Let's Swing

by Piquette Fontaine

  But all that did not matter. My ears were pierced by a roaring applause, screams and high-pitched whistles from the audience. I finally saw Annabelle in the second row. She was crying! Her wide smile betrayed utmost happiness, tears were bursting out of her eyes, and she was clapping hard. Mitch was the first to stand up, actually, jump on his feet as soon as my act ended, and not a second later, everybody followed suit. They liked my performance! I started laughing happily, bowing to the entire audience, waving to them and screaming thank-yous to everyone.

  As the crowd finally sat down and I made the second happy bow, I could not help but notice one thing. Mitch, that little devil, had put his hand on Annabelle's knee. Smiling widely, I took another bow and twirled off the stage. This was going to be a fun season.

  THE END

  Wave Rider

  Chapter 1

  The sun was high in the sky as Amanda relaxed on the beach. The golden sand surrounded her. She lifted her hands and lazily caressed the soft sand, feeling the grains trickle through her fingers. She raised her hand and let them fall along her palm and wrist, hearing the light sound as they brushed across her smooth skin and rejoined the countless grains on the ground. Grains that had once been hard stone and had been weathered away by the relentless sea. The sea that looked so peaceful and inviting. It was a blue blanket that shimmered like a jewel under the blazing sun. It rippled and looked so calm. It was difficult to believe that it could be the cause of so much strength and encroach on the land, which seemed immovable.

  Amanda lifted her head up a little and gazed out, holding up her hand to shield her eyes from the intense light of the sun. The beach was quite crowded. People were swimming and laughing in the water, splashing each other and taking joy in the freedom of the scene. On the beach most people were lying down peacefully, bronzing themselves in the hope of getting the perfect skin tone, or what they thought was perfect at least. Amanda's own body glistened with the lotion she had rubbed into herself, and thought that it was time for a top up. She sat up and put her book aside, some silly romance story that she wasn't paying attention to at all, pulled the lotion out of her bag and squeezed some of the slick white liquid onto her hands. It oozed out and almost spilled onto her towel but she managed to stop it from sliding off her palm. She rubbed it into her legs first, sliding her hands down her slender calf muscles and giving herself a little massage as she did so. She'd been tense recently and wished that she had someone to give her a proper massage, but ever since Ricky had left her life forever she was left to massage herself.

  In truth it had been coming for a long time but she was still surprised when it happened. He had always been talking about leaving to travel the world and at first they had talked about doing it together but time had gone on and it felt like it was always going to be a dream. Then he said that he was going and by the time he actually got around to it Amanda didn't want to leave. She had to smile in disbelief as she thought about the discussion they had had. He decided to go. After five years of being together there wasn't even a thought of talking about it together. He was going and she could either go with him or they would break up. They ended up separating because she had too much going on. Sure, it would have been nice to drop everything and travel around the world for a while but it wasn't a responsible thing to do. Maybe that made her feel old, but she was approaching thirty and she had to start thinking like an adult. She had a steady career and good friends, and she had carved a life out for herself where she was on the coast.

  But it was hard now that Ricky was gone. She looked around at all the couples frolicking about together. Some of them were in the bloom of young love. It all seemed too easy for them and she remembered back to her college days when it was simple to slip into a bed and find a warm body to share the night with, whether it was a man or a woman didn't matter to Amanda. But since then life had changed. Her social circle had dwindled and it wasn't so easy to meet new people. Anyone around her age was either already attached or, well, there was usually a reason why people were single and she was becoming one of those. She sighed as she drew her hands up and rubbed the lotion into her belly. Her skin was still lithe at least, and sometimes she even forgot that she was turning thirty, until something around her reminded her of it.

  She glanced at the children, who were enjoying the summer holidays, and reminisced about the fleeting freedom of youth. How it seemed to be endless and yet was over in the blink of an eye. It felt like just yesterday that she was running around, leaving her footprints in the sand and a laugh that drifted off into the waves. The world had been filled with possibilities but as she grew older they narrowed into one path of life, with no chance to go back and make up for her bad decisions. Had Rick been one? She wasn't sure. In some ways he was. After all, she had never wanted to be single when she was thirty. But they had some good times together and usually when she thought about him she smiled. Usually. She sighed. Somewhere in the world he was off, doing something fun no doubt while she was staring out at the endless ocean before her. It stretched to the horizon, endless itself, just like her lost youth, while the land was being eroded slowly and silently, just as it seemed her life was disappearing under the inexorable march of time. There was nothing she could do to stop it and sometimes it was barely noticeable, while other times she paused to look at how much she had lost, how much she would never get back.

