Authors Note: When I
wrote this back in the summer of 1977 as part of the “courtship” between Lee
Crane and Cathy Connors, I never thought it would take this long to see the
light of day!
A Day at the Beach
by Diane Kachmar
Chip smiled as Stu Riley
began ragging on Lee once again because he didn’t surf. Some things never
changed. In truth, Crane was a better, stronger swimmer than any of them.
Morton was glad to have him on the beach in case any of them got taken by a rip
current or were caught unaware by a wave.
Riley was determined to
get his Skipper out there. Stu was probably right about Lee being a natural,
but so far Crane had declined all his invitations to try. He was content to sit
with Cathy and watch out for them. Chip smiled. At least that was the excuse.
Lee and Cathy had so little time outside their responsibilities that being able
to lie together on the beach was probably the romantic highlight of their
always busy week.
Morton glanced over his
friend; arm loosely draped over Cathy’s shoulder. He had to admit Lee looked
very content. Snuggled up tight under his shoulder, Cathy looked like she might
start purring any moment. Any doubts about them as a married couple were gone.
They were an even more formidable team now than they had been as the left and
right hands of Harriman Nelson. The Admiral had been right there, no matter how
rocky their courtship was. Chip snorted. It took six months for them to figure
out that was what was happening between them. Lee could be so obtuse at times.
Sufficiently warmed and rested, Chip went to pick up his board for another run
when Riley’s words made him turn back.
“Listen, Skipper, try
it. I know my wetsuit will fit you and once you get your feet wet, you’ll want
to do it.”
“I’m fine with watching,
Stu, really,” Lee replied, his right arm lifting to let his fingers lightly
stroke Cathy’s dark hair.
“But it’s such a rush;
being out there, up on the curl. You have to feel it.”
Crane looked down at
Cathy. “Am I missing out on something, Cat?”
Cathy shifted so she
could look up into his hazel eyes. “That’s up to you. Since we’ve been
watching, have you ever wanted to be out there?”
“A couple of times,” Lee
admitted. “Then I thought better of it.”
“It’s not that hard,”
Stu replied. “If we can learn to do it, you can, too.”
“Seeing as you taught
Chip, I agree.” Lee threw a teasing grin his way as Cathy smirked.
Morton planted his board
upright. “We’d have taught you sooner, but you’ve been too busy learning to fly
that yellow bumblebee of yours. I’ll stick to the water, thanks.”
Crane smiled lazily. “How about a swap? You teach me to surf. I’ll teach you to
fly. May come in handy for both of us one day.”
It was very tempting to
say yes, as Chip wanted to make a flight in their new prototype, only Morton
knew surfing as not as easy as Riley was making it out to be. On the other
hand, Lee was a natural athlete. They should be able to show him enough for
Crane to decide if he liked it or not. Stu’s tricked out board was not for a
beginner, but Riley wasn’t getting off that easily. “All
right. My board. Stu’s spare
wetsuit. Go on up to the shack. Put it on. Your bride can help you. Then
report back here for lesson one.” Chip watched them trudge up the beach out of
earshot.
“Okay. Give. Why are you
so keen to have him surf?”
Stu shifted on the sand.
“Wouldn’t hurt to unbend once in a while and have some wind in his hair.”
“Works too hard, eh?”
“Something like that.” Riley shrugged. “You know he’ll take to it.”
“Maybe.” Chip looked out at the breaking waves. “It’s not baby surf
today.”
“The last thing he’d
want is to be babied.”
“True. Let me ride Lee.
You stay behind us to pick up anything that goes overboard.”
Stu grimaced. “You can’t
fall off lying down on someone else’s board.”
“You know that. I know
that. Don’t tell the Skipper until he’s ridden a few.”
Bantering voices came
drifting down the beach, making them both turn. Chip heard the tail end of
something that sounded like ‘banana’ before the wind snatched the words away.
Riley was right about his wetsuit fitting Lee, but the red color didn’t do much
for him. Morton could have loaned out his own spare blue/yellow combo, but
Riley had made the offer. Chip realized Lee and Cathy had been discussing the
yellow suit that Lee used on board the sub. That was not here. Riley’s red
would have to do. Morton ran a practiced eye over the wetsuit top. Good enough.
“Well, come on, then. I do want to learn to fly that yellow monstrosity.”
Lee grinned. “She always
behaves for me.”
“You and your subs.” Chip rolled his eyes dramatically and got another smirk from
Cathy.
“Kiss for luck?” Lee
asked his wife.
Cathy raised her head
willingly, so he didn’t have to lean down as far.
“Break a wave,” she
said, after the kiss.
Crane laughed. “I think
you are supposed to say Cowabunga.”
“Nah, that’s a myth,
Skipper, left over from the ‘60’s.”
“So am I, Stu.”
“Cool knows no age. See
you out there.”
Lee stood a moment,
watching Riley paddle out. “I’m not sure I can get the board past the breakers that
easily.”
