Crashing Waves (19 page)

"This is amazing. I love it."

The little car putted along the gravel path leading towards the back of the property.

"This is where Uncle Mick lives, up on the hill back there." Rory pointed to a large white house that was similar to the colonial style mansion that her mother lived in. She kept driving further along, coming to a smaller, more conventional looking house. "This is where Bob and Matilda live. They have a son that's a good bit younger than me, probably closer to your age. Marcus. He's away at uni I believe." Rory continued on until she crossed over another hill and drove around a bend until the path finally ended at a cliff that over looked the ocean.

"Wow. Rory, this is…it's beautiful. Did you grow up here?"

"Yeah, for the most part. This place is pretty incredible. If you take the road going in the opposite direction from the house, you'll find a nine-hole golf course," Rory said, cutting off the engine.

"Incredible is an understatement. How long has been since you've been back here?"

"Uh," Rory folded her hands on the bottom of the steering wheel. "Five years," she replied, looking away. The sun was starting to slowly drop, filling the sky with bright red and orange hues "You've never seen a real sunset, until you've seen one in Australia."

"That's for sure, it's…overwhelming," Austin murmured, glancing at the woman next to her. Rory seemed lost in thought as the sky slowly darkened.

Rory finally restarted the car and headed back down the path.

"So why haven't you been home in five years? No wonder there's so much animosity in that house."

"It's a long story."

Austin reached out, wrapping her fingers around Rory's arm before letting go. "I have all night."

"There are only a few people that know about my life, Austin. I'm not sure if I'm ready to tell another." Rory parked the small car in the same spot in the garage and turned the engine off.

When they went inside Matilda had already gone home for the day and Angel had retired to her study. "I guess I can show you around the house, and then I'm going to bed."

Austin walked next to Rory with their hands and arms touching gently here and there as they walked around the three story house. Expensive artwork was spread, with statues and paintings in every major room, including the bedrooms. Gorgeous oriental rugs covered most of the hardwood floors on the upper levels.

"This must have been an interesting place to grow up in." Austin grinned. "It really is beautiful. It's like walking around in a museum."

"Yeah. Well, I'm off to bed. I'll be across the hall if you need anything. Set your alarm so that you're up and ready for breakfast at six. After that, I want to take you somewhere, and then we'll go down to the beach."

~ ~ ~

Rory and Austin were back in the old car after having breakfast with Angel and Mick. This time, Rory had taken the opposite path from the house. Austin saw part of the golf course as they continued further on, until they came upon a cattle style fence with an open clearing with small hills, beautiful gum trees, and a tiny creek off in the distance. Rory grabbed a small bag from the car and crossed the fence. She walked out about thirty yards into the clearing and began making a strange noise.

"What the hell are you doing?" Austin asked.

"Be quiet. You'll scare him." Rory whispered back loud enough for Austin to hear.

Scare who?
Just then, a large kangaroo came hopping across the field towards Rory.
Holy shit!
The large animal stopped a few feet from Rory and she pulled a few carrots from the bag she was carrying. The reddish brown animal was nearly as tall as Rory when he stood up. He hopped closer, taking the carrots that she held out to him, before hopping off in the opposite direction.

"Did you see him?"

"Yeah!"

"Isn't he gorgeous?"

"Wow, he's fascinating."

"His name's Roo. My Grandfather got him for me when he was a Joey and we built this habitat for him. I can't believe how grown up he is."

"Can't he get out?"

"No, the fence keeps him in and he's domesticated. He has a large territory though. It's much larger than he would have had at the zoo. Uncle Mick put a female out here a few years ago, but they don't get along, so they haven't mated yet."

"That is unbelievable. You amaze me." Austin smiled as she reached out, squeezing Rory's hand. Rory froze, but she returned the warm smile before squeezing back. "There are a few koalas out there in the trees and we also have wallabies too. I forgot the binoculars, shit!"

"Don't worry about it—your kangaroo was cool enough."

"Bob is going to drop us off at the beach in a little bit. I called in some favors and I have one of my female riders bringing a stick down for you to ride. Do you think you're up to it?"