  A gull soared overhead and crowed to its friends, obviously sensing some kind of food. In the distance she could see kids climbing on the rocks. They would probably find a little pool with a crab or two. Amanda remembered the feeling of discovery when she was younger, like she was an explorer finding a new world in the midst of all that was familiar. She smiled at the thought of the joy those children were feeling, and even perhaps the fear of seeing an unfamiliar creature scuttle across the water, snapping its hard claws. She rubbed her chest and neck, making sure to cover every part of her with lotion. When she was younger she never used to pay attention to sun block, and thought that people worried over nothing. But as she grew older she saw the wisdom in protection and now she applied the lotion as often as she was able. Life was already too short and she didn't want to shorten it any further.

  Chapter 2

  When she had finally finished applying the lotion she settled back down to the towel. She wanted to turn around and tan her back but, without having anyone to rub lotion into the parts she couldn't reach, it was too risky and she had to find some other way to balance out the tan so that her skin tone was the same the whole way through. She leaned back all the way and stared up at the sky. The clouds were wispy and formless, hanging there against the bright blue. She held her eyes open for as long as possible until the brightness grew painful, and she had to blink and turn her head away.

  She looked back to the sea and at all the people swimming in it, losing themselves to the water like the great spirits of old. While she had never been much of a water baby she could see how inviting it was; the warmth and the wetness, like stepping into another world. That's what she could use right now, another world, because the one she was in wasn't giving her enough satisfaction. She wished that the summer could last forever like it used to feel when she was younger but fall was around the corner soon and then winter would soon follow with the cold nights and Christmas feeling. It was a perfect time to be in love but not so perfect if you had no-one. The thought started to depress her and she reached over and started to play with the sand again, letting it dribble through her fingers. Trying to focus on the moment, she felt the sun kiss her skin. She could almost feel it enter her and make her blood sizzle. Her chest rose and fell as she breathed in the warm air and smelled the salty aroma of the sea. Frisbees were being tossed, and beach balls thudded into the sand as she looked around her at everyone who was enjoying the day.

  She stayed there for a while. The day slipped away lazily and she found herself drifting to sleep. It was astounding how tiring simply laying in the sun could be. The energy was being sapped from h
er, and she started to yawn drowsily, but she knew that she couldn't fall asleep because then she would be burned and she'd end up as red as a beetroot. It was a wrench to pull herself up but she stood and wrapped a thin scarf around her, shielding her body from the sun. She placed a wide-brimmed hat on her head and gathered her belongings in her bag, slipping her sandals on. She looked back at the smooth layer of sand she had left. Soon enough any evidence of her would be wiped away as the sand leveled out and the summer wind blew over the beach. She gave it one last lingering look and then took slow steps down to the bottom of the beach where the water lapped against the sand. It became heavy and wet and her sandals left deep footprints. The clear water came up, threatening to envelop her feet but it never quite reached her. Now that she was closer to the water she could hear the uproar of laughter from the people frolicking in the cerulean sea. Most of them were in the shallow part where their feet could still touch the sandy depths, and they were throwing balls and other things to each other, wading through the water, their bodies soaked and their hair matted to their foreheads. Some people ventured further than that, and were swimming powerfully as the waves swelled in the distance. They looked like little dots, with only their bobbing heads and their arms beating against the sea, looking like they might fall off the edge of the earth if they went any further. Beyond that there were mighty ships that looked like they could fit in the palm of her hands because of the distance, and she squinted her eyes. They were so far away that they barely looked real, and she wondered if anyone on the boat was looking back at her.

  Her eyes followed the curve of the beach. Long piers jutted out to see, the thick wooden trunks reached up out of the ocean and supported the beams of the pier. The ruins of an amusement arcade still stood there in disrepair, a shame because Amanda had many fond memories of spending her childhood among all the flashing lights and loud noises. Some of the piers were shorter though and people sat on the edges dangling fishing hooks off the edge. Some even used them as diving boards, causing a big splash as they jumped into the water. While the sea near the shore was gentle, the waves were taller and fiercer as her eyes reached further out. The foamy crest of a wave rumbled forward and she saw a man on a surfboard sliding across it, riding the wave perfectly. His thick blonde hair made it look like his head was glowing with a bright flame, and he seemed to be in complete control of the water. His long arms were held out and she stopped for a moment to watch him as he seemed to tame the raging water. He crouched a little and bent his thick legs as he turned and waited for another wave, almost goading the sea to challenge him.

  Amanda turned and walked forward, continuing her stroll along the shore. The further she walked, the more she got away from the crowded area of the beach and the noises faded into the distance, just like her lost youth. The sand was undisturbed where she was walking and up ahead something caught her eye. Surfboards were planted into the ground like tombstones, while a few people were in wet suits behind them. They were chatting and joking with each other while another dark-haired man was standing to the side, separate from them. Amanda walked up and looked at the boards. They all had different designs on them; some were colorful pictures while others were plainer, and only had one symbol near the base. She ran her hand down the side and felt how smooth it was, and marveled at how anyone could take this out deep into the ocean and face the tall waves. Just the thought of it made her throat tighten. She was also surprised at how tall the boards were as well, for while seeing them being used on the water they looked small but now that she was standing beside one of them she could see how tall it actually was, coming up well above her own head.

