“Really…” Sneaky Aunt Val. Her words from earlier ring in my mind.“I can’t wait to hear what you discover.”I’m realizing she probably didn’t mean philosophically.
“So, how's it going?” He nods toward my notebook. “You know with the life plan and all.”
I let out a long exhale and the words spring out. “Remember that thing I told you I wanted to do?”
“Yeah.”
“I’m trying to decide if I should go for it or not.”
“Do I get to know what it is yet?”
“Promise you won’t laugh?”
He puts his arms behind him, leans back and looks up at the sky. “You’re asking a lot.” Then he leans into me and dawns a serious expression. “I won’t laugh.”
I shake my head with a grin. “Okay, well…I wrote a book, and I’m trying to decide if I should pursue publishing it.” I brace myself for his reaction. He doesn’t say anything, so I peek over at him.
“Chloe, that’s amazing. Why would I laugh at that?”
“I don’t know, everyone wants to write a book.”
“Yeah, but you said youwrotea book. Like you actually did it.”
“I did, but I don’t know if it's any good. When I showed my boss at Mountain View Press my manuscript, she said I shouldn’t waste my time trying to be an author.”
Leo doesn’t respond. Instead, he brings his elbows to rest on his bent knees and stares out at the ocean. I follow his eyes to the water. After a moment, he asks, “Do you surf?”
“Pff, no never.”
“One of the most important things you do before you go in the water is read the ocean and its currents. Experienced surfers don’t just jump in. They know you have to take your time and watch the ocean. You want to find where the rip current is.” He points at the water, and I try to spot what he’s referring to.
“Once you find that, you can figure out the direction the longshore currents go. Then, when you get in the water, you should identify a non-moving item on the beach to focus on. That will prevent you from being pushed by longshore currents without noticing.”
I like listening to Leo. His voice has a cadence to it that is rhythmic and mesmerizing. Still, the conversation took a hard left from the topic of my book. Maybe he didn’t know what to say. Maybe he agrees with Linda that it’s pointless for me to try to be an author.
Leo looks over at me. When our eyes meet he says, “That’s all you need to do. Figure out what you want to focus on, and don’t let anything push you away from it.”
I exhale slowly and rip my gaze from his. It’s a challenge because I could float for hours in those deep, dark irises. I force myself to focus on the waves that he was referring to and not the fact that my pulse is racing. Although I have no idea what all the surf speak meant…his last statement rings loud and clear and true.
What do I want to focus on? My thoughts start spinning like the Tasmanian devil, but I’m pulled out of them by Leo’s voice.
“If you wrote a book that you’re proud of, who cares what some lady said.”
I can’t help but chuckle at him referencing Linda, the Senior Editor at MVP, as “some lady.”
“Thanks. I like that advice.”
“Surfing teaches you a lot.”
“I might need to take up surfing,” I say under my breath.
“I could give you lessons.”
“Oh no.” I shake my head. “I was just kidding. The ocean scares me.”
“All the more reason to do it.”
My eyes go wide. “What? No way.”
