Surf School

by Laurine Croasdale

  ‘This your vehicle?’ the officers asked Kim.

  ‘Yup.’

  ‘Do you have rego papers?’

  ‘One sec.’ He kissed Pink’s cheek. ‘Stay here and let me do the talking,’ he whispered. His breath tickled her neck but somehow her whole body felt it. She inhaled, watching him lean into his van while one policeman walked away, talking into his radio.

  Kim put his arm back around Pink’s waist, his thumb gently rubbing her back, making her concentration slide. The other policeman stepped towards them.

  ‘Where were you on the night of 5 December?’

  Kim pulled Pink a little closer. ‘Mmmm, where were we, hon? Was that a Saturday?’ Pink felt as though her smile was made from plaster of Paris. It jutted out stiffly and she was sure that if she shifted her jaw it’d crack. With Kim’s hand on her back she felt like a ventriloquist’s dummy, her head racing with possible answers and a million questions but above all an overriding sense of elation that Kim wanted to be linked with her. She tried to move her jaw to relieve the tension, trying to look thoughtful at the same time. On all the cop shows she’d ever seen the police always scrutinise people for secret signs. Was she giving out secret signs? Could they tell she was lying? Frantically she tried to recall the date he’d just mentioned, but remembering yesterday was a challenge let alone weeks ago.

  Kim solved the problem for her.

  He slapped his forehead. ‘I remember. We were at your place,’ he said to Pink.

  Pink laughed. Imagine Kim at her place, chatting to her olds, her dad asking what a healer did, her mother wondering how old he was. ‘Yeah, that’s right,’ she said. ‘It was my brother’s birthday. We had a bit of a party.’ The policeman wrote it down. Kim gave her another squeeze.

  ‘How old was your brother?’ asked the policeman.

  The question caught her off guard but she answered with barely a pause, warming to the moment. ‘Twelve.’ This was like the lying-to-the-parents game. She’d had plenty of practice at that. ‘Though you wouldn’t know it,’ she added, getting the hang of her role.

  ‘So it didn’t go too late then?’ He nodded at Kim. ‘What time did your guest leave?’

  ‘Oh …’ Kim kept rubbing her back with his thumb and Pink struggled to stay focused. ‘Oh, twelve-ish.’ He pushed his thumb hard into her back and Pink stumbled. ‘Maybe later.’

  Kim laughed. ‘It was around 3 am, hon.’

  ‘Three am’s late for a twelve-year-old’s party,’ the policeman said.

  Pink rolled her eyes. ‘Well, Damo didn’t stay up till 3 – that’s just the time we finished up.’

  ‘That’s late for you too,’ said the other policeman, handing back Kim’s papers.

  ‘We fell asleep,’ Pink said weakly.

  The policeman looked at Kim for a long time, not saying anything, and even though Kim looked relaxed, Pink could feel that his hand was clammy.

  ‘You’re not a local are you?’ said the policeman finally.

  Kim shook his head.

  ‘Where are you staying in case we need to ask you some more questions?’

  ‘I’m at my mother’s.’

  ‘Which is?’ The policeman took out his notebook.

  ‘147 Ocean Street.’ Kim pointed to a spot behind the officer.

  ‘That street there on the right.’

  ‘Okay, thank you.’ As they nodded and walked away Kim’s body sagged slightly and he stepped backwards, stretching his arms, breathing deeply.

  ‘Thanks. I owe you,’ he said croakily into her ear. Pink’s concentration went hazy and she struggled to remember what she wanted to know.

  ‘What was the date again? And what were you doing?’ she asked finally.

  He smiled at her, his nose nearly touching hers. ‘I was at your brother’s party.’

  Pink raised her sunglasses to look him in the eyes. ‘I don’t even have a brother.’

  Kim kissed her softly on the lips and Pink leapt backwards, glancing around. Even if her parents weren’t here, someone who knew them wouldn’t be far away. ‘Ahh, I’ve got to go.’

  ‘Promise me I can take you out later, to thank you.’

  ‘Okay.’ He nuzzled into the base of her neck and Pink pushed him away, embarrassed. ‘Tickles. Okay. Don’t do that.’ She laughed shakily. ‘Not here.’

  ‘Hey, Pink!’

  She swung around to face Fran, crossing the grass with her board.

  ‘Oh, Fran, hi.’

