I lean my weight forward and paddle harder. The board drops down to the trough of the wave and pulls out in front. I pop up and look to my left, stoked about my start.
Ford’s standing up too, with matted [, wy left, st, wet hair stuck to the side of his face.
I focus and pull a hard bottom turn to the right and veer up the midline face of the wave. The momentum of the wave pulls me forward, bleeding speed. At the top of the wave I pull my very first floater, riding across it. Just as quickly,
I pop back down to the bottom, picking up more speed as I land back in the flat zone. Keeping my head facing the line, I repeat the maneuver and begin a short series of floaters, pumping my board up and down from the top of the wave to the midsection, creating my own Grace Parker ocean roller coaster. I love the feeling of the wave below me, propelling me forward. That need to pay close attention to it and constantly adjust for an optimal ride.
I carve hard one last time and then bail as the wave fizzles.
Cheers erupt from a few fellow surfers followed by a barrage of remarks.
Damien paddles over and gives me a hug. “Great job, babe. You really nailed it.”
Ford says, “Lay off it, horndog.”
Damien says, “Yeah, brah. Who do you think taught her that?”
Ford parks his board next to mine, still frowning about Damien. “That must have been some ride. What’d you pull?”
Annoyed by his over-protectiveness, I keep it minimal. “A floater.”
Damien keeps his board next to mine. Knowing it’s totally going to piss Ford off, I ask Damien, “Can we work on airs again?”
ten
Coco Nogales is a surfer from Mexico City,
who sold gum as a homeless kid until he heard of Puerto Escondido. He moved there after saving up money for seven months to buy
a bus ticket. Now he’s a world-class surfer.
—according to The Wave by Susan Casey
I’m stoked. Today I’m surprising Grace—taking her to a skate park. She’s gonna flip. Most surfers skateboard, but Grace has never tried it. I think it’s fear. But I’m going to teach her how to surf on concrete and reinforce some skills she needs for a 360. It’s a great way to have fun and to get her away from chumps like Damien for an afternoon. I need to make up for screwing up the other day at the beach. It was obvious I kind of pissed Grace off when I popped off at Damien.
As I drive through a part of town Grace has probably never seen, a big pang hits me in the gut. This is—was—Jorge’s hood. He’s the reason I even feel comfortable coming here. I pull into Rick D’s Skate Park.
Grace squeaks, “Skateboarding?”
“Longboarding, Parker, longboarding,” I say. “It’s a great way to work on your footwork, like cross-stepping. And then we’ll work on some f ^boaootwork to help you with the elusive 360.”
“Falling onto water has a lot less consequences than onto concrete.” She twists her hands around, eyeing the Dervish, a freaking awesome longboard skateboard.
Bam. I cock my head at her and enjoy giving her the Look. The mom look. Might be the only time I get to use it. “Are you turning chicken?”
She flaps her arms and says, “Bawk.”
I laugh. “At least you’ll admit it. Helmets, pads, and Kevlar gloves will help protect you from getting all scraped up.”
She folds her arms across her chest. “What about broken bones?” Then she glances around. “Or bullets?”
The bullets comment irritates me. “This place is all good during the day. Just don’t hang around here at night.” Still, a little uneasy, I glance around just in case. Yeah, that happens every now and then in this neighborhood. But not at the skate park. And not in the daytime. I brush those concerns off with a wave of the hand. “We’re not riding a half-pipe or ramps, just a course with a gentle slope. It’s as beginner as it gets. Besides, you forget how good your balance is.”
She frowns. “I don’t have the gear.”
She’s grasping at straws now. “I bought a board here last summer. The guy who works here said he’d hook us up with gear for you to borrow.”
Ten minutes later, I’m watching Grace adjust the strap to her helmet, which is lopsided. I reach over. “Dude. Let me help.” She lifts her chin and looks at me, grateful. I’m enjoying the moment. Tightening the