  “You like my sled?” a deep voice called out to her. Startled, Amanda turned around to see the dark-haired man walk up to her. He was wearing tight shorts but other than that was unclothed. His body was broad and hairy, and he had a tattoo that curled around his bicep.

  “Sled?” she asked with a questioning look. He smiled, and flashed her a row of white teeth, which shone through the thick beard that covered the lower part of his face.

  “That's what we call our boards,” he said, and then held out his hand to introduce himself. “I'm Matt,” he said. Amanda took his hand. Hers looked so dainty in his. “I'm Amanda,” she replied.

  “You ever surfed before?” he asked.

  “No, never. Although I did just see someone out on the waves.”

  “Yeah, that's Danny, he should be back soon. He's just gone in to get wet. Hard to keep him out of the water really.”

  “How come you're not out there?”

  “Someone has to teach the class,” he said, and threw his head towards the group of people in the wet suits. “Shame you didn't come along a little sooner, could have given you a bit of a lesson, they're all beginners here.”

  “Oh no, I don't think I could do that I'm not the most graceful person in the world. I think I'd just end up falling of and having to splash about in the water.”

  “Part of the fun is falling off, but it's like anything else, when you fall off you just have to get back on.”

  “I'm sure that wouldn't be as easy as it sounds, I'd probably get carried away by the waves.”

  “Out here? Nah, it's pretty mushy out here and it gets glassy later on. That's why we use this time of the year for beginners. The better waves are elsewhere but it's still fun teaching people, and for the ones who want to get better we take them on tour to other beaches down the line. Look, let me show you a little bit,” he said, and pulled the board from the sand and placed it down on the ground. He took Amanda's bag from her and directed her onto the board. As she stepped on it she wobbled and threw out her arms instinctively. Matt's hands shot out and steadied her, holding her waist tightly until she was steady.

  “You weren't lying about having bad balance were you?” he said as he held onto her hips tightly and stood behind her. It had been a long time since she had felt a man's touch and a thrill swept through her as she felt Matt's strong body brush against hers. She breathed in his scent; he smelled of sweat and the beach, his skin was all salty and supple, and she noticed that a few grains of sand were lodged in the bed of hair that lay across his chest. A smile played upon her lips and her cheeks flushed crimson as his hands slid up the side of her body. His fingers were so close to her breasts that she gasped, and her heart fluttered inside her chest. He placed his hands under her arms and steadied them.

  “Now this is how you'll want to hold your arms. You're going to need a lot of practice at this and at the beginning you're going to get what we call noodle arms. Keep your head steady as well. For the moment try and find the farthest point of the horizon and keep your eyes focused on that. It'll help your posture,” he said as he descended to his knees. She glanced down to follow him, but then remembered what he said about holding her head up and tried to keep her neck upright. She had to make do with only being able to feel him. It was like she was blindfolded, which she had tried once with Ricky and she had enjoyed it a great deal.

  Matt's hands slid down her slender legs and rested on her ankles. He moved her feet until they were in the correct position. “Now this is the typical stance that you'll want to start off with, and you should feel in control. It gives you the opportunity to change quickly when the water changes so that you stay upright. But you have to remember to be flexible. You center of gravity is here,” he said, rising up again and placing his hand flat against the middle of her body. He then moved his hands back around to her waist and moved her up and down gently, showing her how to bend her legs while still keeping control.

  “You see how your body moves as one, just like the water. That's what you've gotta keep in mind, just be like the water, relaxed and tranquil, and you'll be fine.”

  “You sound like a guru not a surfing teacher.”

  “Surfing is more than just riding a wave, its a whole mindset. You're just out there on your own, you against nature,” he said, his eyes glazing over with a faraway look, “and you have to keep a steady hol
d on your mind because while you're out there there's this symbiotic connection you have with the waves, its like you're controlling it almost, and if there's a break in your own mind you'll fall off your sled and be at the mercy of it but if you manage to keep control then the waves will respond to you.”

  His voice was low, and where he was standing beside her he spoke directly into her ear. His breath washed over her neck and she felt a tingling sensation ripple through her, just like a drop had been splashed into the ocean.

  “The more you get used to it the more you become one with the sled. It's like it becomes an extension of your body and you move it just as you'd move an arm or a leg.”

  “I think it would take me a long time to get to that stage,” she said, laughing a little.

  “You'd be surprised. Some people get there pretty quickly. Others it takes longer, but most people have it in them if they just take the time to look.”