Chapter 26 Oakley
Oakley
Sunrise came slowly to the western side of the island, with the sun cresting the mauna long after it rose over Pualena.
Oakley was up at first light. It was chilly at the beach, but she enjoyed the brisk morning air. She pulled a sweatshirt on over the comfortable clothes she’d slept in and went to check on the kids.
Hayden and Harper had slept just a few feet away, in a big tent with their cousins, but to them it was an exciting adventure. Luckily a day of swimming and playing in the sun had overpowered the novelty of a night in a tent, and they had still fallen asleep at a decent time.
They would be up again as soon as the sun hit the beach, Oakley was sure, but for the moment they were still sound asleep.
She filled a kettle and set it over the camp stove so that everyone could have something hot to drink when they woke up: coffee for the aunties and hot chocolate for the kids.
She’d brought a healthy hot chocolate mix that she’d made herself, organic cocoa with raw sugar and collagen protein.
She tried not to be overbearing when her girls were with their cousins, much as it pained her to see them eating junk – but she still snuck in the extra nutrition wherever she could.
The high whine of a tent zipper cut through the quiet, and Anne crawled out into the cool morning air. Her dark red hair was an adorable mess, and her eyes were half closed with sleep. She pulled on a sweater and zipped the tent shut behind her.
“You’re up early,” she said as she tiptoed across the cold sand in her bare feet.
“I usually am.”
“Me too.” Anne yawned. “But we were up late last night.”
“Coffee’s almost ready.”
Laurie joined them, and then Zoe. Oakley made mochas for everybody, blending her homemade cocoa mix with the fresh coffee.
“This is phenomenal,” Anne said after her first sip.
“You like it?”
“I love it! My guests would too. Where’d you get it?”
“I made it.”
“You made the cocoa mix? From scratch?”
Oakley nodded.
“Will you send me the recipe?”
“Sure.”
“Awesome. Between the ocean view and the breakfasts I make, we’ve gotten some glowing reviews so far. These mochas would put those breakfasts over the top.”
Oakley glanced at Zoe, waiting for her to say something sour about the bed and breakfast that her mother was running out of their family home.
But she didn’t respond. She looked content, staring out at the water with a tranquil expression.
Her pale green hair was a mess, and the oversized sweatshirt that she wore nearly swallowed her whole…
but she looked more serene than Oakley had seen her in a long time.
“Hey Annie Oakley,” Laurie said, and they turned to look at her. She pointed to the surfboards that were stacked behind their tent. “Who brought those?”
“I did,” Oakley said. “I thought I might try to get the girls out surfing, but these waves are too big for them.”
Laurie grinned and signed, Not too big for us.
Oakley bit her lip and looked out at the breaking waves. A thrill went through her at the thought of paddling out and catching one. She hadn’t gone surfing in ages, and there was nobody out there. They would have the break all to themselves.
“Let’s go,” Anne said.
“Now?” Oakley asked. “With no wetsuits? We’ll freeze.”
“We’re tough.” She looked at Laurie and signed, You want to go now?
Their sister signed an emphatic Yes. Her eyes glowed with a joyful excitement that warmed Oakley down to her bones.
When was the last time she had seen that look in Laurie’s eyes?
But her girls weren’t even awake yet…
“What about the kids?” she asked.
“I’ve got the kids,” Zoe said. “Go have fun.”
“Okay.” She dropped her mug into the dishpan. “Let’s do it.”
Laurie signed a quick thanks to their niece and ducked into the tent to change. A few minutes later, the three sisters waded into the water with the surfboards under their arms.
“It’s freezing!” Anne squealed.
“I told you!” Oakley said, laughing.
Laurie charged ahead of them, heedless of the cold. She jumped onto her board and started paddling. A wave rushed towards her and she did a turtle roll, flipping so that she was underneath both the board and the wave as it barrelled past.
Oakley clambered up onto her board and did a duck dive, pressing the nose of her surfboard beneath the oncoming wave and letting the water rush over her.
