I gestured for him to lead the way. We walked inside, and I immediately realized that Josh was a regular here. On the walls of the lobby were pictures of surfers, and surfboards lined the ceiling. While he talked to a hostess, I took a step toward a picture of a man standing next to a surfboard and holding a trophy. Under the picture was an index card sized frame with “Pro Surfer Josh Mayfield” written on it. I turned to look at Josh and saw that he was still talking to the hostess, which was probably longer than necessary to tell her there were two of us for a table. But it afforded me the opportunity to discover a very important piece to Josh. And now, I knew exactly where his money had come from.
“Thanks again for taking him out today,” the hostess said as I appeared and stood next to Josh. She smiled politely at me and picked up the menus. “Follow me, gentlemen.”
We were seated outside on the deck, and I immediately looked out over the water. I really should have considered a place overlooking the water. Though, I was home so little that I probably wouldn’t get to enjoy it. A server came over and set two glasses of ice down along with a pitcher of water and then left. Josh reached for the pitcher and poured himself a glass and sipped.
“The hostess has a fourteen-year-old son, and he’s been dying to learn how to surf. So he was my last client this afternoon. She was thanking me for taking him out. I didn’t charge her.” Josh finished off the rest of the water in his glass and poured another. “I don’t think she makes very much money.”
“That was kind of you to take him out. Did he have fun?”
“Are you kidding? The dude loved it.”
While we waited for our order to be taken, Josh nearly emptied the pitcher of water. I had a few sips from my glass, but Josh had just finished his fourth glass when the server brought over a full pitcher and took our order.
“How do you like your rig?”
“The Rover? I love it. It’s perfect for me. I can toss some boards on top and even put down some seats and get some boards inside. Not long boards, but the others. I can drive on the sand with it. There’s a terrain setting in it, so it’s really adaptable.”
“I knew you were a surf instructor and thought it was something you fell in love with and just wanted to do it. I had no idea you were a professional surfer,” I finally came out and said it.
Josh smiled as he set his fifth empty water glass down.
“I was. I don’t do competitive surfing anymore. I got tired of traveling; though, it was a great part of my life. I was constantly on the go, and I had this burning urge that surfing was keeping me from other areas in my life that I wanted to explore. So, being a surf instructor was the perfect solution. I could still spend my day out on the water, but I had the evenings to myself and could take a few days off during the week.”
“I’m really impressed. Now I can say I know a professional surfer. How did you get into surfing? Parents? Friends?” I casually asked, wondering if he’d talk much about his family.
“Yeah, just friends. I grew up in Santa Cruz a few blocks from the ocean. I’d go there on the weekends if I could. I was into cliff jumping for a while too.”
If I offered up some info about my family, maybe he would do so in return. At least he would have the opportunity to.
“I have an older sister and an older brother. Both of them would have told our parents if I was cliff jumping. I have a younger sister too, and I personally would’ve been happy if I could’ve put them in a bubble.”
Josh looked somber for a moment, and then he plastered a smile to his face. It was just as James had said; Josh covered the pain with smiles and jokes. I hoped that maybe he would see our connection with both having younger sisters. I didn’t know what his relationship was like with her, and considering that James mentioned abuse in his past, it was almost impossible for me to guess. I was still very close with my brother and sisters, but it wouldn’t be right for me to assume that he had been close to his sister.
“I know what you mean about wanting to put them in bubbles,” he said right before he raised his glass to his lips.
“Yeah?” I prompted.
“I had a little sister too, but she died at fifteen.”
He was trying to make his voice sound like this was another casual conversation, but seeing his eyes drift over my shoulder and hearing the slight change in his tone made it clear that this was still a painful subject for him.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Josh.”
He nodded and then looked out over the ocean. It seemed that nodding was the only response he had known how to give. He drained the rest of his glass.I never have to worry about him being properly hydrated.
Through dinner, I shifted our conversation to Club Oxygen and his time with James. I didn’t want him to feel like I was replacing James. I had learned from Alison just how attached they had been to James.
“Do you miss James not being around as much?”
Josh looked up at me, and his eyes told me that I might have underestimated his attachment to James as well. He nodded, looked out over the ocean, then down at his food. Josh was easier to read than I had imagined he would be. The nodding and movement to look at something he found comfort in was a telltale sign that this guy had stuff in his past. Even if I hadn’t already known a few things from James, I could have deduced on my own that he harbored something.
“James is amazing, and I miss him at Oxygen terribly. I still call him, and we text, and I know he will always be there for me. It’s a little different now. He completely loves Brandon. As in, full-on heart love.”
“James is perfect for Brandon. You and Alison had been under James’ protection and mentorship for years. I can understand you having some withdrawals from that.”
“Yeah. I miss seeing him in the club and being able to talk to him after sessions. I miss that the most,” Josh admitted.
“Talking to him after the sessions?” I asked, making sure I understood.
