size and shape of the shark and Jack’s heroics exaggerated each time.
As Bob Marley echoed throughout the cabin, Nadine suggested they take the “scenic” route back into the city, and Jack turned down Highway 1 that ran along the coast. They came to a sign for Dillon Beach, the town across the channel from Shark Point. Jack pointed the car west once again with eager approval from his passengers.
They came flying down out of the hills toward the coastline, approaching the small beach town from above. They cruised past a short row of stores where the road dead-ended into a parking lot, the beach lying just ahead. The three tumbled out of the car and sprinted for the surf, Potey kicking sand in Jack’s direction as he ran past. Jack grabbed Nadine’s sweatshirt that still smelled like the sea, giving her a playful push. She yelped as she stumbled, catching herself before returning a shove.
The pair detoured left, approaching the rocky cliffs that protected the cove. A pile of boulders lay at the base, forming pools of water brimming with life. Jack scrambled to the top of one of the huge rocks, turning around to help Nadine. They stood next to each other, gazing out across the water, Potey below them.
“Po-teeeeeee!” Nadine shouted, her hands cupped around her mouth. “Po-teeeeeee!”
Potey looked up, shielding his eyes from the bright sun behind them before pointing up in recognition. He continued toward the waterline, giving them some much-needed privacy. Jack stretched out his arms and took a seat on the rock while Nadine did the same. They stared out toward the open ocean, side by side, just sitting in silence, taking in the beautiful scenery. Absentmindedly, Jack scanned the water around Shark Point in front of him, watching for boils rising up to the surface.
“So. Who’s this Sara girl that Adam mentioned?” Nadine asked.
Jack smiled. She wasn’t afraid to get right to the point and put him on the spot.
“Just a girl,” he teased, nudging her with his shoulder. He smiled nervously as his hand instinctively went up to his face to cover his mouth.
“Oh, yeah? She seems like more than just a girl.”
“No really, she’s a girl I dated in Boston before I came here.”
Jack put his arm around Nadine and squeezed, hoping she’d be satisfied with the short answer. They sat in silence for a few seconds, watching Potey explore the sands below them. He picked up a shell, whirling it into the outgoing tide. It skipped across the calm surface before it cut sideways into an incoming wave and was swallowed up by the surf. The silence continued, but Jack knew that Nadine wasn’t satisfied with his answer about Sara. The voice inside his head said to keep quiet, she’d get over it, there was no need to dig up past demons. Things were going well between the two of them, and an ex-girlfriend could only complicate things. He opened his mouth to speak but didn’t know what would come out. He tried again, this time, forcing the words to bubble up out of his throat and into the cool sea air.
“Ok, well, she was more than just a girl,” he reluctantly said.
“I’d say so,” Nadine responded. “I mean, five years. That sounds pretty serious.”
Jack shifted his butt on the rock. Something was making him uncomfortable: a pebble, a piece of quartz, the conversation. He stopped squirming and decided to ignore the apprehension.
“Well, it was seven years actually, so, yeah, I guess it was serious. We were together a long time linearly.”
Nadine turned her head. “What do you mean linearly? That’s not even a word.”
Jack laughed. He couldn’t believe he was telling her this. “I mean that, yeah, we were together for a long time. But honestly, it feels like a few weeks. That’s about how much I feel I know her, and that’s how much I feel she knows me. We never talked. We never shared. I mean, we never went shark hunting.”
Nadine nodded. Slowly.
Jack took a deep breath, preparing to jump in head first. “And, I don’t want it to be like that with you.” He paused, gazing out at the waves softly coming in, crashing against the beach. Jack shrugged his shoulders, suddenly feeling small, vulnerable, like a young child trying to explain why he liked candy to a group of grownups. “I really want to get to know you, to understand where you’re coming from. Where you want to go. What you want from me. How I can be a good boyfriend. A good lover.”
“Lover?” Nadine stifled a laugh.
“You know what I mean.” Jack sheepishly swung his legs against the rock.
“I do.” Nadine’s face was serious. “I want that sort of thing too.” She nodded again as she spoke, continuing long after the last word. The bobbing motion was contagious and Jack started nodding as well. Jack grew more confident as their heads moved up and down in perfect unison. Then they both laughed, not looking at each other, but at the endless ocean in front of them, knowing that this was the start of something great.
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Thank you for reading my short story. The Great Shark Hunt was adapted from a chapter in my novel Learning to Haight which is available now at major e-retailers. If you liked this story, you’ll like my book.
About the Author:
Andrew Bardin Williams is a freelance author and copywriter living in San Francisco. Discover his other works at LearningtoHaight.com and Facebook.com/LearningtoHaight.
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