta is still single." Ivan shot me a smile.
I cringed. "Yeah, she'd be hot if I was ten or twenty years older. But she kinda scares me too, man. I need a woman who's kick-back and will love my VW bus just as much as me."
"You might try fixing it up a bit or even just cleaning it occasionally...that might help draw the ladies in," Ivan added dryly.
"Dude, no way. My ride is a perfectly worn-in, comfortable carriage. The right woman will appreciate her finer points."
"Keep telling yourself that, Kai. I gotta run. Keep me in the loop if you find out anything else about our jumper, huh?"
I hated the smell of hospitals. That smell combination of bleach, potpourri, and death. The fluorescent lights, white walls, hushed voices. I felt claustrophobic in hospitals, and I'd had the good fortune to never need to be in one for any length of time.
The sooner I went in, the sooner I could leave and breath in fresh air again.
The guy's door was propped open, so I stepped in and whisper-yelled, "Knock, knock."
A head popped around the drawn curtain. A man in his late fifties stepped out and asked, "How can I help you?"
"I pulled a guy out of the water today and wanted to check in and see how he was doing. Am I in the right room?"
His face instantly cleared and he held his hand out to me. "Yes, yes. You got the right room. Thanks so much for helping Jackson. He's my son."
I shook his hand. "Just doing my job, sir. Any chance I can chat with him?"
"Sure, come on in." The father moved the curtain aside and stepped back to let me step into the curtained off area.
Jackson, around twenty-five years old, was lying on the bed, sheets and blankets covering him from chest down. One arm was bandaged and in a sling, but that looked to be the extent of his injuries. His eyes were open, but he looked exhausted.
"Hey man, how you doin'?" I stepped up to the bed and lowered my voice.
"I've been better." Jackson started to chuckle but turned it into a frown. "You the lifeguard that saved me?"
"Yeah, I saw you go for a dip and thought I'd join you. They gonna let you out of here soon?" I kept my tone friendly as I'm sure he already got the grilling from police earlier. I wanted him to open up to me and for that, I needed him to not feel threatened.
"I gotta stay overnight. Got a concussion and they want to keep checking in on me."
"What did you to do your arm?" I pointed to his sling.
"Dislocated my shoulder. Doctor said it should heal up fine with rest. And if I don't do any more crazy stunts." He grunted.
"Yeah, that was a little crazy. You do stuff like this often?" I kept my body relaxed but I was on high alert, trying to figure out why he jumped.
"No way, man. But when you get dared to do something, you gotta man-up, you know?" He start
ed messing with his blankets, trying to sit up straighter in the propped up bed.
"Sure, I know what you mean. But I've never had one of my buddies dare me to do something quite that dangerous. Was it a friend of yours?"
His eyebrows drew together and he looked at the opposite wall. "Look, man. I don't remember. I told the police everything I know, okay?"
Well, that was quick; he was shutting down on me already. I didn't think I'd get anything else out of him. He was protecting somebody, but I doubted he'd ever tell me. "All right, settle down. Take care of yourself. I don't want to see you hangin' off my pier again, you feel me?"
He gave me a quick head nod, which I took as a good sign.
I stepped back through the curtain and outside the room. Jackson's father was sitting in a waiting room chair just down the hall.
I crouched down next to him. "Can I ask you a favor?"
His dad looked all too happy to help me out. "Sure, what's up?"
"Someone dared your son to jump off a pier, a jump that could have killed him. If he ever discloses to you who dared him, will you give me a call?"
He gave me one quick head nod. "I'll give you a call while I'm driving over to the house of whoever dared him. If you get there before I beat the shit out of him, you're welcome to have a chat with him."
"Understood." I shook his hand and left, knowing there wasn't much more I could do.
I drove back down to the beach, parking in the lifeguard lot. I was already dressed for a workout so I locked my truck, put the key in my shorts pocket and took off. I liked to come down to the ocean and go for a run at the end of the day to clear my head. Some days I only went a mile, others I went ten. Just depended on what I had to work through in my head. It was good conditioning for my job, but it was my go-to stress reliever since my high school days.
I'd had an idyllic life growing up in Hawaii where all my father's family was from. I was outdoors all day and even some nights. I was more comfortable in the ocean than I was on dry land. We would fish, snorkel, scuba, swim with sea turtles, surf, stand up paddle, canoe race, and cliff dive. My first language was Hawaiian, though I was also fluent in English. Island life was all I knew, and I had no interest in learning anything else.
That all came to a screeching halt with my parents divorcing when I was in high school. My mom moved back to California, where she had grown up, bringing me with her. I went from tropical beaches to traffic and smog. Running on the beach after school became my way of processing all the anger I felt about the things I couldn't control.
Moana (ocean) was moana, wherever you go. The ocean calmed me so I made sure to incorporate her into my life, even though I now lived on the mainland. Hell, my own name was Kai, meaning the water of the ocean. We were one.
No matter how long I ran, I always ended with meditation. The sun had usually already dipped into the ocean by the time I walked out onto the sand. I'd find a spot near the water's edge and plop down, hands on knees, eyes closed. I'd breathe in the salty air, listen to the waves roll in and recede, feel the wind blow across my skin. Time slowed down and I let my mind wander.
I had a routine. Think about all the things I was thankful for, then shift into all the ways I wanted to live my life, focusing on the feeling, not the material things. Every damn time I would feel my attitude shifting, a sense of calm taking over my body. It was like a hit from a drug, but a hundred times better with only positive side effects.
My lifeguard buddies all thought I was a little weird with my meditating habit, calling me a hippie, but I didn't care. One day, they'd join me and realize what they'd been missing out on. Till then, I'd continue to get my hit of happiness and laugh about how stressed out everybody else seemed to be.
