The Sisters McFadden

Chapter 15 - Morning Swells

At seven a.m. sharp, Dalton stood on the sandy path that led down to the beach. He stood in the exact spot he'd met Ash the day before. He worried she would be a no show. After the unbelievable day he'd experienced on the Fourth of July, his head was in a fog. Had any of that actually happened? He was so tired, working on maybe four hours of sleep. It did not matter because the pure excitement of spending time with Ash filled him with all the fuel he needed. The swells below were building steadily. Perfect conditions. The sun was up and blessing the day with warmth even at that early hour. The anticipation was killing him but soon he felt that familiar wave of energy. The air felt electric.

There she was. Ash descended the path from the parking lot with an adorable smile. Like yesterday, she brought only a bikini, even skimpier, and a surfboard, even shorter. The short board signaled to Dalton that she was planning to throw some impressive aerials off the waves. The bikini choice signaled she may actually like him. He could smell the sunblock that covered her toned body. It smelt wonderful. Her long hair that flowed down to her lower back was wonderful. Everything about her was wonderful. Even before she spoke a word with that accent, there was no doubt in his mind this was the McFadden sister he wanted. He'd need to come clean with Ash about Chelsea, or at least the parts he remembered. That could wait until after they surfed.

            "Hey you," said Ash, elated. "Good morning."

            "Good morning," said Dalton. "I was worried you might not make it."

            "No chance, I am excited. It's getting big out there."

            "Did your dad drive you down here?"

            "Yes, and he told me he met you last night."

            "We did meet. My friends and I took your sister home."

            "He said you were a very nice young man." Ash laughed.

            "I'll take it. What time is he picking you up?"

            "Five."

            "As in five o'clock this afternoon?"

            "I have all day to surf and lay in the sun."

            "Awesome. It's my lucky day. I have today off from work."

            "Brilliant. We can hang out if you want to."

            "I want to."

            Ash seemed happy. At peace. "Where do you work?"

            "I coach kids in water polo and I am a Cadet with the LA County Lifeguards. I have to work both jobs tomorrow."

            "What's a Cadet?"

            "An ocean lifeguard in training."

            "Is that why you were up on the lifeguard tower yesterday?"

            "You saw me?" Dalton was shocked she had noticed him.

            "I did."

            "Cool."

            "Let's surf."

            Whatever emanated from Ash energized his body like an injection of heroin. It was even stronger than the day before. These McFadden sisters harbored some inner force he could not comprehend. It felt not of this earth. Ash elevated him. Chelsea scared him.

            Ash paddled out beyond the outside break with ease. Even her duck dives under the incoming waves were graceful. Dalton needed to bring out his entire bag of surfing tricks to even keep up with her. Ash dropped into wave number one and started to rip. It was smooth and over her head in size. Not to be outdone, Dalton charged his first wave and surfed with a newfound purpose. Over the next two hours, Ash and Dalton traded wave after wave. More and more surfers seemed to be working their way over to the section of waves Ash was dominating. She was like nothing the locals had seen landing numerous 360s in the air. Dalton cut like a pro but Ash was on a different level. Hard to believe she would not continue to compete. Maybe she was a true soul surfer. Surfing not to impress others but to find enlightenment. To find oneself from within. Either way, she was beautiful to watch. Dalton had not enjoyed an experience like this since before his mother died. Usually he did not let himself enjoy anything, but Ash somehow allowed him to enjoy himself that morning. He was starting to believe he was in love with her.

            In-between two large sets of waves, Dalton paddled up to Ash as she sat on her board with eyes closed feeling the sun on her face. He sat up on his board next to her in the warm saltwater. The swells rolled in underneath them, rising and sinking in a smooth nautical rhythm. Now he was a good kind of tired. There was nowhere else on earth he would rather be.

            "You're really good," said Ash.

            "Thanks," said Dalton. "I love to watch you surf."

            "I really like being out here with you. I don't have any friends."

            "Yet. Don't worry, my friends and I will introduce you to everyone."

            "I don't expect the girls here will like me very much. I am not one of those cheerleader girls you have here in America. To be honest, I didn't really have many friends in Cape Town. O is my best friend. My only friend."

            "Not anymore. I am not going anywhere. You've got a friend."

            "What about Chelsea? How was she last night?"

            Dalton took a depth breath. Here it goes, he thought. "She kissed me. We were both totally out of it. I don't know what else may have happened. I know that sounds lame, but I don't want to lie to you."

            "It's okay. I understand. It's Chelsea."

            Dalton was not quite sure what that meant but he got the sense she was accustomed to letting Chelsea get her way. "Can I ask you a question?"

            "Sure."

            "Why did you guys move here from South Africa? Did it have to do with Chelsea getting kicked out of school?"

            "My family has a lot of problems. A lot of problems. Chelsea getting kicked out of school was not why we moved. That wasn't even her fault. But some strange things did happen over the past year or so. My father decided we needed to make a change. We moved mostly for O."

            "Why, is O okay?"

            "She struggles. She's blind in one eye. It's hard for her. Everything is hard for her. Except riding horses. That's why we moved back to my family's ranch."

            "I can't wait to meet her."

            "She will really like you."

            Dalton and Ash both felt a chill. The temperature seemed to drop ten degrees in a matter of minutes. As they had talked and sat on their boards outside the surf break, they'd failed to notice the encroaching fog bank that was rolling in from offshore. When they looked up, they were surprised to see a dense wall of fog two miles out moving rapidly across the ocean towards them. They also noticed the sizable swells had started to die out and flatten. It was not a misty fog but a thick cloud of fog. The temperature dropped another ten degrees.

            "Wow," said Ash. "It's getting cold."

            "Fog is rolling in." said Dalton. "I don't get it, I checked the weather this morning and it said clear and sunny all day."

            "Is this unusual?"

            "We do get a lot foggy mornings around here with the marine layer. A lot of times it burns off by afternoon. But look how fast it is moving in on us."

            "The air is chilly but the water is still warm."

            "Come on, let's head in. We can walk back to my house. We live up on those cliffs. We can find some breakfast."

            By the time Dalton and Ash caught their last wave into the beach, the colossal fog bank overtook the shore and started to engulf the peninsula. Weather reports still showed sun and eighty-eight degrees all day. Surf reports showed six foot swells through high tide at noon. But it was now sixty degrees and the bay was as flat as a lake. Visibility was zero.