Calming of the Waves

The sea was calm, sparkling in the early morning rising sun. The sound of waves crashing into the beach was the only sound, next to the seagulls flying around occasionally.

Breaking the calm, but only just, was the almost silent stride of the long-haired blonde paddling out to sea. Reaching her destination, she inhaled the smell of salt water and freedom as she straightened her back, sitting on her surf board. She closed her eyes and smiled, listening to the calm.

This time of morning was always Baja’s favorite time. No one in the compound was awake and she had the entire beach to herself. This time of day always reminded her why she left South Carolina in the first place. She was never alone while she was home and she hated it. It was the one place in the world where she could be by herself in a room and still feel suffocated. Here, on the beach at almost the bottom of the world…she felt peace.

Sometime later, she heard shouting from the beach. Turning, she saw Ekene waving at her from the shore. She waved back before turning her board around to paddle back to the waist-deep water. She slid gracefully from the board and walked to the beach.

“How was your trip?” she asked.

“Good,” Ekene replied, her voice thick with her South African accent. “I’m exhausted, though. How are things here?”

“Jackie Boy got into some trouble with jellyfish down the beach but other than that, everything was quiet.”

“He will never learn, will he?”

“Nah, I don’t think he will,” Baja said, laughing.

They walked through the sand to the huge house on the beach. They waved to Isaiah next door as they walked into their house. Isaiah was rooming with Jack, both of whom were on the Billabong surf team, the counterpart to her and Ekene’s surf team. She’d met Ekene while on the Roxy Surf Tour after joining the team four years prior. They’d instantly hit it off and Ekene had invited Baja to join her in South Africa. Once Baja had seen the house located in the very heart of J-Bay, she couldn’t say no. She’d fallen in love at first site and couldn’t wait to move in.

She’d been living in the house by herself for the past two weeks by herself. Even though she was glad for the silence and the alone time, she was glad Ekene was back. Her roommate had gone to visit her family while they were on vacation from the tour. Soon everything would start back up, and they’d be traveling again.

“I stopped by the post,” Ekene said almost hesitantly.

Baja grabbed a towel hanging by the door and ran it over her body after spraying her feet off in the outside shower by the door. She ran her fingers through her hair, rubbing the towel over the wettest parts as she watched Ekene go through her bags. She didn’t have to ask her to go on, she knew there was more to that sentence.

When Ekene didn’t reply, she looked up and saw the chocolate-skinned girl holding a letter towards her. She connected eyes with her friend and realized something was off. Normally, she got a few bills or other things, but this was a letter. She quickly closed the space between them as she reached out for the letter. She didn’t have to look farther than the scrawled lettering on the front to know who it was from.

In the five years that she’d been in South Africa, her mother had never written her. She’d sent a letter when she’d first gotten there to give her mother her address and let her know things were going well, but her mother never responded. They talked every few months on the phone, but that was it. She knew her mother missed her, but she wasn’t going home. She loved her life of surfing and traveling too much.

Ripping the envelope open, she groaned.



Baja didn’t have to go any further. She ripped up the invitation and threw it in the trash. Once that was done, she silently turned away from Ekene, headed to the door and grabbed her board, her destination the ocean once again.