The Education of Sebastian by Jane Harvey-Berrick Read Free Book Online

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    “Hello, Sebastian. Could you help me with this: I brought some sandwiches for you and your friends.”
    “Wow, thanks!”
    He tucked the box under one arm and opened the passenger door. “This is Mitch, um, Staff Sergeant Peters.”
    Mitch Peters was a thick-set man of medium height with the trademark Marine buzz-cut. “Mrs. Wilson, pleased to meet you.”
    “Oh, call me Caroline, please. You’re doing me the favor. I really appreciate you letting me gatecrash your surf safari.”
    He smiled and his face immediately relaxed. “No problem, Caroline. It’ll make these beach bums mind their manners. Right, boys!”
    Then he introduced me to his son Ches, Sebastian’s friend, whom I recognized from a few days back; Bill, Mitch’s buddy, and another boy they called Fido, for some reason.
    I sat in the front, sandwiched between Mitch and Bill, and the boys crowded into the back of the van amongst a motley collection of surfboards, body boards, wetsuits, and strange, shiny T-shirts that I was told were rash vests.
    “To stop the wetsuits rubbing around the neck and under the arms when you’re paddling out,” explained Mitch. “We won’t need them today: the water at this time of year is around 63F.”
    I made a note of that and snapped a quick photo of the back of the van with all the boys pulling faces and flipping the bird.
    “Caroline brought food,” announced Sebastian happily.
    They must have all been starving because the rolls evaporated like water in the desert, and the pressé was passed around between them. I was sure I could have brought twice as much food, and it would have disappeared the same way.
    We drove across the spectacular Coronado Bridge, then headed south, stopping occasionally for a surf check.
    Mitch explained that they were looking for a steady swell and offshore breeze to hold up the waves; the best conditions for producing long, workable rides.
    In the end, Mitch pulled up at the side of the road near Cays Park and the boys spilled out of the back, their reckless enthusiasm catching. Mitch and Bill were somewhat more circumspect, but I couldn’t tell whether that was because of their seniority, or because I was inhibiting them from the whole male-bonding ritual.
    “Just forget I’m here,” I added, somewhat helplessly. “I’ll just watch and soak up the vibe.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” said Bill, smiling at me, as he tugged off his T-shirt to reveal a barrel chest, thickly coated with reddish-brown hair.
    Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Sebastian scowl at him, yanking off his own T-shirt. His skin was the same beautiful, golden color that I remembered, but I’d not noticed before how well muscled he was. All those hours of surfing had left him with long, lithe muscles, and a marvelously toned body. In fact all of them were in terrific shape. I wondered if I should get into surfing, although 63F didn’t sound that warm to me.
    Mitch handed Sebastian a garish red and yellow board, smiling kindly. And I remembered that Sebastian’s own father had destroyed the blue surfboard I’d first seen him with.
    I took some more snaps as they posed for the camera, and then watched as they sprinted into the water and paddled out beyond where the waves were breaking. I knew from my half-hour of research that this was called the line-up. They sat there, a gaudy flock, waiting for their wave. As the swell approached, they all started paddling, their arms stroking through the sea, the green water lifting them up; they raced down the shoulder of the wave, so graceful, so powerful. It took my breath away to watch them. Then, inevitably, the wave broke and they all dived off in different directions, bobbing to the surface seconds later.
    After I’d watched for a while, Sebastian caught a wave that carried him into the beach, and he jogged over to join me, flicking his hair out of his eyes, skin glistening.
    “You finished already?”
    “I thought it might help if I explained some more –