3 Days To Forever

Chapter 12: First Surfing

Grab your board and we'll head out. We won't go very far out today. They waves are smooth enough that you should have no problem getting to your feet. When I give you the word, move up to your feet, get your position and stand there, and the wave will pull the board toward the beach."

DEAN grabbed her board as Jessy took the other one, and they headed toward the water. They stopped to secure the ankle straps and then stepped into the water. They laid the boards down on the water once they had gotten out about waist deep. Jessy followed DEAN's lead and paddled beside her until DEAN motioned for her to stop.

"You may have to adjust your position on the board once you start paddling through the waves. You want your body lying basically in the middle of the board. But it is different for every person and every board. When you paddle, if the front tip of your board is sitting up over the water, slide forward enough to where it is gliding right across the water.

Once you get to the spot to stop, pull your legs into the water and sit on the board.

Why don't you sit right here for now, and watch me paddle out, sit up, and turn. Try to take in how I handle crossing the waves as I paddle out.

Today, I am just going to do a basic hop across the waves. There are many ways to get through oncoming waves, but it takes experience to do most of them. I'll paddle back out here to you after I have ridden in." DEAN gave Jessy a wink and a smile, and headed out through the water.

Jessy watched as DEAN's muscled body paddled easily through the small waves. She popped her board up and over every wave until she was a distance from Jessy. Jessy watched as DEAN finally sat up on her board and turned back toward the shore.

DEAN sat there for a few moments until a small wave started heading toward her. She lay down on her board and started paddling ahead of the water. Her feet started a fast kick and as the wave hit her board, she hopped to her feet and easily rode the wave in past Jessy.

DEAN paddled back out to Jessy and sat up on her board with Jessy still watching her.

"Were you born on a board? You act like it's just another part of your body." Jessy was in awe of how easy DEAN made it look. But she knew that if she were to bring DEAN to her gymnastics' studio, she would be just as lost as Jessy was.

"That is more or less the way you have to treat the board, like another part of your body you have to control. Come on. Paddle out with me, and we'll get past the break so you can learn how to hop over the waves on your board." DEAN took the lead with Jessy right behind her.

After the break, and when the first wave came towards them, DEAN showed Jessy how to come up on her arms, raise her chest up off the board, and push it forward and through the wave.
Jessy quickly got the hang of it and stayed right with DEAN.

DEAN didn't take Jessy out as far as she had gone. For now, she wanted Jessy to get used to getting through the waves and familiarize herself with how to keep steady on the board as it moved.

Jessy slowed next to DEAN and sat up on her board to follow DEAN's direction on turning her board. She barely managed to get to her feet the first time, before she teetered over the side and into the ocean. She quickly got her board underneath her and headed back over to DEAN.

For the next hour DEAN taught her and led her in the right or best way to handle the board.

By the end of the hour, Jessy was managing to get most of the way back into shore before finally abandoning her board. Jessy stood in the shallow water and watched as DEAN came in after her.

They released their ankle straps and stuck the boards in the sand before sitting on the towels they had brought with them. DEAN handed Jessy a bottle of water and lay back on her towel.

"It's a good thing not all of my customers are gymnasts, or they would be flying through my courses as quickly as you are." DEAN put the cap back on her water and laid the bottle above her head. She reached over and tucked a strand of wet hair behind Jessy's ear.

Her fingers lingered against Jessy's cool skin and down to the pulse point in her neck. "I've got a full day scheduled tomorrow, but I would like to take you out to dinner Wednesday evening, if you are free."