Free Crunch by Rick Bundschuh Page B

appreciative audience as they had that day.
    â€œTu surf?” one of the children asked, suddenly turning back to Bethany.
    â€œHe is asking if you are going surfing,” Eddie supplied with a smile.
    â€œI figured,” Bethany said, chewing on her lip thoughtfully. “No, no tabla .” Bethany shrugged her shoulders. “Eddie, is that the right word for surfboard?”
    â€œYeah, you’ve got it.”
    â€œAh!” the boy nodded, but she didn’t miss the disappointment on his face.
    Soon the young surfers began to drift in and walk up the cliff to their car. Bethany saw that they noticed with curiosity the mix of dark-skinned little boys and American teens. When she turned back around, she also noticed that Holly was gone.
    The next thing Bethany knew, Holly was standing in front of her with a surfboard in her arms.
    â€œThe guys said you could borrow this. They know who you are and would be pretty excited to see you surf,” Holly said with her trademark Cheshire-cat grin. Then she added, “Sarah and Eddie already said it was okay.”
    Bethany shook her head at Holly and then took the board from her hands. “I am going to freeze my butt off without a wet suit,” she whispered.
    â€œGood thing,” Holly replied breezily. “That way you won’t stay out too long.”
    Eddie announced to the children that Bethany would be showing them how she surfed. Moments later, Bethany was slowly plowing her way into the surf.
    Bethany was shivering in the icy water and wondering if she could handle the cold. But then she remembered stories of how her mom “trunked” it through winters in San Diego and how her dad, wearing an antique, stiff wet suit had plodded through the snows of New Jersey to surf in the winter.
    Don’t be a baby; this is in your blood, she reminded herself. But she was still so cold her teeth chattered.
    Okay then, think about the kids.
    It didn’t take Bethany long in the lineup to pick off her first wave. She paddled the unfamiliar surfboard as if she had ridden it her whole life and dropped into the medium-sized wave with grace and ease, stalling at just the right spot to get a short cover-up before rocketing to the end of the section.
    The guys on the cliff stared in astonishment.
    Bethany surfed on five or six waves before coasting to the beach. All of the children ran to meet her as she lifted herself out of the surf. Even the American guys on the cliff came down to talk to her.
    â€œI have no idea how you did that!” one of them said.
    â€œCan you believe that!” they said to each other, “I dare you to try to surf with one arm!”
    Bethany smiled shyly and handed back the surfboard. “Thanks a lot you guys—you made their day,” she said as the orphans jumped up and down around her like tiny pogo sticks.
    â€œYou made our day too,” Kai said with a grin as he handed her a towel to wrap around her shoulders.
    â€œI am soooo cold that if I had a stick in my mouth, you could sell me as a Popsicle,” Bethany said in a shivery voice, and they all laughed.
    With the show over and with pockets full of seashells, the orphans were herded back to the waiting vans.
    As soon as she started to thaw, Bethany’s thoughts immediately returned to Eduardo.
    â€œEddie, are we anywhere near the dump?”
    â€œDid you bring the soccer ball?”
    â€œYeah,” Bethany smiled. “In fact I hid it in the van so these kids wouldn’t get it dirty. I want it to be nice, clean, and unused when I give it to Eduardo.”
    â€œYou know, that may be the first new gift he has ever been given,” said Eddie.
    â€œWow!” said Bethany.
    â€œI think we can make a detour after we drop off these kids. Just one van though—we will send the rest back to the dorm to clean up for dinner.”
    â€œThanks, Eddie, I appreciate it.”
    â€œPayment for freezing on our behalf