Daniel and Bethany

Chapter 4

Daniel's P.O.V.-

I figured I'd help Bethany with her board situation. I felt kinda bad. So I picked her up that afternoon, and took her to a small shore spot. It was a really small beach. I didn't typically go there to surf, but my dad taught me how to make my own surfboards there. You had to walk through a small jungle to get there. Not many people knew about it. When we pulled up to the jungle, she looked a little confused. I unloaded my board.

Bethany:"What are we doin' here?" We started walking.

Me:"You'll see. Just follow my lead." At the edge of the jungle, there was a downhill to get to the beach."Be careful. Just climb down slowly." When we got down to the beach, I was looking for a little hut. It was my dad's. It had extra boards in it that he made by hand. I finally found the hut and took Bethany to it. 

Me:"Pick one and pick a paint color." She picked one of the boards with a line down the middle. She then picked purple paint."Well, paint your board. It's yours now."

Bethany:"Did you.......make these?"

Me:"My dad did. Well, I made a few. When I was 6 my dad took me down here and showed me how to make them. He said that whenever I needed a board, I could use one of these." She started painting her board.

Bethany:"Well they're amazing." She painted a couple small hawaiian flowers on her board, and left it to dry. We sat by the water.

Bethany:"Oh! Wait here!" She ran off looking all over the beach. Finally, she came back with a stick. She started writing in the sand. It spelled out: Surfing <3. She then started looking for different seashells for about 10 minutes.

Me:"Ya know, your board is dry by now." She ran over, grabbed it, and motioned me toward the water. I grabbed my board and started into the ocean.

Me:" You wanted me to show you some stuff right?" She smiled. I showed her how to do an aerial manouver. It took her a couple tries but practice makes perfect. I also showed her a trick that will help to avoid a dangerous wipeout. 

Me:"Okay so, if it looks like you aren't gonna have a good landing when you're about to wipeout. Or if it looks dangerous, just bail. And by bail I mean jump right off your board and into the water." Bethany was a fast learner. I could also tell that she was a visual learner. When the sun set, I built a small fire near the hut. 

Bethany:"So, if your okay with me asking, what....happened to your....mom?" My mom was a really touchy subject. I didn't have any problem with telling Bethany though.

Me:"Oh.. uh.. well, when I was like, 4 years old my mom was surfing on the west coast. Me and my dad were on shore. I was playing with sand, like a normal kid. Then, I felt the ground shaking. I didn't think anything of it until a minute later, I looked out at the ocean. A massive wave was rushing towards the shore.  My dad grabbed me and ran. I looked back and saw that my mom was still far out. She was uh, caught in the.....wave.. That was the last I ever saw of her. So, my dad moved here to Hawaii. He found peace here. It helped him cope I guess." She scooted next to me.

Bethany:"And you surf today?"

Me:"Well yeah, I mean, I still think about it all the time, especially when I'm surfing. You can't run from the past, but I guess you can put it behind you." I sighed and stood up."Hey it's gettin kinda late, I guess I should drop you off now huh? And ya know, we still gotta walk through the jungle." She got up and said:"Yeah, yeah. Your right we should go." I grabbed the two boards.

Bethany:"You want me to hold one?"

Me:"Nah it's okay." We climbed up the hill, and walked through the jungle. When we arrived back at the truck, I loaded our boards into the back. I hopped in the truck. As we reached her house, we said goodbye and I helped her get her board. I watched as she walked into her house. She waved out the door. I drove off towards my house. 

MyDad:"Hey Daniel. Dinner's on the counter." After I ate, I sat on the couch and sighed. 

MyDad:"You ok? Somethin happen?" 

Me:"Dad, what do you do if you like a girl, and she's just beautiful. But you don't know how to tell her?"

MyDad:"Ahhh I see. Is it Bethany?" I was kinda surprised at how my dad automatically knew it was her. It was a little embarrasing.

Me:"Yeah......"

MyDad:"Well, Daniel, you know me. I'm straight up. If I had feelings for a girl at your age, I came out and told her. So I haven't had any experience with your situation. But knowing you, I wouldn't think  you would wanna do it that way. And I do wanna ask, what about your girlfriend?" My girlfriend at that time was Joanie. She was a great girl but when I met Bethany, everything changed.

MyDad:"Talk to Kaholo tomorrow. He can give you some advice." I walked into my room, and flopped onto my bed. I had to admit, I loved Bethany. The only problem was Joanie.