After the initial icy shock, the cold wasn’t too terrible. It was warmer than the rivers, at least.
She pushed down on the tail of the board with her foot and went shooting out the back of the wave.
It felt amazing to be out on the water. The chill was invigorating, and the sky glowed a glorious shade of gold as the sun rose higher behind the mountains.
Oakley paddled hard, hurrying to catch up with Laurie. Her arms and shoulders burned as she employed muscle groups that only paddling could get to. She leaned into that inner fire, letting it warm her.
She glanced back to check on Anne, who was lagging behind. Her form was good enough – paddling a surfboard was like riding a bike – but Oakley could see at a glance that her muscle strength was lacking. She paused and let her catch up.
“I’m getting old,” Anne said, panting.
“You’re not old. You just need Pilates.”
Anne stuck out her tongue and splashed her.
Up ahead, Laurie paddled rapidly, keeping up with a wave that rose just behind her. When her board rose up onto the front of the wave, she put two hands down and popped up to her feet.
She held both arms up, balancing carefully as she rushed forward. Oakley cheered as she passed them, too excited to care that Laurie couldn’t hear her.
Laurie rode the wave almost to shore and dropped cleanly off the back of it without falling. She looked back at her sisters, who raised their hands and twisted them rapidly back and forth in a round of silent applause. Laurie grinned, looking like her carefree younger self again.
Awesome! Oakley signed.
Your turn! Laurie replied.
Another wave surged towards them, and Oakley glanced at Anne.
“Take it!” Anne said.
Oakley started paddling, muscles burning as she drove herself forward as quickly as she could. The board surged beneath her as she caught the wave, and she popped up to her feet.
The wind rushed past as she flew across the water, but she didn’t even feel the cold.
Laurie cheered loudly as she came closer, then ducked beneath the wave.
More shouts came from the beach, and she spotted her girls screaming encouragement from the shore. She waved at them – then immediately lost her balance and went crashing into the water.
Oakley spun through the crashing wave, and salt water burned her nose. The surfboard kept hurtling towards shore, and the cord attached to her ankle snapped taut, pulling her along.
Then the wave passed her by, and the water calmed. She surfaced and caught her breath, then pulled the board over and climbed back on.
Hayden and Harper were still watching from shore. She waved at them and folded her two middle fingers down to sign I love you. They waved back with both hands, laughing and shouting.
She turned and paddled back out to meet her sisters.
They stayed out for more than an hour, with Laurie shredding the waves and Anne catching a few as well. Finally, when Laurie started to shiver and Anne’s lips took on a bluish tinge, they headed for shore. Their kids wrapped them in oversized beach towels and words of encouragement.
“That was amazing, Mom!” Harper’s eyes were glowing.
“Can I try?” Hayden asked.
“Let me warm up,” Oakley said. “And then we can go out together and give it a go.”
“Me too?” Harper asked.
“One at a time,” she told them. Hayden might be able to catch one of these waves on her own, but Harper would need to ride on Oakley’s board. “But yes.”
They attacked her with a double hug that just about knocked the wind out of her, and Oakley laughed. She felt a glow of happiness… and a simultaneous grief that she had given so many hours of their childhood away to teachers and coaches.
This was what it was all about, right here. Just being together as a family.
The sun reached the beach just after they did. Oakley discarded her damp towel and walked out into the sunshine.
Two icy hands made contact with her back, and she shrieked. Behind her, Anne laughed.
“That’s not funny!” Oakley shouted, but she was laughing too. “You’re freezing.”
Anne turned to the east, spread her arms, and let the sun warm her skin. Laurie ran over and wrapped both of them in a dry towel, tackling them to the sand in the process. They untangled themselves but stayed there in the sand and in the sun, laughing like kids.
They stayed there for a long time, sprawled in the sunshine, limbs all overlapping. The cozy sound of the kids chatting over breakfast washed over them from the east, and waves continued crashing on their other side.
Slowly, their hands and feet began to thaw. The sun warmed them as they chatted about everything and nothing, there in their own golden bubble, close and cozy in the morning sunshine.