by D C Grant
Chapter Six
When his father picked him up outside the skateboard shop the next day, Josh climbed into the car wearily and slid down in the seat. The day had been long and hectic and his legs were aching badly from standing all day without a break. But it was over now. The money had been good and he’d been able to replace the mobile phone that Bevan had stolen, and pay off his new wetsuit but now he needed a break.
“So how was your day?” his father asked as he pulled away from the kerb into the traffic.
“Good,” he lied.
“I see you got your wetsuit.”
“Yeah, paid it off today.”
“I don’t know why you had to get such an expensive one.”
“Had to be the best.”
“You mean it had to have a label.”
“It’s my money and I can spend it how I like.”
“Okay, okay, let’s leave it.”
“Right,” Josh agreed, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.
The rest of the journey was completed in silence. He thought he must have dozed as it seemed only a short time before they were making their way down Piha Road.
His mother had tea ready for them when they arrived. Cyndi was in hyper-drive about Christmas and wouldn’t stop talking. He couldn’t raise any enthusiasm for the following day as he knew he wasn’t getting any presents. His parents, however, had explained that Cyndi would get some as she was too young to understand. That was their excuse anyway. He wished she’d stop her chattering as it was giving him a headache.
“Mrs Abbott from next door isn’t here this year,” his mother said, finally putting a stop to Cyndi’s noise.
“Where’s she gone?” his father asked.
“I think she’s gone to Australia to visit her family. She’s lent her bach to a friend. Her name is Penny Wade and she has a son called Hayden. Her husband died a few months ago, very sad, but Mrs Abbott has let them use the bach for free so they can have some time to themselves. Wasn’t that nice of her?”
Josh was barely paying attention. Now that he had eaten, he just wanted to get to bed.
“Penny says she’s hoping to find someone to teach Hayden how to surf,” his mother continued. “She thinks it would help him to cope, to take his mind off things. I thought Josh might like to help.”
“What?” Josh asked, now tuning into the conversation. “What are you talking about?”
“You could teach Hayden how to surf.”
“Who’s Hayden?”
“The boy next door. Haven’t you heard anything I’ve said?”
“No. Who said I was going to teach him how to surf?”
“I did,” his mother said, obviously surprised at his reaction.
“What did you do that for?”
“You need some friends down here, Josh,” his mother said, putting down her fork to focus her attention on him. “You spend too much time on your own out surfing. You need a friend.”
“Surfing isn’t a team sport, and I don’t need you to find my friends.”
“Watch what you say to your mother,” his father said, dropping his knife and fork onto his empty plate. “She’s only trying to help.”
“Yes, Josh, I thought you’d like the chance to help someone worse off than yourself.”
“Who said he was worse off than me?”
“His father is dead, Josh. Yours is still alive.”
“I’m better off without him.”
“You can’t say that!” his mother exclaimed.
“I just did,” he said spitefully.
“Josh, go to your room,” his father ordered. “I think you need to go to bed. You’re tired.”
“Fine,” Josh said as he pushed his chair back.
He strode off in the direction of his room, but veered towards the back door instead. He ran around the side of the house, over the road and onto the sand dunes. He found a hollow in the dunes and lay down, his hands behind his head, looking up at the darkening sky. He could hear the sea, but he didn’t need to see it. Just knowing it was there was enough. He needed time to himself.
After a few minutes his anger cooled and he regretted what he’d said. His parents were right. He was tired and his temper fuse was short. It was impossible to imagine life without his father even if he was mad with him all the time. He heard someone coming towards him and hoped it was his father so that he could apologise.
“Hi, there. All on your own?”
He looked up in surprise at the sound of the female voice. A girl about his own age stood beside him, looking down. He struggled to sit up, caught off guard.
“Er … yeah …” he stammered, feeling a fool.
“What you doing?” she asked as she sat down beside him.
“Looking at the stars.”
She looked up at the sky. “There aren’t any yet,” she pointed out.
“I … um … waiting for the first one.”
“Oh, I see. You live around here?”
“We have a bach, just over there,” he replied as he pointed behind him. “And you?”
The girl flicked her long blonde hair over her shoulder. “I’m staying with friends.”
He looked around, thinking he might know them, but he couldn’t see anyone else close by. She laughed.
“They’re not here,” she said and sat down beside him. “I took a walk by myself. Sometimes I have to get away. Have time on my own.”
“I know what you mean,” Josh agreed, and found himself telling her about the fight he’d just had with his parents.
She laughed and lay on her back beside him, her hands behind her head as she looked upwards. Together they lay in silence as the sky above them darkened to a Prussian blue. He started a conversation a thousand times in his mind but each of his opening lines seemed dumb so in the end he remained silent.
“I’d better get back,” she said as she got to her feet and wiped the sand from her jeans.
“Do you … ah … want me to walk you back?” he asked, suddenly unsure again.
“No, I’ll be fine. I’ll see you around.”
“Sure,” he said as he stood up.
She walked off, heading towards the beach and turning as she reached the water’s edge to wave at him. He waved back and watched her as she moved along the sand, until he couldn’t distinguish between her figure and those of the others walking there.
As he turned to go back to the bach he realised that he didn’t know her name.