  Fran smiled at Pink, checked Kim out, then looked back at Pink. ‘You coming? Tilly’s waiting for us – remember?’

  ‘Bye. Don’t forget, we have a date.’ Kim waved goodbye.

  Pink giggled. ‘When? Where?’

  ‘Don’t worry, I’ll find you.’

  Fran yanked on Pink’s arm so she had to turn away. ‘Pink what are you doing? He’s like a million years older than you.’ Fran parodied Kim. ‘ “I’ll find you” – what is he, a stalker?’

  ‘He’s exotic, he’s gorgeous, that’s what he is.’ Pink floated behind Fran like a balloon on a string. ‘You’re just jealous he likes me.’

  Fran yanked her arm again. ‘Don’t look back, it’s so lame.’

  ‘Oh, Fran, stop being the grown up. I’m just having a little fun.’

  ‘Have fun by all means but not with old guys who’ve got yellow teeth.’

  ‘He’s only 21. He’s not that old.’

  Fran shuddered. ‘Well, even so, there’s something shifty about him. What did the police want?’

  ‘Police?’

  ‘Pink!’ Fran nearly yelled, exasperated. ‘The whole beach saw them pull up. Is he in some kind of trouble? He looks like trouble.’

  ‘No. Of course not. They just wanted to know about a party.’ Pink realised that she never did find out what had happened on 5 December but she’d ask next time she saw him.

  ‘Did you see the way he looked at you?’ Fran pulled a face.

  ‘No. But I saw the way he looked at you.’ Pink glared at Fran and gave her the tiniest shove. ‘Race you.’ And took off towards the School.

  The surf rolled neatly in, picking up height with the outgoing tide. Marlee watched it hungrily, planning her next surf and listening to Shane. By the second week of helping out at the School she’d learned Shane’s warm-up speech by heart.

  ‘There are three things to remember when you take off.’ He held up three fingers to the students lying on their boards, paddling sand. ‘Keep your eyes on the direction you’re going, keep your weight low and balanced, and don’t let go of the board until you’re in position.’

  Marlee stretched out her aching calf muscle, massaging it as she listened. When Shane got to the bit about surf etiquette she glanced at Kyle, leaning back on his elbows, eyes fixed on the surf.

  ‘Dropping in is a total no-no,’ said Shane. ‘If someone is closer to the inside of the wave than you, it’s theirs. Let it go.’

  Kyle looked directly at Marlee then, his green eyes crossed, tongue stuck out.

  Marlee snorted, hand over mouth, trapping back a laugh, and Shane looked at her impatiently. The three boys near her hadn’t stopped talking and laughing since Shane had started his spiel and she knew her lack of attention wasn’t helping.

  ‘Listen up, you guys, I know everyone’s surfed a bit before but we’re talking about water safety now. It’s important.’ Shane smiled good-naturedly but Marlee could tell he was annoyed. The two younger boys quietened down but the older boy with sunburned shoulders continued to fidget, his fingers drumming against the board. In the end Shane spoke over him.

  When Shane had finished, Marlee grabbed the long cord attached to her wetsuit zipper and pulled it up as high as she could but it only reached halfway and then refused to budge. She tugged harder.

  ‘You’re never going to forgive me for dropping in on that guy are you?’ Kyle was standing behind her, holding the cord. He spoke softly, his lips close to her ear.

  ‘Maybe.’ She smiled, realising that she finally
had. ‘Like you care.’

  Kyle let go of the cord and the zip whirred upwards. ‘Maybe I do,’ he said, running past her.

  Marlee dived in, taking a moment to enjoy the coolness of the water before paddling out with a couple of American girls. Kyle nudged past on the other side, nodding out the back.

  ‘Hey, Marlee, Dad said it’s a bit gnarly out there. He wants everyone close to shore where they can have a bit of fun, get their confidence. We’ll let them go out further once they get the hang of it.’

  Marlee pointed towards the three boys who had been mucking around during Shane’s speech. They were already out at the break. ‘Try telling them that. They think that they’re the next Kelly Slater.’

  ‘Well, let’s go and round them up. Dad can sort the others out. Race you.’ He spun his board around as the older boy caught a wave. The boy was naturally athletic and jumped up straight away.

  ‘Keep your eyes up,’ Marlee yelled encouragingly.

  The boy wobbled, finding his balance, then rode past her, a big smile across his face. The other two cheered him on and encouraged, kept paddling out.

