Carmen’s dad has to win first prize for finding every rut, dip, and hole on the beach. For the tail end of this ride from the house to the beach, I just shut my eyes, trying to get ready for the next time I’ll bounce around. Banging my elbows and knees, I get knocked off balance. I have lumps on my bumps by the time Mr. Sandoval stops the truck.
“Last one in smells like a squid!” Frankie crows.
The truck sways from side to side as heavy footsteps thump beside me. Frankie gallops off the truck bed. He’s followed by quick, lighter steps. I guess Tita’s followed him, because she doesn’t want to smell like a squid either. I hear Carmen giggling, and Sergio grunting, but no footsteps. I guess they jumped off the side.
Finally, the person who smells like a squid opens her eyes.
I hear the roar of the ocean behind me. In front of me, I see hills of sand. Slowly, I crawl off the truck, and slide down the tail-gate.
The sand is cool and soggy under my feet. I look down, watching my toes curl and wiggle. I bend down to touch the new sandy patterns my feet make. Rubbing sand between my fingers, it reminds me of the brown sugar my mother uses for cookies.
That thought makes me want to taste it, so I look over my shoulder. Nobody’s watching. Like a lizard, my tongue shoots out for a quick lick.
“Yuck!” I spit out the taste. “Sand is sand.”
I dust my hand off on my red and white bathing suit. My eyes start to follow the trails of tire tracks into the sand hills. The skinny green weeds and stalks of yellow grass poking out of the white sand hills remind me of Tío Chale’s bald head.
Three sea gulls fly by. My eyes follow their path. I turn around, and for the first time face the ocean.
I am really HERE. I stare at the water. It’s like it melts into the far away where the sky begins. The water rolls up and shoots out in big waves which grow smaller as they come closer to the sandy beach.
Frankie and Tita are already kicking water at each other. Sergio and Carmen are holding hands and walking by the edge. Little Sammy clutches a hand of his mother and one of his father, as he jumps over the lines of water washing onto the sand.
Everyone’s enjoying the water but me!
The blue-gray water has white foam tops. The ocean looks different from any picture I’ve ever seen. I think about my camera, but shake my head. This is the time for me to know stuff for real.
As I walk, pieces of dry weeds sometimes prick my feet. I hop over a piece of wood with little clam shells stuck to it. I’m pretty close to the water when I see a blue plastic bubble shimmering in the sand. I make a quick detour in its direction.
As I stand over it, I notice the purple squiggles framing the blue object. It looks like a balloon. I bend down to see my first jellyfish. I saw a picture in one of my science books, and I read that even lying on the shore, it can give a painful sting. It amazes me to think that something so delicate and beautiful can be so dangerous.
“Alicia! Don’t touch that!” Sergio yells.
From out of nowhere, Sergio’s feet appear beside the jellyfish, and then, Carmen’s smaller feet with ten red toenails.
“You think I’m stupid?” I tell Sergio. I put my hands on my hips, then stare into his black eyes. “It’s a jellyfish. I’m not going to touch it!” I push my heels into the mushy sand and walk away.
Suddenly, I make a wild run into the ocean. I cry out as the cold water first hits me. Goose bumps pop out on my legs. I start jumping around, trying to get used to the wet, chilly skin. Salty drops splash my face, and I taste them on my tongue. It’s a weird flavor, but not too bad.
My toes sink into the squishy bottom. I look down and laugh because I can see my feet, but I don’t see a reflection of my self like I do when I swim in a pool.
Tita and Frankie start calling to me. I can see them further into the waves. The water is barely at their waists. Since I’m a pretty fair swimmer, I don’t feel scared to walk out to where they’re standing.
They tell me to turn my back on the bigger waves and let the water wash over me. The first one knocks me down, and I swallow a mouthful of water. Blegh! I wave my arms around, trying to get my balance. Frankie grabs my arm and yanks me up. But another wave hits us, and both of us go under the salty water.
I’m spitting out salty water, and Frankie’s laughing harder. We finally get on our feet. By the third wave, I learn how to push my hips and back into the curve to help me keep my balance. My skin soaks up salt water like a sponge, and my long hair hangs around me like wet ropes. I laugh too, as we get hit again and again. Fighting the salty waves is a blast!
