“Yeah, looked like a fourteen-footer.” Jenson loved sharks. He wanted so badly for his birthday to go to the big aquarium in Monterey Bay and swim with the creatures. I still wasn’t sold on the idea.
“Nice. Good call then, kid. And good job with the lingo. Didn’t freak the tourists out.” The surfer ruffled Jenson’s hair, and walked off. He tried to fix his messed-up black do, but failed. The salty sea water was acting like gel, keeping it in disarray.
“You wanna just hang out?” I asked, trying to gauge what he wanted to do. I was kinda getting hungry, but if he wanted to hang out on the beach, I would be down for whatever he wanted.
He looked around and shrugged.
“Food sounds good.”
“Sharky’s?” It was a nice little beach restaurant. It had a rack for our boards, and we could sit under little umbrellas to stay out of the sun.
He mumbled a yes, but I understood it. Teenager speak was happening to him. One word answer here, another grunt there. Thankfully I was tuning in to it, and could interpret.
Sharky’s was pretty busy, but we managed to snag a table, and the waitress took our order. We always got the same thing—he got a burger with ketchup, mustard,and pickles, with a side of fries. I ordered fish and chips. Something about being on the water always made me want a basket of fried goodness. Not sure why, it was just what I always craved.
Our food came out pretty quickly, and Jenson dove in like an animal. I swore I raised him to not make such a mess, but he seemed to always prove me wrong.
“Just when I didn’t think my day could get any better.” My whole body froze, hearing that voice. Oh dear God, please don’t let it be him.