  ‘They’re okay. Let’s wait for the next set and catch a wave in with them,’ Kyle said. His father was always holding students back. He’d done the same to Kyle when he was a grommet.

  In the lull between sets Kyle fidgeted with unused energy. ‘Bet you can’t do this,’ he shouted to Marlee. He leaped upwards, doubled over and dived gracefully into the water.

  Marlee took off her leg rope and did an equally graceful backflip off her board, turning 360 degrees to resurface near Kyle.

  Kyle was back on his board now. He wiped the water out of his eyes, watching Marlee surface. ‘Is that it?’ he teased, diving higher this time.

  When Kyle surfaced, Marlee was standing on his board. Hers had been washed into shore. ‘That was totally lame,’ she yelled and dived again, high over Kyle’s head, then down deep as the first wave of the set powered above. Bubbles exploded around her and she swam leisurely under the wave, the large shadow of a boy’s learner board passing overhead.

  When she surfaced, Kyle was hidden behind the wave and the two younger boys were clutching onto a board, screaming as a rip quickly sucked them out to sea.

  Marlee waved sideways, screaming frantically, ‘Swim across. Swim across the rip.’

  But panic had already set in and they flailed their arms, trying to paddle towards her, floundering, wasting precious energy, swallowing water. There wasn’t much time.

  Marlee swam like she never had before, pushing herself to reach them as soon as she could, hoping Kyle was following with his board. But as fast as she moved, the rip moved faster and every time she glanced up they’d bobbed further out, their faces pale, arms unable to paddle. She put on a spurt, exhaustion creeping through her own body, and managed to close the gap.

  ‘Paddle,’ she yelled. ‘Paddle towards me.’

  Marlee swam again as they inched across the rip towards her, until she lurched at the board, clinging to it. The two boys shivered uncontrollably and Marlee made them lie on the board, all the time watching the waves and talking, catching her breath, talking some more to calm them down.

  ‘Okay,’ she rasped. ‘When I yell “paddle”, you paddle. Got it?’ They nodded, silent, knuckles white as they clung tightly to the board. ‘I’ll swim in behind you but don’t let go of the board, no matter what.’

  She faced the board towards shore, watching for the next set. As a wave moved towards them Marlee swam hard, using up her dwindling energy, pushing the board towards the wave. ‘Okay, go, go, go, paddle. Paddle harder.’

  They picked up speed.

  ‘Harder. Paddle,’ she screamed, giving them one final shove.

  ‘Go!’

  The wave was upon them.

  ‘NOW!’ Her yell disappeared into the spray as the wave lifted the board up. Marlee’s energy faded and, exhausted, she paddled until the next wave came, floating on her back and sucking in ragged breaths, her eyes closed. She didn’t hear the wave until it dropped on her, folding her in two. Marlee buckled with the force of the water, the air pushed out of her lungs, arms turning windmills as she struggled back to the surface.

  As her head broke the water she saw two things: Kyle paddling towards her and another wave, bigger than the last one, about to crash with its full force on her head. This wave nailed her deeper under the surface and this time Marlee didn’t fight. That would only waste the meagre reserve of energy she had left. Stay calm, stay calm, stay calm, she told herself, waiting for the turbulence to end. But the deeper she went, the darker it became.

  She pushed off the sandy bottom, kicking her way towards the light when a vicious pain seared through her calf muscle, shutting it down. Marlee doubled over, clutching her cramping leg, writhing like a fish on a hook, forcing her face above water, gasping for air – fear and desperation seeping in. The vice snapped down on her leg again and she sank, clutching at it to stop the pain. But the cramp bit deeper and the pain leached out her last precious seconds of oxygen. She stopped fighting momentarily, sinking downwards.

  Kyle caught her arm. He hauled her upwards, her arm socket wrenched tight. She flopped across his board, gasping, coughing, taking in ragged breaths, filling her lungs.

  ‘Argggh, my leg!’ The cramp returned with more force and she yelped with renewed pain.

  ‘I’ve got you.’ Kyle straightened her leg, pulling her toes back towards her shin, rubbing the muscle to warm it up. ‘It’ll stop in a minute.’

  The sharp pain gradually subsided but her leg muscle felt tight and useless. Marlee hunched over sobbing, shivering with cold. Kyle wrapped his arms around her, trying to warm her up.

