Tale of Two Surfers

Chapter 3

Memorial Day was always big around our house and this year was no exception. Every year my Mom worked preparing the grill laying out all of her hamburgers and brats and when she was done we had a whole plate of burgers and dogs ready to eat.

As my Mom continued preparing the food the doorbell rang.

"Mark, could you get the door?"

I hopped up from watching TV on the couch and opened the door seeing Rob standing there obviously with his parents.

"Hi," Rob's father spoke. "You must be Mark. Your parents invited us over for the day."

"Yeah, Robert, Anna, come in," my father said ushering them in.

"This is our son, Rob Jr."

"Junior?" I asked.

"We can all go back to the deck. My wife is still cooking the burgers on the grill."

Once they were all away it gave me and Rob a few minutes to talk.

"I had no idea you were coming."

"Me either. Your Dad and mine are co workers. Small world isn't it?"

"Yeah."

Needless to say, I was a little flustered but stayed cool, calm, and collected. We all sat out in the back on the deck hearing my Dad talk shop with Rob's father. My father worked in an advertising agency.

"It's good to have you on the team," Rob's father said. "We can use people like you."

"Thanks for the welcome."

"Huntington has some good high schools. I think your boys will like it here," his mother said. "Do you boys already meet?"

"Yeah, Mom, we met on the beach the other day. I've been giving Mark surfing lessons."

"He is so great in the water. Even entered a few surfing competitions."

"Really?" I asked in surprise.

"Yeah, but I don't like to brag about it."

It was getting late so it was time to wind things down.

"Thank you for having us over," Rob's Mom said.

Rob extended his hand to shake mine and once again the feel of his hand in mine gave me a surge. From the look on his face, I could almost tell he was feeling the same way though you couldn't always judge a book by its cover.

Rob continued to help me with my surfing much to other peoples chagrin. We continued to talk hanging out together more seeing we had a lot of the same interests. Movies. Books. TV.

After two weeks of practicing I rode up as usual with my bike but he was nowhere to be seen. I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around being greeted by one of the other surfers I had recognized.

"Mark?" he said.

I nodded yes.

"Rob wanted me to tell you to meet him at Mike's Surf Shack."

He pointed me the way which was a few short blocks from the beach. When I arrived it looked like a little hole in the wall store but inside was a whole wall of surfboards.

"Isn't this place great?"

I turned around to see Rob standing in front of me.

"It's my uncle's shop," he said. "Taught me everything I know about surfing."

From the back room came an older man with graying hair. His face was tan and careworn from the years of sun at the beach.

"Is my nephew regaling you with stories?"