Soon Sergio and Carmen show up. Sergio’s carrying a white board with him. It looks like the tip of a surfboard, but as I see it closer, it’s made of styrofoam, like the Sandoval’s spotted ice chest.
“Me first! Me first!” Tita calls out, and bounces in the water over to Sergio.
Sergio lays the foam surf board down on the water. Tita jumps forward, to lay her chest on the board. She grips it with her hands on both sides.
As the next wave comes, the movement sends Tita on a ride back to the shore. Two more waves take her to knee-deep water, then she stands up and starts half-walking, half-riding back to where we are.
“Let Alicia have a turn,” Carmen says.
Tita passes the board over to me. I glance at Sergio, hoping he’ll help me too.
But I see Sergio’s got Carmen in a hug. He’s saying something that makes her smile big. The last time I interrupted the love birds, Sergio bit my head off. I decide I can do this surf board stuff on my own.
“This’ll be fun,” I tell Tita and slide the board near my chest. I try to jump onto it the same way Tita did.
About the same time, a big wave flushes over us. Instead of riding the surf, the board completely flips over, and I go under. Instead of riding the wave, I’m swallowing it in big gulps. My eyes burn. I’m choking and coughing.
As quick as I can, I raise my head out of the water. I shove the hair out of my face, and see the surf board floating away with another wave.
“Get the surfboard!” Sergio yells.
I stand up, wiping my nose, which itches from all the salt water inside it. Frankie splashes after the riderless board. I look back at Sergio. Does he think that stupid board is more important than me? I could have been drowning!
“You okay, Alicia?” Carmen says.
When I look at her, she’s laughing. I guess I can’t blame her. I must have looked pretty funny flipping over in the waves.
“I feel like I just drank up the whole ocean,” I say.
Frankie shows up with the surf board. “My turn!” he crows just as he jumps onto it. A big wave slaps us all off balance, and sends Frankie riding to the shore.
Again I push my wet hair out of my eyes, and spit out salt water. “I want to try the board again.”
“Why don’t you let Sergio hold you?” Tita says to me.
My eyebrows scrunch up when I look at Sergio.
“Sure, okay.” Sergio shrugs, and then turns his eyes back to Carmen. “When do you want to take your turn, Baby?”
Carmen leans against Sergio’s arm and whispers something in his ear. She giggles, he laughs. Then he kisses her lips.
“Oh gross!” Tita groans.
I agree. Kissing a jellyfish would be better than kissing Sergio.
There’s a lot of splashing when Frankie returns, floating on the board, using his big arms to swim back to us.
“Okay, Sergio. Now hold the board for Alicia so she can get ready for the wave,” Tita says.
I laugh at the way she bosses Sergio around.
“Okay, Alicia, let’s go.” He takes the board from Frankie, then moves next to me.
I give him a look, wondering if he’ll really help me.
“I promise not to let you go until you’re ready.” Then he makes his sneaky laugh. Should I trust him?
“Hurry up!” Frankie says.
I slide in between Sergio’s long brown arms. The board rests at my waist. Quickly, I jump up and balance my chest upon it.
“Here comes the wave. Are you ready?” His voice rumbles inside my ear.
He yells, “Hang on!” Suddenly, a strong wave shoots me forward.
I clutch both sides of the board. It’s smashing my chest, but I don’t care. I feel like a mermaid, sailing on that foam board. Just as I start to slow down, another wave comes and carries me further. Closer and closer, to the shore where Sammy is digging in the sand with a red shovel.
Then I hear everyone yelling behind me. Everyone’s splashing and running. Tita’s waving her arms and screaming. And I never thought someone as fat as Frankie could move so fast through the waves.
I slide off the board. “Ow, ow! Ouch!” My knees scratch the sandy ocean bottom. As I stand up, the waves barely cover my knees. Somebody’s splashing me, and when I turn around, Carmen and Sergio have finished a run through the water too.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, wondering what all the shouting and running meant.
“There was a jellyfish swimming in the waves.” Carmen’s laughing as she stops by me, but I see her brown eyes are bigger than usual. “You took off at just the right time, Alicia.”
“Thanks for the ride, Sergio,” I tell my brother.
“Put the board back in the truck, Alicia,” he says, and puts his arm around Carmen’s shoulder. “We’ll swim later.”
For once, I have to agree with my brother. Who wants to swim with a jellyfish?