  ‘I thought I was going to drown,’ she sobbed.

  ‘Take some deep breaths.’ He breathed deeply and Marlee copied him, her breathing gradually settling down. She rested her head against his chest, exhausted, but as she recovered she shuffled backwards, embarrassed.

  ‘Thanks,’ she said gratefully.

  Kyle’s eyes were full of kindness and compassion. Did he feel sorry for her? she wondered. Marlee pulled herself together, wincing again at the dull ache left by the cramp.

  ‘I’ll paddle you in.’ She lay on the board, eyes closed, aware of Kyle’s body close to hers.

  On the beach, Shane was pacing up and down, his jaw pulsing in and out, in and out. As they hit the shallows he raced towards Kyle, pulling him off his board and shaking him like a rag.

  ‘What do you two think you’re playing at?’ he yelled.

  Marlee limped to the sand and dropped down beside the boys, wrapped in towels. She rubbed her leg, head on her knees, shivering, beyond tired. Snatches of Shane’s angry tirade washed over her.

  ‘Two boys … beginners … not watching … showing off … disgrace … Marlee … what was that all about?’

  Kyle flicked his leg rope across the water, words crashing against him, not daring to look anywhere but down. Marlee stood stiffly and limped towards them.

  Shane glared at her. ‘What?’

  With the last of her energy she stood her ground. ‘If we’d been watching those boys it might not have happened. But they weren’t listening to you in class or they would’ve known what to do in a rip. And if Kyle hadn’t helped me I wouldn’t be standing here now. You should be proud of him, not running him down.’ Marlee bit her lip. She was yelling. She glanced at Kyle, now watching her intently, then back to Shane.

  He’d calmed down too. But not much. And he certainly wasn’t listening.

  ‘We can’t afford to take risks like that, especially when it affects the safety of others. As far as I’m concerned, you two were in this together. You’re a danger to the students.’

  ‘We’re not in anything together,’ Marlee said, flushing bright red. ‘But everyone’s okay and that’s something to be grateful about, not angry.’ She limped down the shore to collect her board where it had washed up. ‘I’m going home,’ she called pulling the
board towards her by its leg rope.

  Kyle caught her before she’d made it halfway up the beach, taking her board.

  ‘Here, let me help,’ he said.

  ‘Don’t you have another class?’

  ‘Not any more. My old man just told me to go back to babysitting.’ His voice caught slightly and Marlee looked away, uncomfortable. That’d mean the same for her too.

  She said nothing until they were nearly at the School then stopped to massage her leg. ‘Your dad is totally wrong. I hate that. My father’s the same. They get it all wrong and then it’s your fault. ’

  A small group milled at the School entrance and Marlee watched distractedly, her head numb with fatigue. Tilly waved impatiently for them to come over but Marlee slowly gathered her gear, too tired to walk over to Tilly and explain.

  ‘Wait,’ Kyle pushed the nose of his board into the sand. ‘I’ll walk you home.’

  Marlee smiled gratefully, handing her gear to Kyle.

  ‘Hey!’ Tilly called. ‘Marlee!’

  But Marlee was smiling at Kyle, ignoring Tilly completely. She either didn’t hear or didn’t want to.

  ‘Don’t mind me,’ Tilly muttered sourly. ‘Dad’s condition has taken a dive. I need to get to the hospital and the pair of you are just walking away. And take your arm off my friend,’ she added crossly, watching them leave.

  Then Shane stormed into the School dragging two boards with him. He threw them into the stacker then went back and dipped the rashies into the water trough, wringing each one out with such force they were nearly dry by the time they reached the hanger.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ asked Tilly.

  ‘Two kids nearly drowned. Unbelievable! I’ve just been calming down the parents but if one of them happens to be a lawyer, we’re stuffed.’

  ‘But what happened?’

  Shane tipped the water out of the trough and tossed the heavy plastic bin into the School. ‘Right – I check out the surf. It looks safe enough but it’s a bit gnarly, too unpredictable for beginners, so I tell Kyle and Marlee to round up the kids who’d raced out the back and bring them in to shore.’ His voice got louder. ‘Kyle and Marlee paddle out and instead of doing what I ask them, they start playing games. I look over and there’s Marlee on Kyle’s board, fooling around. Meanwhile,’ his voice went up another notch, ‘a massive set comes in, one of the kids loses their board and then they get caught in a rip!’