A Tale of Two Centuries

proud of me—I want to be proud of me. So I sit up tall and grip with my thighs as another swell rams into my board.

“Feel that?” Austin asks, and I blink rapidly in reply. Of course I felt that. “This isn’t much different than how it’ll be when you’re really surfing; you’re just gonna be on your feet. Nothing to it, right?”

I give a thin-lipped smile and nod, then turn to watch the surfers in the distance. Austin said he chose this spot so we would not get in their way, but a side benefit is that I am without an audience. Instead, I can be one.

“Now watch that guy,” he says, pointing toward a boy just popping up onto his board. Austin changes his grip on my board and sits up taller in the water. “He saw the wave coming and started paddling hard. As soon as he felt the surge, he shot up to his feet. Wait for that feeling—like someone’s behind you, giving you an extra push. If you pop up too early, you’re just gonna fall off the back of the wave.”

I glance at the churning, swirling water. That does not look at all appealing.

“See how his knees are bent?” he continues, and I raise my head. “And watch his turn—all he does is take a slight step back near the fin, and that lifts the nose of the board. Now he has leverage so when he leans to the left, the board knows where to go. Then he goes right back to the center. It’ll be the same for you—like a dance. Take a step back, twist your torso just a bit, and then return to center and ride the wave. Make sense?”

Absolutely none. “I think so.”

Austin grins. “Look, this is fun, but you have to relax. It’s just you and the water out here. No one’s watching. Well, except me.”

Though his attempt at encouragement causes my stomach to tighten more, it isn’t solely from nerves. Out here in his element, Austin is altered. He doesn’t completely give himself over and become the hidden boy that I know lives underneath, but he is softer. More caring. Sweeter, even. His patience with me has been boundless and he’s proven that he is worthy of my trust.

“Okay,” I tell him, taking a breath. “I’m ready.”

He smiles one of his rare, hard-earned smiles and I feel as though I can do anything. “There’s my girl.” Heat infuses my cheeks in spite of the cold, but to my surprise (and satisfaction), Austin doesn’t take back his words. Chuckling softly, he pats the back of my board. “You’re pretty tiny, so when you get into position, I’m gonna ride back here to give you some confidence and help steady the board as you stand up.” He glances out to the waves. “Ready to practice catching a few easy ones?”

As ready as I will ever be.

“I trust you,” I tell him, lying down as he instructed, belly to the board. “I know you will take care of me.”

When he does not immediately tell me where to go or what to do next, I twist my neck around, curious about the delay. Austin stares back with a disconcerted look on his beautiful face. After a beat, he coughs, then in a strange voice says, “Thanks.”

Hmm, not exactly the reaction I had expected. I know I am not the only one who feels this way about him— his sister Jamie believes he hung the moon. Puzzled, I set my elbow on the board and begin to sit up. “Austin —”

He abruptly looks off at the ocean. “Look, here comes a good one. Let’s go chase it.”

Recognizing a diversion ploy when I see it, I grant him his privacy and throw all my energy into following his instruction. I paddle hard, cupping my hands and pushing myself through the tossing waves of the water, loving the feel of power over the elements. When I get into position, Austin climbs on the back of my board, and I turn around and lie down facing the water’s edge. My foot brushes against the inside of his thigh, and my stomach flips, remembering the heat of our kiss. Then a spray shoots up and hits me in the face, bringing me back to the present. I wipe the moisture from my eyes.

A bird calls overhead. My heartbeat accelerates. The energy of the ocean ignites the blood in my veins, and I quiver in anticipation. The swell rises below me and propels my board toward the shore, and I pop up just as Austin taught me. I grin, knowing he is seated right behind me, steadying me, and I bend my knees.

Oh, Signore in heaven, I’m actually doing it!

Words cannot describe the feel of the wind on my cheeks and the sensation of oneness I feel with God’s creation. Needing to see Austin’s reaction, to know if he’s proud of me, I look back…and my legs wobble.

Time slows to the beat of my heart in my ears. Austin’s eyes widen. I face the shore again and throw my arms out, trying to rectify my balance—but the effort comes too late. My board flies up in the air, I pitch forward, and my chest hits the water with a loud, agonizing splash.

Pain radiates throughout my body. My body sinks as though made of lead, and the only thing I can think is, I cannot swim.

Why didn’t I think about this before? The answer, as embarrassing as it is, comes all too soon. I was too eager, too trusting…too naive. But I will not let my folly end my adventure in such a way.

I kick out my feet and throw my hands up, trying to paddle in the water as Austin taught me on land. Holding my breath, the pressure mounting in my head, I lift my eyes and look for the surface.

Water churns. Bubbles shoot past my face.

My lungs begin to burn.

Then a strong arm wraps around my waist and hauls me up.

“I got you,” Austin says, holding me high as I gasp and choke on precious gulps of air. He pushes through the water, holding me close, and then lifts me. A wave crashes below me as he pats my back, repeating, “I’ve got you. You’re all right.”

Cradling my head in the nook between his neck and shoulder, he runs through the foamy water, carrying me as if I weigh nothing. He doesn’t stop at the packed edge where the water and sand meet, but brings me all the way up onto the soft sand, away from any onlookers. I sputter and drag in more air as he lays me down and brushes away the long strands of hair stuck to the wet skin of my face. When I can at last inhale and exhale again with a bit of normalcy, he glides the back of his hand across my forehead and over my cheeks. “Alessandra, are you okay?”

Ignoring the loud buzzing in my ears, I manage a weak, “Y-yes.”

He shakes his head. “I don’t understand. I mean, I know getting tossed off your board can feel like you’re trapped in a washing machine, but the water wasn’t even that deep. What happened out there?”

I gnaw on my cold lower lip, scared to admit the truth and knowing that I must. A shiver rocks through me. Looking up into Austin’s worried eyes, I confess, “I can’t swim.”

Those worried eyes narrow in disbelief, then he closes them and releases a frustrated breath. “That’s something that would’ve been good to know before we got into the ocean.”

“I know,” I say through chattering teeth, feeling dreadfully stupid for what I’m about to say. “To be honest, I did not think of it.” Bewildered eyes fly open at my admission, and I hasten to add, “I-I was just so eager to partake in your world, a-and I guess I didn’t think I would fall.”

“Everyone falls at some point.” He rakes his hands through his wet hair. “I even have a freaking life jacket in the back of my truck. If you would’ve just been honest with me, this wouldn’t have happened.”

I shake my head, though whether he can tell through the rest of my body’s tremors, I am not sure. “I promise you, I did not withhold the truth on purpose—I truly am that ignorant. In the face of the big, bad ocean, I forgot I cannot even tread water.”

At my self-deprecating laugh, Austin finally looks at me. I offer a weak smile, and the anger burning in his denim blue eyes quickly dims.

He pulls me into his arms and begins rubbing my arms vigorously. After a moment, he exhales a long, steady breath. “Sorry for being such an ass. But you scared the shit out of me.”

Relieved he is no longer angry, I lean in to his embrace, my entire body relaxing. I would be content never to leave this position. Inhaling the scent of salty sea, I say, “I scared myself, too.”

His chest rumbles under my head, but his quick laugh turns into a sigh. “Well, that was surfing. Guess it’s time to head on back.”

At that, I lift my head. “But why?”

“Uh, because you can’t swim? Or maybe because you just wiped out?” He leans back and looks into my eyes. “Princess, you can’t seriously be saying you want to go back out there.”