"Hell yeah!"

~ ~ ~

Rory watched as Austin paddled out behind the break. She was nervous, knowing Austin had never surfed these waters, but she'd have to get used to surfing all around the world if she wanted to join the tour.

Austin sat up on her board, watching the waves crest to six or seven foot before breaking and crashing into the shore. She'd dropped and wiped out on the first two waves. "You can do this," she said to herself. "If you choke now, this is over. You might as well kiss her goodbye."

"Come on, Austin. You can do this," Rory paced in the sand, watching Austin bob up and down on her board.

Austin took a deep breath and paddled into the line-up, backing off the first wave and dropping on the second as it crested over her head. She carved back and forth, riding the edge of her board and dragging her hand through the cool water. She rode up the face of the wave into a tight power snap off the top of the wave that let her re-enter it with more speed as she ripped back up again into a floater along the top of the wave before re-entering on last time and riding the wave until it flattened.

Austin began floating back to the beach, but stopped when she saw Rory waving.

"Get another wave!" Rory shouted, waving her arms and trying to tell Austin to stay out.

Austin shrugged, paddling back out to the line. She sat back on her board, watching each set of waves roll by. She began paddling as hard as she could, dropping on top of the next wave in the set, carving down the face to gain speed as she rode back up, launching into a front-side aerial and landing on the lip of the wave. She floated along the top of the wave before re-entering and carving down into a cutback. Then, she climbed the face of the wave, performing a snap under the lip and trimmed out the rest of the wave as it weakened.

Rory watched with a smile on her face as Austin caught another wave, and then dumped it as the water started to get choppy. She paddled back to shore.

"What did you think?" Rory asked, meeting her as Austin walked out of the water.

"It was off the hook," Austin replied with a huge grin.

Rory smiled. "Yeah, it's a lot different here than in Cali. The waves here are fast and tight," she said, handing her a dry towel. "This particular spot is tricky though. It's either going off overhead or blown out, but sometimes it closes out into the most beautiful lines you've ever seen," Rory's voice faded as her mind drifted to her past. She'd grown up surfing the very same beach.

"Did I look like a shark biscuit or whatever your uncle called me?"

Rory laughed. "No, you have the maneuvers down, Austin. There's no question about whether or not you have mad skills. You charge every wave like I've never seen, but we really need to work on flow and consistency. In a competition, power tricks are your base points so to speak and aerials are what push your score higher. We need to work on your baseline and get you doing power tricks, one right after the other, smoothly. Pumping a wave or doing cutbacks to gain speed will only hurt your score."

"Okay," Austin nodded.

"Backside surfing will get you high numbers from the start and snaps, floaters, slashes, and tail slides should be the base of your ride every time you ride a wave. Laybacks, aerials, and other extreme maneuvers, should be performed towards the end of a ride, unless it's a short line or a barrel. Then, you just have to go for whatever you can get. Also, trim the rail on long lines and inside tubes for higher points."

"I'd love to surf a tube. That would be so sweet." Austin's face lit up.

"The first time is like using your virginity. Once you do it, it's done. You can never get that first time back and it will be an experience you will never forget."

"Nice analogy…I think," she said furling her eyebrows. "My first time was horrible," Austin laughed. "Maybe my first tube wave will be a hell of a lot better!"

Rory wondered who had made her first time so unpleasant, but thinking about Austin having sex with someone else made her stomach roll. "Sophie will be here in a bit to get her board and Bob will be right behind her to take us back."

"Sophie Wood?" Austin asked.

"Yeah. She's one of my sponsored riders who lives here. She's a little taller than you, but most surfers are," Rory grinned. "I figured you'd be able to ride one her boards and I was right."

"Wow. I had no idea that's who you were talking to."

"I told you I was borrowing a board from one of my riders."

"Yeah, but I guess…hell, I don't know what I'm saying," she laughed.

