Tides

Chapter 5 - The Team

BLUE

People smile at me as I make my way through the lobby of the head offices of Oceancrush. Oceancrush is my sponsor and one of the biggest producers of ocean and winter sports gear in the world. It is Saturday, and the office is full and running as it if was a regular weekday.

"Hi Blue," says the girl at the reception.

I give her a small wave and a half smile.

"Nice to see you again Blue," says a guy I don't even know as I walk past him.

Well, it's hard not to know who I am. Framed advertisement posters with my face and name hang all over the place. God, how I hate those photo shoots! I'm a surfer, not a damn model.

The meeting I have today is on the top floor of the building. I let out a deep breath; these meetings are never exciting. Long gone are the days when I was just one in a crowd of surfers competing for a spot in the qualifications. My life is on the waves with sand between my toes, not in front of a press conference.

I don't even know what people find so amusing about me. My family is average; Dad is a paramedic, and my mom is a secretary in a hospital. They both come from farmer families. I have sister called Ava who is ten years younger than me. I miss her the most when I'm on tour and try to video call with her as much as possible. The postcards I sent her from the places I have visited cover a large space of her bedroom walls. Ava feels annoyed because some of her college friends have a crush on me. She finds it icky and weird.

I surfed for the first time during a vacation to the beach where I took lessons. We had been nowhere as money was tight. It was the year my dad got his paramedic job, and we could have our first proper vacation. For me, it was incredible as I was a country boy and had never been to a beach. I was 15 years old back then, and the instructor called me a grommet. At that moment, I wasn't sure if he insulted me or the reason he called me that. Later on, I learned it's the name given to beginner surfers or young surfers as I was then. I fell in love with the sport and the instructor told my dad I had a future in it. After that, I took two buses to get to the beach and continued my learning and training several times per week.

When I was 18 years old, I had my first real competition. I was nervous. Many people talked about a guy called Kalani who was talented and had won many competitions. He never showed up to the first event. Later on, I heard he was in the hospital, and bad rumors about him flew around. I think it was just people talking bullshit and feeling glad they had one contender less. It always made me wonder how the competition would have been with him in it. I never heard of his name again.

"Hello, Anthony."

I grin at Camilla, the personal assistant of the big boss, and the only person who calls me by my real name. She makes me feel like a normal guy. She is about my mom's age and has been a big support on the tours. I was 21 years old when I began traveling the world and missed my family. She was the only one to whom I shared how homesick I felt.

"How was your vacation?" she asks after giving me a hug.

"Barcelona was a good choice. I visited every town in the area. I have about two thousand pictures to prove it."

"You look rested, and I'm glad you are back. I have the new casual clothing collection for you. Don't forget to pick it up when you come out of the meeting."

I smile at her and then head towards the door of the big boss' office. I enter without knocking as I know they are already waiting for me. Xavier Crush grins as I come in. He wears a blue checkered shirt with beige trousers from the Oceancrush casual clothing line. Crush is in his fifties, and even with his white hair, he looks young. He also used to be a competition surfer when he was my age and now loves to sponsor young talent.