Tonight, I wrapped up my meditation early and headed back to my truck. I didn't want to bother making dinner at my place, so I stopped by Maui Bowl and picked up a salmon poke bowl, extra avocado. You can take the guy out of Hawaii, but you can't take the aloha out of the guy.
As I was heading out the door with my bowl-to-go, a redhead snagged my arm as we passed. I stopped when I looked up and realized it was a girl I'd seen at a friend's housewarming party not too long ago. Jasmine? Jade? Crap, I couldn't remember her name. We'd had a nice chat at the party, but I wasn't interested in anything further so even though she's seemed open to it, I moved on and hoped she got the message.
"Kai? How are you, stranger?" She remembered my name. And she was leaning in for a hug, so I obliged by hugging back, but disengaging quickly.
"I've been good. Just tired after a long day. How about you?" I was taught not to be rude, so I'd carry out a friendly exchange and then get the hell out of there. I'd gotten some red flags the first time I met her that made me feel like she was a clinger and needed to be avoided.
"I've been good, but I'd be better if you'd called me after Ivan's party." She smiled coyly, fishing for a phone call or a date, most likely.
Unfortunately for her, my good manners didn't extend that far. "Hey, I'm all about being up front and honest. I'm not looking for anything right now, so I didn't call. I'm sure you can understand that." I flashed her a smile and turned to leave.
"Your loss, asshole!" she shouted after me.
I didn't even bother looking back. Dodged a bullet with that one. Glad to know my instincts were still in working order.
As I let myself into my one-bedroom apartment, I glanced around at the mostly empty rooms. Contrary to what I told psycho-girl, I was indeed looking for a relationship. I was thirty-two years old. I wanted to have a partnership with someone who got me. I wanted to have kids and a house full of laughter and warmth. But I'd seen the devastation from my parents' divorce, and I didn't want that for me. I wasn't going to settle. I would wait. I would find a woman who wanted me, in sickness and health, rich or poor. She'd understand my need to be outdoors, she'd want to travel to various islands with me, she'd meditate with me in the sand and enjoy the simple life. And she had to like my VW...deal breaker right there.
She was out there. I could feel it.
So tomorrow, I'd meditate again and I'd send out my request to the universe. It was time. I was ready.
3
Hessa
Our entire student body was crammed into the main gym's bleachers. Today was Career Day and we had several speakers lined up to present and then the senior class would go around from booth to booth talking to professionals about potential career options. As you could imagine, it was total chaos, each kid trying to talk over the others, meaning everyone was shouting and no one was listening.
I settled back into my chair on the gym floor, my thick reading glasses in place. Teachers sat on either side of me waiting for our Principal to start the presentation. I had a notebook out on my lap and a fresh pen. You never knew when inspiration would strike and since I was the one coordinating all the Care Dares, I kept my mind open for dare ideas that might help my students.
I kept shifting on my chair, trying to find a comfortable spot. After last weekend's run-in with the pack of lifeguards, I went a bit crazy. I'd met them looking my grungiest, and when I looked through my wardrobe, I realized I didn't have much of anything that seemed sexy or racy or even halfway interesting. How could I possibly show up to a Wednesday night Chocolate Dreams hang-out of hotties when I had nothing but schoolmarm clothes to wear!
That observation obviously led to thoughts of undergarments. And my granny panties. Which led to a quick trip to Fashion Island to get my hands on some lacy thongs. Which I was wearing right now and quickly realizing was a big mistake.
The lace was scratchy, rubbing against some delicate areas that had never experienced sandpaper, I mean, lace. And there just wasn't enough material to keep it from flying right up the crevice like a slick piece of floss cutting into your gums. Except, you know, in my unmentionables. The more I shifted, the higher they went.
Was it possible to chafe from thongs so badly you bled?
I was cut off from this terrifying train o
f thought by our Principal finally taking to the microphone.
"Settle down now." He raised his hand and gave the look of death to our student body, signally he meant business. The kids quieted down and gave a good show of listening.
"As you know, today is Career Day here at Surf City High. For our seniors, this is especially important as we prepare you to head off into the real world and hold down jobs to support yourselves. I expect all of you to listen with respect to our presenters here today. They are here, donating their own time, to talk to you about potential career paths that may be open to you. Without further ado, please join me in welcoming Kai Kāne from the Huntington Beach Lifeguards."
There was a louder than normal smattering of applause, probably because this was one of the lifeguards that worked with the Jr. Lifeguards over the summer, like my student James had said. I looked over at the man approaching the microphone and promptly dropped my pen on the wood floor, along with my stomach.
I was gobsmacked.
That was my lifeguard. The one who bought me hot chocolate. The one that made my insides feel like they were on fire. The one who prompted the ill-fated underwear purchase.
His attention was on the students as he began his speech, so I did what any hot-blooded woman would do. I pushed my glasses back up my nose and raked my gaze over his body, taking the time to memorize the look of his hands, the muscles in his forearms, and the tattoo on the back of his calf.
He looked strong. He looked interesting. He looked hot.
My face was heating up again and I willed it to behave. I couldn't even tell you what he was saying. I was just listening to the sound of his voice wafting over me as I sat stock still taking in all his finer details. I wasn't one to wax eloquent over a man's physique, but it was like my hormones decided to riot the minute I laid eyes on him.
Kai.
I had a name now. I gulped when I thought about what I could do with that information. Probably nothing, but I didn't see my obsession with this man just going away on its own. Twice now he'd stolen my breath and pumped blood into my cheeks from somewhere else in my body where it was most likely needed more. I was having heart arrhythmia and he was responsible.