LUNA
Today will be a special day. I felt it in my heart since the moment I woke up. To the rest of the village, it probably seems like a regular day; the sun burns bright and hot, and the breeze is strong, perfect for good waves.
I park my car behind our store and look at the back seat. My little nephew Beau has fallen asleep again in his car seat. I live together with my two brothers and Beau, and I bring my nephew with me to work as the guys get up at five in the morning on Saturdays to catch the waves.
After grabbing my bags, I open the door to unbuckle him from his seat. The sun shines on his face, and he lets out a wail. I am used to it by now. Beau is grumpy in the mornings and hates it when I wake him up to go to the store.
"Come on, sweetie. You can lie down again when we are inside," I coo.
I walk around the building towards the store entrance. Opening the door and turning on the lights while carrying Beau and my bags in one arm is a challenge. We have made a cozy and safe corner for our little boy in the storage area, but we were only fooling ourselves as we can't keep him contained. He loves to play around the store and likes to charm the hell out of the female customers. Excellent for the business I must admit.
Beau rolls on his side as I lay him down on the camping bed and continues sleeping. I hope he gives me a full hour of peace before he wakes up again. A thick curl falls on his forehead and makes him look like his dad, my younger brother Dax.
I finish turning on the lights in the store and the displays. Our store, Kalani, gets its name after our surname and it's on a busy boulevard in front of the Sea Glass Beach. We sell gear and apparel to practice surfing. My older brother Skye and our friend Kay Hale give surfing lessons to many of our customers just like Dad used to do.
The jolly faces of my father and grandfather greet me like every day. I caress their faces on the photo taped next to the computer monitor. My father, Ash Kalani, is an awesome surfer, just like his sons. Everybody loves to be around him. He now lives in the mountains where he teaches snowboarding. His dad, my grandpa Joseph, was an adventurous Hawaiian fisherman with a booming laughter who taught him to love the waves. I still miss my grandpa a lot. We used to sit by the docks, and he would tell me stories while sharing a candy bar with me.
Dad tried to begin this business right after he got married to my mom, who studied at the local community college and worked as a waitress. He started it by repairing boards in a tiny hut for the visitors of the beach. The business expanded, not without plenty of hardship, and became what it is today. The store has changed location throughout the years, but I love where we are now at the end of the Boulevard.
Our parents divorced when I was seven years old but stayed friends. Mom remarried a few years later to a lovely Spanish guy called Alberto, but didn't have kids of their own. I guess we were such a handful when we were younger, she wanted no more children. Our dad dated and enjoyed life, but didn't remarry.
The salty breeze comes into the store as I open the front door wider. The three figures sitting on the sand make me smile. Their boards stand next to them, and I feel pride at my work. Dax sits in the middle, the tallest of the three, and Skye and Kay flank him. The reason they come so early on Saturdays is to enjoy the water when nobody is around. Surfers dislike a crowded sea.
I move the display of sunscreen outside, our best-selling product, then walk back to the counter to start up the computer and payment system. The baby monitor next to the register is still silent. I read two emails we received from suppliers and forward them to Dax. As I check on the appointments for today, I realize that Skye and Kay have a full agenda, and we also have a waiting list in case of a cancellation.
I startle when I turn on the music system and Surfin' U.S.A. from the Beach Boys blasts from the speakers. Our visitors love the surfing themed songs. Me too, although I will never admit it out loud.
"Are you going deaf? That is freaking loud, Luna," Skye complains as he comes in the store.
"Get your damn sandy feet out of here," I glare at Skye. "You are also dripping water everywhere."
We have changing rooms with toilets and showers right next to the store. Skye almost never uses them. I don't know why he likes to walk around sandy and sticky from the sea water.
"Well, get ready to shovel buckets full of sand, because I have seven lessons today. The first one starts in half an hour. It will be stupid to shower and change between each of them. Can you turn the damn music off? It's too early for that."