“I’ll get the board out
there. You are going to swim out past the breakers and wait for me to pick you
up. We will ride in together so you can get the feel of the water under the
board and learn to gauge what will carry you and what won’t.”
“So when do I get to
solo?”
“When your wave
instructor thinks you are ready. Let’s see how your
balance is first.”
For all his kidding
around, Lee was totally serious out in the water and seemed to understand what
needed to be done in shifting their combined weight to get the best ride. Chip
explained about how to read the waves and what to look for. After four really
good rides; he let Lee swap places and paddle the board out. Crane got dumped
over almost immediately, but recovered the board quickly and then made it out
to him. Morton lay prone on the board and let Crane pick the wave. It was a bit
wilder and bumpier than the ones Chip had controlled, but Lee managed to ride
them all the way in.
Crane stood in the
shallows, pushing the hair back off his forehead. “Keeping the fin dug in does
make a difference, doesn’t it?”
“It’s the only control
you have. Lose contact with the water and as they say … wipeout. Had enough of
a taste?”
“I guess so. I can see
why you like it. I’m keeping you from riding, aren’t I?”
Chip shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. If you want to go again,
say so.”
Crane reached for the
board eagerly. “See you out there.”
Morton had almost swum
clear of the breakers when he heard Riley shouting in alarm. Morton brought his
head up out of the water to see a very large wave slam into Crane and then
break on top of him. How Lee had gotten sideways to the curl wasn’t anything
they could undo now. Morton’s board came bouncing back up out of the water and
went end over end three times before smacking down into the roiling water.
There was no sign of Lee.
Chip took a quick
bearing as to where the under curl might be rolling Lee and dove under. The tow
pulled at him, but Chip went with it, stretching out with both hands, trying to
find anything he could grab onto.
Something large and limp
smacked into him. Chip grabbed hold of what had to be neoprene. Uncoiling, he
touched bottom, bent his knees and pushed off, dragging whatever he had up to
the surface with him.
It turned out to be
Lee’s left arm. As Chip threw back his head to breathe, he tightened his grip.
He felt someone trying to tug his burden away from him.
“I got him. Help me get
him up on my board,” Kowalski urged. Chip gave a good shove in the direction he
was being pulled, even though it caused him to go under again. Morton pushed
off the sand to get back to the surface. He found Kowalski’s board in front of
him. Ski was standing in the chest deep water, holding Crane on the board and
Chip dropped his legs, so he could come to his feet and help him.
Crane moaned as Morton
came in on the opposite side of Ski and helped push the board toward shallower,
less choppy water. Lee’s head rolled to one side as he drew in air and he
immediately started coughing. They both grabbed Crane and held him so he would
not roll off the board back into the water.
Finally, Crane’s spasms
eased and he went limp on the board again. Morton kept pushing toward the shore
until they grounded out. Chip plopped down in the knee deep water and unzipped
the wet suit several inches so he could better check Lee’s breathing.
Crane’s eyes fluttered
open and his muscles tensed under Chip’s hand.
“No.” Chip pressed his
hand down lightly, knowing Lee would feel it. “Just keep breathing. I’ll tell
you when you can sit up.”
Lee swallowed hard and
tried to clear his throat, which only started him coughing again.
Kowalski quickly turned
Crane’s head to one side to help and the spasm soon passed. Ski’s fingers began
searching through Lee’s matted hair for injury. Crane winced about three
quarters of the way up the back of his head.
“Ice, Pat,” Kowalski
said to one of the people standing over them in the shallows. Patterson left
and was replaced by Cathy Connors.
Lee turned his head back
and looked up, first settling on him and then over to Ski. When he saw Cathy,
Crane extended his hand. Ski moved down slightly to let her plop down in the
water beside him and take Lee’s hand.
“I don’t understand what
happened,” Cathy looked over at Morton.
“He caught an early
breaker sideways. Guaranteed wipeout! You have to go over those. Before they land on you.” Stu Riley answered, as he joined
their group. “I brought your board in, Chip.”
“Thanks, Stu.” Chip saw
Lee tighten his grip on Cathy’s hand. She smiled down at him as she felt the
pressure. He gave her a sheepish smile in return before closing his eyes. Chip
hoped his flying lesson would be far less dramatic than this had turned out to
be.
“Here, Ski.” Pat
presented a beach towel wrapped around something lumpy.
The ice.
“Time to get you out of the
water, bud. Let Ski and me sit you
up.”
“I’m all right,” Crane
growled hoarsely, as he let go of Cathy’s hand. He sat up on the board and
promptly started coughing again.
Chip circled his arm
around his stubborn friend and held him up until the coughing stopped. “Are you
sure you’re okay?” Morton asked again, bending close.
Lee took a deep breath
and then squinted over at him. “I will be.”
“What
ever possessed you to turn my board like that to the surf? Any one of us
would have told you that wave would break early and dump on you.”
Crane shrugged. “It
seemed like a good idea at the time.”
The End
©Diane Kachmar, 2006.
All rights reserved.