~ ~ ~

Rory was still walking on eggshells around her mother when they arrived back at the house. Austin was unable to find Rory when she'd finished her shower, so she went into the lounge and opened her tablet to finish reading the last of her assigned chapters for the week.

Angel walked into the room, surprised to see the young woman alone. She jumped at the opportunity to find out why she had accompanied her daughter on the trip.

"Hi, I didn't see you there," Austin said, swallowing the lump in her throat as she smiled.

"I was actually looking for Rory."

"I haven't seen her since I got out of the shower."

Angel walked further into the room, taking the seat across from her. "So, Austin, how do you know my daughter?"

"We…uh, we met at her office."

Angel nodded. "So, you're a surfer, I presume?"

"Yes ma'am. She doesn't sponsor me or anything."

"Oh, really? Why did she bring you with her then? I guess I'm confused," she smiled slyly.

"She wanted me to see the competition."

"Bob informed me that you two went to the beach this morning."

"Yes ma'am. I went surfing and she watched."

"I see," Angel furled her brow and sipped the tea she was holding. "Do you have a boyfriend back in the states?"

"Uh…no."

"Are you a student?"

"Yes ma'am, at California State."

Angel nodded her head, pursing her lips. "What exactly are your intentions with Rory? Forgive me if I sound like a stickybeak. I guess I'm slightly confused. My daughter has only ever brought one person here. Have you met Martie?"

Austin nodded. She'd only encountered the woman once, and it hadn't been the most pleasurable experience.

"Rory and Martie have been inseparable for many years. You can see why I'm surprised that she isn't here and yet, you are."

"Ms. Zane, Rory and I are…"

"G'day, mate," Mick grinned, walking up to Austin.

"Hi." Austin smiled in relief.

"If you will excuse me," Angel said. "I need to ring my office."

Mick watched his sister walk out of the room. "Don't let her knock you. She's a polly, but really she's been a bounce since we were ankle-biters. She's spewin' with Rory for bringing you here. The barney between them has nothing to do with you. She'll be right."

Austin stared at him, wondering what the hell he was saying. "If you see Rory, let her know I went up to my room to get some work done."

"No worries."

Austin nodded and disappeared up the stairs.

~ ~ ~

Mick walked into the garage, where Rory was tinkering with her old car. He walked over to the small refrigerator next to the workbench, pulling out two beers.

"I miss seeing this thing out and about," he said, handing Rory a beer before opening the passenger door and sitting in the seat.

"I'd love to ship it across the pond, but it'd probably cost me my inheritance to do it." Rory smiled, wiping her hand on a rag and opening the beer.

"Your mum had Austin cornered in the lounge when I walked inside," he said. "I think she's ready to give her the flick."

"Bloody hell. I knew we should've stayed in the hotel."

"You know how she is. So what's the real story?"

"Uncle Mick, it's complicated."

"It must be something since you brought her here. Your mum seems to think something happened with you and Martie."

Rory tossed the rag on top of the tool box and closed the engine panel. "Martie and I will always be best mates. Austin has nothing to do with that. "

"Well, are you having the naughty with her?"

"Uncle Mick! What the bloody hell makes you think I'm going to talk to you about my sex life?"

"I think you're cracking onto her." He laughed. "Good on ya, I say. She's a spunk."

Rory shook her head and smiled. "It's way more complicated than that and if you ever tell my mother that I'm a lesbian, I'll make sure you disappear, you ratbag."

"Rory, your mum's cunning as a dunny rat. She's known for a while now."

"What do you mean?"

"Start this old heap and let's take a drive," he said, grabbing another couple of beers from the fridge.

Rory obliged. She wasn't sure she wanted to have this conversation, but it was too late to turn back. She drove through the rolling hills, stopping alongside the cattle fence on the backside of the property.

"Roo looks good," she said. "I saw him this morning."

"Yeah, I'm beginning to think he needs a different mate."

"Maybe…Hell, I don't know."

"You think he's like you?" Mick pursed his lips.

"As in he needs a male mate?" Rory laughed, shaking her head. "I have no idea. Have you ever heard of a gay kangaroo?"