That Summer at Boomerang by Phil Jarratt

Author:Phil Jarratt
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Hardie Grant Egmont
Published: 2013-12-17T16:00:00+00:00

Claude West stretching on Freshwater Beach, 1915. Photo courtesy Warringah Library Local Studies.

Sensing Claude’s misgivings, Duke said, ‘I’ll swim out and help you onto a shoot or two. Come on, Claude, get into your bathers. You, too, Isabel.’ Neither had realised that in the excitement of their encounter with Duke, they had yet to visit the change rooms at the far side of the sunbathing enclosure. By the time they returned, Duke had the board ready in the shallows. He corrected Claude’s positioning, showed him how to paddle with deep and powerful strokes, then swam alongside as board and rider made their way slowly and uncertainly through the white water to the break.

Isabel sat on the beach with her sunbonnet bent around her ears to protect her from the sand carried on the warm wind. She was so intent on watching Claude’s progress that she was startled by the sound of a voice above her. ‘Why, good morning, ma’am,’ said George Cunha, dropping one of Mr McIntyre’s grey-and-white–striped ‘Turkish’ towels beside her and sitting down. ‘Mind if I join you?’ She did a bit, but said not, and they watched the lesson in silence.

After several failed attempts, Duke pushed the tail of the board hard as Claude paddled it onto the face of a wave and used the sudden momentum to leap to his feet as the board angled across the smooth green wall. Isabel and George could see Duke’s teeth glinting in the sunlight way out behind the break and realised that he was laughing as Claude struggled for balance on the speeding board. Then he launched himself into a body-shoot, flicking his frame across the wave, up and down, before finishing the ride with a ‘porpoise roll’ right in front of them. Isabel noticed with some trepidation that he was gazing intently at her as he walked up the beach towards them.

‘Now it’s your turn, young lady.’

Isabel nervously fidgeted with her Canadian swimsuit as Duke carefully pointed the board seaward and motioned for her to climb aboard. His giant hands guided her shoulders to the centre of balance and he steered her into the deeper water, explaining how to paddle. She felt his hands on her back as he pushed her through the broken waves and she shuddered just a little. She concentrated on the frightening physical reality of the moment, following Duke’s instructions and guiding the heavy board through the water to the best of her ability.

They pushed through another wave and she felt an enormous and sudden jolt as Duke clambered onto the board in the prone position behind her, his chin resting on her buttocks, his hands brushing hers as he sliced through the water.

‘Come on, let’s catch a wave together.’

The big man slid to the back of the board and turned it around with ease, using his feet as propellers. A wave loomed behind them and before Isabel even had time to consider her position, to express a reaction, Duke was digging deep into the green face of the wave as they gathered speed.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.