Another second and the crowd lost interest in me as something else was going on that must have been far more entertaining than me lying on the sand. By the time I was able to get to my feet, with Meek’s help, there were several beach security guards, the police, and a huge crowd of onlookers facing away from the two of us.

“What’s going on?” I asked a girl that was standing in front of us.

“Someone just attacked some guy and one of the competitors.”

“What?” Meek exclaimed.

It was more than an hour before we really knew what had happened. In the meantime, Meek took me away from the masses and got a large bag of ice to put on my aching knee.

“How’s that?” Meek asked.

“Cold, but it feels good. Actually I think the ocean coolness would do wonders for it, but this (meaning the ice) will do for now.

“How’s your balls?” he asked next.

I chuckled, “Believe it or not it didn’t hurt a bit when he kneed me because the kick to my knee hurt so much more.”

“Who’d of thunk there was a pain worse than getting hit in the balls?” Meek said, purposefully mispronouncing the word ‘think’ to be cute.

“Pray you never find out!” I said with a measure of humor followed by a wince when I tried to move my knee a little.

“What did you mean by you ‘figured it out’?” Meek asked.

“Huh?” I said first but then realized what it was he was referring too, “Oh yeah! Remember that story I told you on the train? About those two guys…” I didn’t need to finish.

“The ones you caught kissing in the school bathroom. Yeah I…” and then the light bulb clicked on for him too.

“That was them?!” he said while pointing in the general direction we’d last seen them lying and moaning.

I nodded and winced when I tried to bend my knee a bit.

“I didn’t… I mean the way you made it sound; I thought they were your age.” Meek said while pressing the ice tighter to my knee.

“They are, well one year older, but…” I began and again Meek interrupted me.

“They must have hit puberty with a vengeance! I mean, did you see the size of Adam? Bet he’s been taking Steroids.” Meek said and then laughed, “Bet the roids have shrunk his package to the size of a pimple!”

We both laughed.

Out of the blue, I asked while trying to be humorous, “Where’d you get this ice anywho?”

He shrugged, “Some guy must have seen what happened because he just handed me the bag of ice and said it would help keep your knee from swelling up too much.”

I shrugged too but had no idea the Good Samaritan was also the same person who’d taken care of Adam and Scotty for me.

---

Meek was called to do his double run. He got a great score on his first run and a flat zero on his second because he didn’t even make it up on his board before losing his balance.

It wasn’t long before I could walk again, although it hurt like mad with each step I took. After he returned, we made our way back to the more populated area to see how the competition was going now that it was back in full swing. It was then that we learned the full story of what had happened earlier. Apparently, someone had jumped from off the boardwalk and onto the beach, attacked Adam and Scotty, then vanished again before anyone could stop him. That alone was weird, but when we were told what the attacker looked like, my blood went cold.

They described the man as having jet-black hair, dark evil eyes, and olive colored skin. Someone made the comment, “Did you see the size of his feet? He must be hung like an elephant!” and someone else said, “He had the deepest dimple in his chin that I’ve ever seen!”

Seemingly, I had gone white as a sheet, which is saying something given my normally naturally dark complexion and the fact that I had been died a darker bronze.

“You alright?” Meek asked.

“N-no! Get me out of here please!” I begged as I leaned on him for support.

Meek slipped his arm under mine, and around my back and helped me over to where we’d left our surfboards.

“How’s the knee?” He asked as I tried to put my weight on it.

“Hurts like hell!” I swore.

“Stop cussing.” Meek said half-joking and half-serious and for good measure, he lightly smacked my left cheek as if he were slapping me.

“Sorry,” I laughed, “but you asked.”

Meek’s brows furrowed as he brought up the question that was weighing heavy on my mind as well.

“Are you going to be able to surf?”

I stopped walking and looked up into his eyes, “I might be down, but I’m not dead! I could surf on one leg if I have to!”

“Glad to hear it.” He said with a wink, “You know, if you were a bit taller and hadn’t bleached your hair, that description of that guy who attacked Adam and Scotty would have been a dead ringer for you.”

I absent mindedly nodded my head in agreement.

“Also sounds a lot like the guy who gave me ice.” He said with a hum, “Probably sounds like a lot of people.”

I again absent-mindedly nodded my head.

“What?” Meek asked as he lowered me to the sand next to my board.

“It’s just…” I began but didn’t finish.

“Just what?” Meek asked impatiently.

“Just that it sounds a lot like John…I mean my dad.”

It was obvious I’d lost Meek by the way he grunted out a confused, “Huh?”

I repeated what we’d heard about the attacker and as I did so, I began to withdraw into myself.

I was looking right into Meeks face as I was speaking so I saw the change come over him. He began to look scared however, I had thought he was scared for the same reason I was but I was wrong. He adopted this alarmed expression, “Alvin you don’t look so good.”

“Meek,” my voice broke, “I saw him.”

“Saw who? Meek asked and in the same breath, he attempted to answer his own question with another question, “The attacker?”

“No! I mean yes, I mean…” My whole body signed as I dropped my chin to my chest, “Ah I don’t know what I mean!”

Meek knelt between my feet and placed both hands upon my upper thighs as he spoke, “Alvin you’re not making any sense.”

“When I was out there,” I pointed to the ocean, “I heard him call my name and to get my head out of my ass. I swear to you that it was my dad, I mean John, I mean… Meek I know it was him.” I then pointed across the beach in the direction of our cave, “And this morning I swear I saw him watching over you and me at the cave! Oh and yesterday, I saw him at a corner store, talking with my Grandfather.”

“Alvin, your dad is dead.” Meek said which was probably the dumbest thing I think I’ve ever heard the big guy utter.

I gave him one of my, “Don’t be an idiot” looks and then said, “I know that, but I’m telling you I saw him over there and yesterday… with Grandfather. And I heard him yell to me when I was out there,” I repeated while pointed to the ocean, “and now someone who’s described exactly like my father just attacked two guys who had attacked me? Doesn’t that sound just a little bit too coincidental?”

Meek finally understood and frowned as he looked around worriedly. “Do you think maybe it was a ghost?”