Skye and I are always arguing. He is ill-tempered and so damn rude. He is also the guy all the ladies in the Boulevard drool over. Well, some guys as well to be honest. I guess he is good-looking. Skye is muscular and has tanned skin. His sun-kissed brown curls are parted on the side and he has green eyes, although you will rarely see him without sunglasses.
My brother leans on the counter and browses a supplier catalog. I wish he would take a shower. His brine scent is not a pleasant thing so early in the morning. I hear laughter outside, and then Dax and Kay come in. Kay gazes around the store to see if Joan is already in. She works for us on the weekends and studies during the week. She is the ultimate beach honey with a heart of gold and Kay has a high school boy crush on her.
Kay is handsome, and people adore him. Unlike Skye, he has tons of patience and a sweet character. His hand rakes his black hair and his slanted caramel eyes show happiness at the sight of the food bag I place on the counter. His father owns a restaurant here at the Boulevard, but somehow, he is crazy about my food. Besides being a surfing instructor, Kay is a university librarian.
"What's so funny?" I ask, looking at Kay and Dax. They have at least showered and changed clothes.
"A kook who put hair wax on the board," Dax answers with a giggle. "He wondered why he kept falling the whole time."
A kook is a surfer wannabe. We see way too many of them around here. Skye hates them, but Kay and Dax find them amusing.
Dax is a complicated guy. He can be juvenile and stupid when he is around here. Whenever he sees a cute girl, he stares at her and behaves like a 15-year-old. During the week, he is a respectable commercial lawyer at the head office of a chain of shopping malls. His skin is not as tanned as Skye's, as he spends a good part of his time in an office. His messy blonde curls reach below his ears. When he goes to the office, he slicks his hair back to look presentable. He has gorgeous blue eyes. Skye says Dax is the son of the milkman as nobody in the family has blue eyes. I look just like Skye, but my skin is lighter. I spend plenty of time inside the store or in my workshop at the back.
"Dada? Boy wake," Beau walks to Dax and rubs his eyes.
Beau can't say his name the right way. From the moment he could talk, he refers to himself as Boy, so the name has stuck.
"Hey Boy! Little man, are you ready to go home?" Dax says while lifting him and kissing his cheek. Beau just nods and buries his face in his dad's neck.
"He didn't have breakfast," I say to my brother. "I left breakfast wraps ready for you in the oven. Just heat them for five minutes. If Boy doesn't want one, I placed a bowl with fruit salad in the fridge."
"Thanks, Luna. I will see you at home this afternoon," Dax kisses my cheek.
I wave goodbye to them and look at the two guys in front of me. They have littered the counter with empty pieces of aluminum foil.
"Did you inhale the food?" I ask, making them laugh.
They eat like hungry wolves as they spend lots of energy in the water. I always need to make sure I have snacks for Skye. Otherwise, he gets as grumpy as Beau.
Kay reads a magazine while Skye checks on the appointments for the day. My brother opens the little fridge I have under the counter, gets a bottle of juice and chugs it down without stopping to breathe. He belches and pats his belly. Skye is a pig.
"No way... No fucking way... Did you know about this?" Kay says in a surprised voice while turning the magazine towards us.
In the magazine is a full-page ad for a surfing competition right here at this beach.
"I heard the rumors at the start of the year," I say as I read about the 'Sea Glass Beach Surfing Festival' which will occur in a few months. "I found it odd that big shot surfing companies wanted to come to this village. Since I heard nothing concrete happening afterward, I thought it was all forgotten."
"Even Blue Smith is coming!" Kay adds. "Dude, we need to sign up for the open for teams! They even accept amateurs. This is just like when we were in high school. Do you remember those times, Skye? How much fun we had as team Kalani?"
"I don't know," my brother says while rubbing his neck in an anxious gesture. "I haven't taken part in a competition in years. We have little time to train."
"Dude, are you crazy? You give surfing lessons the whole week! You train every day, and I have seen what you can do out there!"
"Okay, we can sign up. If we lose, at least we will have fun doing it," Skye laughs.
If Dax joins, team Kalani will be back!