cafe and onto the harbor road. They walked side by side along the pavement, passing fishing boats and lobster pots, seagulls and nets, and all the other paraphernalia of a working fishing town. Their opposing hands hung loosely at their sides and once or twice they brushed together. Neither looked at the other nor dared to take the other’s hand in their own. They turned left, walking along the five-meter wide jetty that jutted out into the bay and formed one side of the harbor. At the end was an old lifeboat house, since converted into a bar and windsurfing center. As they approached Nicola felt the familiar knotting sensation in the pit of her stomach that came every time she was due to do something physical she had never tried before.
Paul walked straight in and up to a counter at the back of the shop. He spoke with the man behind the counter and then turned and gestured to Nicola to come over. She walked up and the man cast his eye over her before disappearing into a door on the right and coming out a few moments later with two wetsuits.
“Changing rooms through there,” he said pointing to a door behind them, his Australian accent totally unexpected. “Leave your stuff in the lockers and go out the doors at the back to get your boards. We’ll tow you out and come back to get you in an hour unless you are waving, in which case we’ll come straight over. The safety boats out there all the time.”
He grinned at them both.
“Have a great time.”
They walked through to the doors to separate changing rooms.
“See you on the other side,” grinned Paul.
Nicola grimaced and went into the room. It was empty except for the lockers and some towels strewn across the benches. She slipped off her t-shirt and jeans wondering if she was supposed to go naked into the suit. Not liking the idea she kept her underwear on and grimly stepped into the suit, pulled it awkwardly up her legs until it was tight against her body. She threaded her arms through and then used the cord to pull the zip up her back.
Now ready, she threw her clothes into a locker and then went out the door marked “Surfers Exit” feeling suddenly self conscious, for the suit left little to the imagination in terms of her figure. The door opened onto a small platform and she blinked in the sudden brightness. Paul was already there climbing down a steel ladder onto the boat. She followed him, the boat rocking from side to side as she stepped down, and she felt the boatman steady her as she moved forward.
“Thanks,” she said to him.
“No worries,” grinned back another young, tanned Australian. Her stomach shrunk by another couple of knots as she saw there was no going back. She sat down opposite Paul who was grinning evilly.
“You ready?” he asked.
“No,” she said back at him.
He laughed.
Soon they were speeding across the bay, their two surfboards being towed behind them. The boatman took them to the far side, away from a group of people on a lesson. The boards were cast off and Paul and Nicola slipped into the cold water. The boat turned round and motored off, and soon they were alone.
“Right, have you done this before?” asked Paul resting his arms across his board to keep himself afloat.
“No, have you?” asked Nicola as she did the same.
“Err, no, but I’m sure it can’t be too complicated,” he said, a grin on his face.
He pulled himself up onto the board so he was sitting astride it. He then got into a crouch and gingerly stood up grabbing the rope and pulling the sail up from the water. At the same time he leaned backwards to counteract the weight of the sail and, as he did so, a strong gust of wind swept across the bay and he began to move forwards.
“Here we go,” he said as he moved quickly away from Nicola and then promptly began to wobble before he lost his balance and fell into the water with a big splash. Nicola giggled.
“Come on,” he shouted. “Your turn.”
For the next twenty minutes they tried their best to wind surf. Paul picked it up quite quickly and was able to make some progress backwards and forward across the bay but Nicola just could not get the balance right and was about to give up in frustration when he came over to