CHAPTER 7
Nick was underwater for a moment. Water rushed into his nose. Then he felt a hand grab the back of his wetsuit and pull him up. Just as he popped out of the water, another wave hit him, filling his mouth with water. He almost went back under.
“Are you okay?” Meiko asked, treading water near him.
“Yeah,” Nick said, then coughed his throat clear. “I’m fine.”
“I’m sorry,” Meiko said. “I didn’t see the wave coming. If you want to stop or whatever —”
“Are you kidding?” Nick shouted. “That was awesome! I want to go again!”
The board and sail hadn’t drifted too far away. Nick swam over and climbed on. With Meiko’s help, he was ready for a second attempt.
“To make sharp turns, just hold the boom, keep your feet in the straps, and lean back,” Meiko said. “It’ll help you avoid waves.”
Nick nodded. He tried to lean back. It felt like he would tip over, but he didn’t. The board angled slightly, cutting into the water.
No more big waves for me, he thought.
The wind was calmer now. Nick skimmed across the water pretty easily. He watched the surfers farther down the beach. Every few seconds, one of them wiped out.
Nick angled himself out a bit farther and learned to turn the board as the bigger waves came. Instead of hitting them head on, he rode them back toward Meiko, who smiled proudly.
“You’re doing great,” Meiko said. “I’ve never taught anyone before!”
“Really?” Nick asked. “I kind of thought it was part of your job, like renting surfboards and selling swimsuits.”
“You’re my first student,” Meiko admitted. “I didn’t want to tell you before.”
“I’m impressed,” Nick told her. “Anyone who can get me to windsurf has to be good.”
“Yeah, next thing we know, you’ll be doing forward flips,” Meiko said, laughing.
Nick frowned. “What’s a forward flip?” he asked.
“Don’t worry,” Meiko said. “I don’t think I can teach you that. That’s a way more advanced trick. Let’s just focus on surfing for now.”
Nick practiced shifting the rig to catch the wind. Just when he thought the wind died, it picked up again. After only a few wipeouts, he was ripping back and forth along the waves.
They took a break, and Nick dragged the board and rig up onto the beach. Then he collapsed in the sand.
“I think I’m going to miss windsurfing when I get home,” Nick admitted.
“You don’t have to,” Meiko said. “If you’ve got lakes nearby, you can still windsurf. Of course, the waves aren’t the same.”
Nick laughed. “I’m not a fan of the big waves anyway,” he said.
Meiko glanced at her waterproof watch. “Oh, it’s almost one,” she said. “I need to get back. My dad is waiting for me to take the counter for a while.”
One o’clock? Nick couldn’t believe it. He was late for lunch!