He believed he was destined to marry a girl he met in the sea. I met him in the sea, surfing during a big swell when the waves were breaking at least a football field past the end of the pier. We were dating for two months when he bought it for me.
I got his text as I pulled a key lime pie out of the dessert refrigerator at work. I juggled the pie and my phone as I checked the message.
“Hey baby, i got u that Xanadu. C u later. Luv u.”
The key lime pie fell out of my shaking hand to the ground, sending shards of glass everywhere. Shocked, my eyes were glued to a photo of the sleek 5’10 epoxy Xanadu with a moon shaped tail. My mind drifted to when I rode a Xanadu during a demo at the Pier. The board flew across the waves faster than any other I rode. While it floated like a thick fish, it was simple to duck dive and carved easily through the water. I dreamed about buying that board, but it was far too expensive at seven to eight hundred dollars new.
One of the dishwashers shouted, “Earth to Melissa,” as he swept the last chunk of my destroyed plate into a dustbin and pulled me out of my thoughts.
“Uh, yah, thanks… sorry, I uh, my boyfriend bought me a surfboard!” The rest of my night was a blur. It didn’t matter what happened, the Xanadu was mine! My boyfriend was amazing. It wasn’t even my birthday or Christmas! It was the most incredible gift I had ever been given. After work I hugged and kissed Dave and thanked him over and over. I waxed the board and couldn’t wait to surf it. We sped to Sebastian Inlet to surf the next morning.
The waves broke at three to four feet, and even though they were classic Florida chop, they still had a strong push that was characteristic of the inlet. For two hours, the Xanadu and I glided down the face of wave after wave in pristine precision. Each wave sent a thrill down my spine and I felt like I had just learned to surf all over again. I loved surfing, Dave, and my brand new Xanadu more with each great ride I got. Eventually, my stomach began to growl and my arms grew weary. Dave surfed right next to the jetty with the more competitive surfers, but then he paddled over to me.
“How’s it?” Dave shouted.
“I’m in heaven! The best I have ever ridden! Give it a try!”
“I guess. I think it’s too small for me… maybe, just a few waves,” Dave answered as he paddled closer and took off his leash. We swapped boards. I caught a few waves on his board and watched him. A few waves turned into ten. My arms turned into noodles and couldn’t paddle any more. I was tired and hungry when he finally said, “Okay, one more wave.”
The drive back to Dave’s apartment was the beginning of the end for us. He decided that he loved the Xanadu as well. It seemed to be the perfect board for him. In fact, he had been looking for a board for himself last night, but couldn’t find anything he liked. When he saw the Xanadu he figured it would be a nice surprise for me. But it was awfully expensive, and it wasn’t my birthday or Christmas, and he still needed a new board. Maybe he could just keep the Xanadu.