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“Who’s that?” We both walk our boards up towards them.
“You’ll find out.”
“Did you set this up?”
“Not really. But I did make sure Archie and Bear weren’t in the water with us.” I give Finnan a look. They were here to surf with us, and a slice of guilt creeps up on me. They didn’t get to catch the waves we did because they were here for this guy.
“Ahh, so this is the kid you’ve been telling me about,” sunglasses-guy says, looking at me.
“Yeah. Jayce Roberts.”
“Nice to meet you, Jayce. I’m Andrew Sanderson.” He holds out his hand, and I shake. “I hope we’ll be able to work together in the future.”
“Sure. Of course.” I nod, eager, although not sure who this guy is or who he works for.
“How about we set up and talk after the competition.”
“I’m not surfing,” I state.
“Are you staying around? I know the break isn’t guaranteed, but I’m not interested in big waves alone.”
“For sure. We’re around.” Finnan confirms. “Today was Jayce’s first time at Mavericks.”
“Impressive. So, you want to be the next Kelly Slater?”
“Does he surf big waves? I thought he was King of Pipeline?” I ask. Everyone interested in surfing knows his name.
Mr Sanderson gives me a look, and my stomach tightens, worried I might have screwed up before I’ve even spoken about what he could be offering.
“Any good riding pipe?” I think back to the tubes in Bali and the pictures in the surf magazines I’ve read my entire life. Those amazing waves were all I ever dreamed about growing up, but I have a feeling that regular surfing waves won’t be enough anymore, not after today.
“I can hold my own.”
“Well, that’s good. We’ll talk.”
The competition arrives, and the conditions are perfect to create the waves that look ready to eat the surfers alive, but we still watch them risk life and limb to prove they can handle what Mavericks delivers. It’s epic. Bigger than I’d ever imagined possible, let alone what we’d done the last few days or seen since we arrived. Any hope or wish I have to be out in the surf vanishes when we get to see the size of the swell.
But it does give me something to push for—something to work towards now I know what can be done and achieved. Rather than just surf the beaches I rock up to around the world, I have a goal.
And I knew I could surf a big wave. Bigger than I thought I’d ever try, let alone nail, and I wanted more of it. There was a hunger and drive inside me, which I didn’t know was there a few months ago. Flying down that wall of water lit something up inside of me, and I wanted more of it.
But that meant I had to secure whatever Mr Sanderson was offering first.
“Mum?”
“Sweetheart. Oh, it’s so good to hear you. Gosh, this must be costing you a fortune.” She switches from joy to worry in a heartbeat.
“Well, kind of. But I wanted to tell you the good news. Finnan and I got a sponsorship deal with this surf brand, which means we’ll be able to stay surfing for longer.”
“Really? Well, that’s good news.” I can hear the waver in her voice.
“I’ll send you a copy of the contract. It’s all above board. We’re paid a bit, get to surf in competitions, and travel costs to the competitions are covered. If we do well, things might get better. It means I don’t have to worry about savings so much. Or about phoning home,” I tag on, sweetening the news.
“Are you still in the States?”
“Yes, but heading to Hawaii next. Mum, this is it. This is what I wanted. You should have seen the wave I caught the other day. Actually, maybe not. You’d have killed me.”
“You’re being safe?”
