I’d just finished a nice run and turned around to paddle back out when a fin broke the water near where we were queuing up to surf. I sat up on my board and began waving my arms to get someone’s attention. Fritz noticed me, and I pointed at the fin that was heading straight toward them. I’d never seen a big shark close up. At twenty yards away, it was already too close. I saw the shadow of a female sea lion race along a wave in front of where everyone was.
Fritz had gotten everyone’s attention. The guy I’d been talking to was up next, and he aborted his run. The shark suddenly flew between us, and we witnessed our own personal version of Shark Week. One of the sea lions was caught. Everyone made for shore. We watched as more sharks appeared and joined the hunt. All I knew was that I was done.
“Did you see that?” I asked Fritz.
He was actually shaking. Of course, he’d been within twenty feet of the monster when it made its kill. It was more than a little unsettling to see all its friends show up so quickly. We had literally been swimming with sharks.
“When a big shark attacks, how do you fight him off?” I asked excitedly.
Fritz finally realized I was pulling his chain. I was just glad he hadn’t been eaten. He had the car keys, and I didn’t want to have to explain to Rita how I lost one of her people. I knew for a fact I would ‘forget’ to tell my mom about this.
In all seriousness, it had scared the shit out of me. Fritz would have to pull a gun and force me to come back to this beach to surf again. I’d take my chances with the girls at our beach. They seemed to be slightly less dangerous.
◊◊◊
Fritz took me to the dojo because we needed to burn off some nervous energy after our scare. We spent our time pounding heavy bags. That turned out to be a good idea because we were both a little hopped-up on adrenaline after what we’d seen. It didn’t fully hit me until I was in the shower: I was almost shark food. Holy crap!
◊◊◊ Wednesday December 23
When we prepared to go running, a large contingent of paparazzi greeted us. I’d started to get used to them being around, but I wasn’t prepared for what they shouted.
“Were you scared when you saw the shark?” one of them yelled, which was followed up with variations of the same question.
Fritz and I looked at each other and had one of those ‘oh, shit’ moments. I pulled my cell phone out and Googled myself. Sure enough, there was a new YouTube video of the whole event. Someone with a phone camera had captured the shark as it cut through the water close to us. It was hard to judge distance, but it looked damned close. The video already had close to a hundred thousand views. I called Frank because it was going to be another media circus.
“Check out YouTube,” I said as I stepped back into the house.
“Wow. You were in the water with all those sharks?” Frank asked.
“Yep. It was a good thing they were only after the sea lions, or it could’ve gotten interesting. If I’d known they might be around, there’d have been no way Fritz could have gotten me to surf. The first shark was huge, maybe ten feet long,” I guessed.
Frank called someone at UCLA, and they told him that the first shark was probably a blue shark and the ones that showed up later looked like mako sharks. As far as I was concerned, all that mattered was they were large and had big teeth. Frank arranged an interview during my lunch break with a woman from the State of California who was an expert. I spent two minutes describing what I saw, and then she talked for thirty on how we were probably safe since we weren’t on the menu.
My mom called a few times, but I managed to dodge her. I would see her after Christmas when she came for Devin’s wedding. After the whole fight incident, I really didn’t want to hear what she thought of me swimming with sharks.
◊◊◊
We wrapped up the movie for Christmas. Everyone would be back next Monday. It finally sank in that I would be away from my family for the first time during this holiday. Of course, Rita invited me to their celebration so I’d have somewhere to go. I guess I was feeling a little sorry for myself.
I came back to my trailer, and Caryn was working.
“We worked it out,” she announced.
“The farm deal?” I asked.
“Yes. The bank agreed to kick in tractors and implements to replace what was sold. Your Uncle John said you were getting newer equipment that hadn’t been used; they were mostly display items. He’s getting a mechanic to go over everything and make sure it all works. He and Mr. Hass also bought some equipment for your uncle’s farm.”
“So I’m broke?” I asked.
“No, not even close, but your tax bill will be lower. I have a call in to your accountant to see if he has any further suggestions.”
I just nodded. Caryn seemed to have everything under control. I went to my bedroom and came out with her Christmas gift.
“I wanted to give you this before you go home.”
“Oh, I didn’t think to get you anything,” she said.
“Don’t worry about it. If I see something I want, I usually just buy it. I wanted to get you something as a ‘thank you’ for all you’ve done for me.”
Caryn ripped the paper off the box.
“You could have waited until Christmas,” I teased.
She opened it and smiled. Caryn was always playing tunes on her phone while she worked, so I bought her a pocket speaker system that used Bluetooth. Despite its small size, it sounded great. All she had to do was connect to it with her Bluetooth and hit her playlist. When I ran across it in one of the gadget stores, I knew it would be perfect.
“Thank you, that was very thoughtful,” Caryn said.
“Come on. Let’s get out of here so you can go home.”
◊◊◊
I guess I was moping around because Rita sent me to the beach house. Fritz wished me a Merry Christmas, and I was alone. In the mood I was in, it was in actuality a good thing because it gave me a chance to sit back and reflect. From the outside looking in, I’m sure most anyone would trade places with me. That was until they felt the crushing responsibility. I was supposed to be at home, tossing my big brother into a snowdrift. Instead, I was in LA, all by myself. I suddenly realized what I needed: I called Tami.
“You home yet?” I asked.
“Yeah, Mom came and picked me up. How’s LA?”
“It’s been a learning experience. I can see how people let it go to their heads and get into trouble. It’s also a job. I’m currently on the roof of a beach house, looking at the waves, feeling sorry for myself,” I admitted.
“Missing home?”
“This will be the first Christmas I’ve not been with my family. I guess I’m a little homesick.”
“You could send me a ticket. I’d be willing to suffer with you,” Tami teased.
“I must sound like a real baby, complaining about my lot in life as you freeze your ass off.”
“No, I get it. Remember, I was the one that talked you into sending me a plane ticket last year so I could come home for Christmas. There’s something about this time of year that makes you want to spend time with family and friends. I’m sure you’re feeling left out because everyone else has their own thing to do,” she said.
“Do you think it’s worth it, though?” I asked.
Tami knew what I was thinking; she understood me better than almost anyone. She took a moment to contemplate her answer.
“You’d regret it if you didn’t do it. Remember when I predicted big things for you once you grew up? Well, David, you’re having to grow up sooner than you want to. If you were older, this wouldn’t be a big deal.”
“You’re right. It’s just that it’s so different here. Everything I do seems to be under a magnifying glass. Why do people even care what I do? I’m just a small-town kid who caught some breaks.”