The Uneventful Life of Harvey Mackler

c h a p t e r | f i f t e e n

"If you know that, then you should know I don't train losers," I say in a half-joking manner, picking up the video camera that lay on my other side. "Stop slacking around and get back to practicing."

I raise the camera up to eye level, focusing the lens on the sea while attempting to shoo Finn away.

Finn grudgingly agrees and allows us to continue the session for another half hour, taking up his surfboard and lumbering towards the sea in time to catch the next wave.

But when Finn trudges back to the shore that thirty minutes later, soaking and exhausted, I can tell he is still dying to ask more.

"Is there anything else you liked about surfing?" Finn asks, unclipping the surf leash from his ankle and discarding his board to the side. "Other than the fact you were good at it, I mean."

I stand up, taking a few idle steps towards Finn as I consider this. I have a feeling he's not going to drop this until I give him a somewhat sincere answer.

"I was introduced to surfing when I was really young, so it's hard to remember a defining moment where it really clicked," I say. "I guess there must have been something else I liked about it..."

My voice trails off as I gaze out to the sea, getting lost in my thoughts.

"FINN!" a voice screams from somewhere up the beach, snapping me back to attention.

Finn and I look at each other then behind us in the direction of the voice. Stood at the bottom of their patio, a sizeable distance from us is Finn's younger sister, Leah.

"FINN!" she calls again. This time it causes Finn to roll his eyes, irritation obvious on his face.

"WHAT?" he shouts back.

Maybe there is no need to worry about us Macklers being too loud if they're like this as well.

"WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE FOR TEA?!" Leah asks.

"Tea?" Finn murmurs aloud, "Does she really need to ask this now?" He sighs. "I DON'T CARE. WHATEVER."

Leah disappears back into the house, presumably to relay the message to their mother. It seems like the exchange is over, when Leah pops her head outside again, saying, "MUM WANTS YOU BACK IN!"

"WHY?"

"WE'RE HAVING COTTAGE PIE. SHE'S SENDING DAD TO THE SHOPS. SHE WANTS YOU TO GO WITH HIM."

"WHY—?" Finn stops sharply, inhaling a deep breath. I've never seen Finn look so annoyed; it's almost amusing to watch. "This is getting ridiculous."

Finn turns to me apologetically. "I better go see what's really going on," he explains. "I'll see you later."

I can't hide the laughing twinkle in my eyes as I nod in response. "No worries, you can head up first. I'll clear up anything we left here. We'll review the footage from today another time."

"Thanks, Harvey," Finn replies as he turns on the ball of his feet and jogs uphill to continue the rest of the conversation with his sister.

After Finn goes home, I revert my attention back to the sea. Finn's board is nowhere to be found on land, and on a double take, I realise it's because it accidentally got washed out to sea with an incoming tide while Finn and I were distracted.