At 7:30 A.M. I stood by the south goalpost. This was one event I didn’t want to be late for. Not that my life was any big deal. Since my mom left my father and me when I was a kid, our house ceased being a home. I found peace only when riding the waves. I changed my hair color with my changing moods—to lift me out of a funk or cover up the fact I was in one.
But today I sported blue spikes for a different reason, this time in celebration—in honor of the sea where we met. Because this morning was different. I awoke with a swelling of my being, that went beyond my usual swellings! It was a swelling of emotion, a connection to life I’d never felt before. I noticed the magnificence of the clouds as they rolled in from the ocean, the chirping of seagulls, the smell of the sea air. I felt a joy that went way beyond a hundred-thousand score on a Surf Slam 3000 video game, a DVD copy of Star Wars, or a year’s subscription to Wipeout.
But most of all, I felt a connection to her, even though I didn’t know her name, and had never heard her voice. Was I obsessed or possessed? If Chainsaw caught wind of my innermost thoughts and feelings, he’d punch me out for sure. I wanted to give her flowers, buy her candy, serenade her underneath a balcony, write her poetry, carve her initials in a tree. It isn’t every day that someone breathes life into you. And her breath seemed purer than any I’d ever known.
Eight-fifteen. I mashed my sweaty palms against my jeans. Eight thirty-two. I unraveled a stick of Wrigley’s. Eight forty-five. I kicked an empty Coke can. Nine o’clock. I leaned pessimistically against the goalpost.
The bell rang, beckoning me to arrive on time for U.S. history. I slung my backpack over my shoulder and looked at the desolate field. Maybe my personal lifeguard was a late sleeper. Maybe my ad should have read 3:30 P.M. Maybe I was just a complete idiot.
I waited until nine-fifteen, then I waited until nine-thirty. Gym class began running its way around the track. I sauntered up to the fifty-yard line and, dejected, made my way inside the building, late for first bell.